Lila
Well-Known Member
Is this only in youngsters or can older horses get it too
Wobblers disease
- Thread starter Lila
- Start date
Sam22
Well-Known Member
Compression of the spinal cord in the neck is common in older horses to (teens upward) due to arthritis but it is not called wobblers (proper name cervical vertebral malformation because the foal is born with the vertebrae malformed and when it gets older as in 1-2yrs spinal cord compression occurs). In older horses it is commonly known as neck arthritis or properly as cervical vertebral stenosis.
applecart14
Well-Known Member
My ten year old warmblood was put down with it aged ten. He was eventually diagnosed at Liverpool Phillip Leverhulme hospital after my previous vets misdiagnosed him with having EHV which has ataxia as a common symptom. He was more susceptible than some as he was a warmblood, gelding and had a long neck, these type are more effected in late onset wobblers but not always. A very good fact sheet is this one here: http://www.uky.edu/Ag/AnimalSciences/pubs/asc133.pdf
My horse had C3, C4 and C6 vetebrae affected to the point that an operation wouldn't have been sucessful. He was a lovely 17hh belgian warmblood that weighed approx 600KG. He was put down on humane grounds as the consultant said he was dangerous to be around due to his ataxia which meant he could fall on someone very easily. It also meant he couldn't be a field ornament due to the fact he could go down and be unable to rise, and I couldn't have let him suffer. We made the only decision we could and he was put down within two hours of diagnosis at Liverpool.
He was jumping BSJA Discovery only two months before diagnosis, and most of the time he was okay but when he got an ataxic attack he was really bad and needed drugs to control the ataxia. He had three bad attacks before I insisted on referral. About 18 months before the diagnosis at Liverpool he started rubbing his hind fetlocks together and he also developed a very strange bunny hop canter. He was funny to back up too. Please PM me if I can help you further. Sam 22 is correct in saying that CVM is the correct name for it in the older horse. Rommy developed Wobblers due to a fall in his field (he fell over backwards whilst rearing landing on his neck).
RIP Rommy.
My horse had C3, C4 and C6 vetebrae affected to the point that an operation wouldn't have been sucessful. He was a lovely 17hh belgian warmblood that weighed approx 600KG. He was put down on humane grounds as the consultant said he was dangerous to be around due to his ataxia which meant he could fall on someone very easily. It also meant he couldn't be a field ornament due to the fact he could go down and be unable to rise, and I couldn't have let him suffer. We made the only decision we could and he was put down within two hours of diagnosis at Liverpool.
He was jumping BSJA Discovery only two months before diagnosis, and most of the time he was okay but when he got an ataxic attack he was really bad and needed drugs to control the ataxia. He had three bad attacks before I insisted on referral. About 18 months before the diagnosis at Liverpool he started rubbing his hind fetlocks together and he also developed a very strange bunny hop canter. He was funny to back up too. Please PM me if I can help you further. Sam 22 is correct in saying that CVM is the correct name for it in the older horse. Rommy developed Wobblers due to a fall in his field (he fell over backwards whilst rearing landing on his neck).
RIP Rommy.