WWYD much loved horse

So I have opened up access to all 4 fields, led her carefully through to her favourite field by the main gate, put out hay and taken her over to it. The youngster who needs to lose weight is eating both piles and the mare is trotting and cantering around making a mess of the field, looking alarmed and not eating. I have posted about this before, but she often just stands with earpricked and nostrils flared looking north. Now whatever it is that is alarming her is in a slightly different direction. The other horse is not bothered by the imaginary peril. It does cross my mind that she is somewhat demented! I'm not sure that feed is in fact the issue. Last night she refused to eat any of it as I had put calmer in it. So she's only had the one feed of the calm and condition.

My other issue is that as I've committed to my gelding going away for another 6 weeks with a professional trainer, if I have to put the mare down, I'm left with a youngster on their own. AHHHH
 
Marigold4 said:
So I have opened up access to all 4 fields, led her carefully through to her favourite field by the main gate, put out hay and taken her over to it. The youngster who needs to lose weight is eating both piles and the mare is trotting and cantering around making a mess of the field, looking alarmed and not eating. I have posted about this before, but she often just stands with earpricked and nostrils flared looking north. Now whatever it is that is alarming her is in a slightly different direction. The other horse is not bothered by the imaginary peril. It does cross my mind that she is somewhat demented! I'm not sure that feed is in fact the issue. Last night she refused to eat any of it as I had put calmer in it. So she's only had the one feed of the calm and condition.

My other issue is that as I've committed to my gelding going away for another 6 weeks with a professional trainer, if I have to put the mare down, I'm left with a youngster on their own. AHHHH
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eye sight?

Sorry I think my last post cross posted with your message above.
 
Asha said:
Have you discussed any of this with your vet ? She does sound unhappy/stressed
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Yes, I did talk to her last year when she was like this and she thought it would be reasonable to PTS. I spent quite a lot of money on xrays and work-ups last year trying to get to the bottom of her lameness so she's been seen by the vet quite a lot. Had blood test last summer and all normal range. I wouldn't mind getting the vet out again but just not sure she would find anything.
 
Marigold4 said:
Yes, I did talk to her last year when she was like this and she thought it would be reasonable to PTS. I spent quite a lot of money on xrays and work-ups last year trying to get to the bottom of her lameness so she's been seen by the vet quite a lot. Had blood test last summer and all normal range. I wouldn't mind getting the vet out again but just not sure she would find anything.
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i mentioned my old girl last time. She went odd ( similar to your mare) Vet thought brain tumour, so we planned to PTS by the end of the week. Unfortunately she took a turn for the worst, and she had to be PTS quickly. In your shoes i would get the vet out again. Have her eyes checked ( thats what we did, and Ashas eyes where fine) . If no issues with her eyes I would consider PTS. I was going to suggest what PAS did, put adlib haylage out, but as youve done that and shes still upset, i dont think you have may other options.
Sorry you are going through this. Its tough
 
dorsetladette said:
eye sight?

Sorry I think my last post cross posted with your message above.
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Asha said:
i mentioned my old girl last time. She went odd ( similar to your mare) Vet thought brain tumour, so we planned to PTS by the end of the week. Unfortunately she took a turn for the worst, and she had to be PTS quickly. In your shoes i would get the vet out again. Have her eyes checked ( thats what we did, and Ashas eyes where fine) . If no issues with her eyes I would consider PTS. I was going to suggest what PAS did, put adlib haylage out, but as youve done that and shes still upset, i dont think you have may other options.
Sorry you are going through this. Its tough
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She's now settled down, as calm as anything, eating grass. Maybe the imaginary peril that was sending her doolally isn't imaginary, and it's now stopped? We'll see how she does tonight and tomorrow. I would like to keep her going, if I can. If anything else happens, I'll arrange a vet visit, as suggested.
 
Has she had the TRH stim test ? I had the normal ppid test which always said levels ok then bingo - the other test said levels were high. Might be worth a try - my mare hada few personality changes but now on Prascend and back to normal. Might be worth a try x
 
This is very much how my mare acted when she began to go blind. In the beginning it was so subtle that the vet couldn't see any issues on the eye exam but it did progress and she was eventually PTS.
 
as the behaviour is only seen in the wintertime I think its relevant to assume that its something related to that time of year only. do you feed calm and condition all year round, or only in winter,? id be removing the product anyway and assess behaviour over the next two weeks. could be feed related. is there a hunt to the north of you? sounds as if something that excites the mare happens only in winter at some distance away but within hearing of a horse.
 
Asha said:
i mentioned my old girl last time. She went odd ( similar to your mare) Vet thought brain tumour, so we planned to PTS by the end of the week. Unfortunately she took a turn for the worst, and she had to be PTS quickly. In your shoes i would get the vet out again. Have her eyes checked ( thats what we did, and Ashas eyes where fine) . If no issues with her eyes I would consider PTS. I was going to suggest what PAS did, put adlib haylage out, but as youve done that and shes still upset, i dont think you have may other options.
Sorry you are going through this. Its tough
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Thanks. I've put a call into my vet and hope to get her out this week to look at her eyes and generally assess her behaviour.
 
Goldenstar said:
Pain can be at the bottom of this type of behaviour
It’s good you have got the vet coming .
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Yes, she certainly doesn't seem very happy at the mo. When I let her out in the morning, she throws herself down and rolls and rolls. I think she is trying to release muscles. She sees a physio fairly regularly and she finds her tight in her shoulders and neck.
 
Well, the vet came yesterday and of course my mare chose that afternoon to be less stressy, so not much to see. We checked her eyes and, although there were a couple of slightly strange findings, the vet didn't think it would affect her eyesight. We had a long and useful chat though. The conclusion was that perhaps she is a very protective mare - she is the mother of my other two. She feels its her job to be on the look-out for dangers and protect the 2 year old. When my gelding is here, he shares the guarding, but now he is away, she has to do it on her own and she's being hypervigilant and probably exhausted. The field they are grazing at the moment is furthest away from the stables - tbh she's never felt very comfortable in that field for some reason.

So the plan is to put them out for the strip-grazing of the furthest field for a couple of hours, then bring in to the field next to the stables with hay. Trouble is that that field is the worst for drainage so it's going to be trashed but we'll just have to live with that until the gelding gets back.
 
mossycup said:
How has she been over the weekend?
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Thanks for asking. The changes I've made to her management seem to be working. She's happier spending most of her time in the field next to the stables and our home. I've added Protexin Acidease to her feed and changed her back to the original grass nuts. Not sure which one of those things is working but she has stopped charging around. Big relief for me as seeing her and the youngster charging around like that is really not good for the nerves! Keep hoping the weather will get better but no sign so far.
 
Marigold4 said:
Thanks for asking. The changes I've made to her management seem to be working. She's happier spending most of her time in the field next to the stables and our home. I've added Protexin Acidease to her feed and changed her back to the original grass nuts. Not sure which one of those things is working but she has stopped charging around. Big relief for me as seeing her and the youngster charging around like that is really not good for the nerves! Keep hoping the weather will get better but no sign so far.
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Good news,made me happy this morning xx.
 
One of my brood mares had severe anxiety issues, she had been imported from Ireland as a foster brood mare and had produced foals that went on to be graded SH. If she panicked she would go through fences, but I kept her with a small group of mare out 24/7 and became a lot easier to handle as everything was done in that group. When she started to get stiffer behind I had her PTS because if anything had happened, she had to be sedated for most things, and I just didn't wanted to put her through the stress on being left behind.
Its hard having anything PTS, but I think when you have done your best and the animal is still not happy it's a valid choice and not a failure.
 
honetpot said:
One of my brood mares had severe anxiety issues, she had been imported from Ireland as a foster brood mare and had produced foals that went on to be graded SH. If she panicked she would go through fences, but I kept her with a small group of mare out 24/7 and became a lot easier to handle as everything was done in that group. When she started to get stiffer behind I had her PTS because if anything had happened, she had to be sedated for most things, and I just didn't wanted to put her through the stress on being left behind.
Its hard having anything PTS, but I think when you have done your best and the animal is still not happy it's a valid choice and not a failure.
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Agreed about PTS. If I didn't have the experience of last spring and summer when she became a lot more chilled once the grass was through, I would be considering it but I think if we can keep her going for another few weeks, she'll be OK. Vet thinks she's looking quite good, although has lost a little weight and strength. We lunged her on a small circle and vet thought she was looking a lot less lame than she has done. So I think, with careful management, she's OK to carry on. I'm not one to keep them going for years in a poor state for my own sake, so will make the call when it's needed, just not quite yet. We can maybe give her another summer and autumn.
 
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