Yearling not walking right on back legs.

B

bekstheartist

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www.rebecca-kitchin.co.uk
Hello,

I am a lurker, sorry. Been on here for years and years but I rarely post, so apologises.

Well it's been a week since my yearling came out of the stable walking oddly on his back end. The vet has been out twice and is coming back out tomorrow.

Background: Flash was out 24/7, no hard feed. 19 month old Welsh Cob foal. Gelded in May 2011. Moved fields a week before. Perfect weight. Worm counts back clear. No excersise apart from in paddock. Feet trimmed 6 weeks ago. Rugged.

Basically, Flash came in last Sunday morning to the loose box. He was in the same stable with Taran, my 17 year old Welsh D (very big stables) As far as I am aware Flash was not cast (no scraps on wall from hooves, he didn't come out of stable with shavings stuck on him which would indicate he had been sat down but we will never know. Also, Taran isn't a kicker and they both get on well but, again you never know with horses)

Anyway Flash came out of stable very stiff on back end. He wasn't walking right at all; walking like 'tucked up', like he was going for a poo while walking. Very stiff in upper part of back legs. I would say to start with the near hind was worse.

Turned him out, maybe he had tweeked something or if a locking stifle(s) - turnout the best thing... or so I thought!

Next day, he struggled to get up from sitting down.

Called emergency Vet on Tuesday after taking a long time to get up on Monday night and taking 30 minutes to walk in from the field on Tuesday Morning.

Vet out. Various tests. Not locking stifles. No heat. No swelling. But obvious discomfort. Tests, like flexing etc not showing any discomfort or pain. The blunt pen test, proved he was twitching his muscles in the right way. Vet thinks prossibly something to do with where spine meets pelvis did mention "tying up" but possibly not this because his wee is clear. Bute twice a day and box rest.

Vet back on Friday morning. Dramatic muscle wastage around hip bones (on box rest - very good quality hay and speedi-beet and scoop of mix twice a day for his bute, previously on NO hard feed, just grass) Isn't stressed at all by being in on his own (this horse loves his stable)

Vet shocked at weight-loss.

Did more tests, like walking him in a very tight circle, while holding tail. Flash was clumsey and tripping over front legs. We trotted him up - very reluctant and dragging back legs (he is not flicking hooves back to 'landing position' - it's like he doesn't know where his feet are!) Vet said could be a pinched nerve higher up in lower part of neck rather than in pelvis which can affect back legs?

Vet due back out tomorrow. There is talk about sending him up to Liverpool for various tests.

Flash is sweating a lot around his back end, in between his legs and up his flanks but no where else.

Flash is eating, pooing and weeing fine. He is however sitting down a lot too. He is quite big for a Welsh D yearing - standing at just 14.1 for 19 months.

I keep thinking wobblers syndrome.

Anyone got any ideas or have been through similar? I am making myself go grey with worry! Thank you in advance.

Beks xx
 
Poor Flash. :(

I have no ideas about what could be wrong, but I really hope that he gets better soon. Please let us know how he gets on at Liverpool.
 
Either pelvic bone out of line or wobblers? but if he was fine before that day, could he have had a kick when he was lying down? Let us know how you get on, but the rapid weight loss is also puzzling
 
I was thinking Wobblers Syndrome too, especially with your description of him not knowing where his legs are and him being a yearling (wobblers very common in young horses).

Here is an excellent link: http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/livestock/horses/facts/info_wobbler.htm

My boy had wobblers, he was diagnosed at Liverpool. Has your vet done any neuro tests on him? Does he practically fall over if you pull on his tail as he is walking (called sway test). Just be very careful if you try this, he could easily fall on you, so hard hat and soft surface would be a sensible idea. Just because his foot placement is erratic doesn't mean he HAS got wobblers. So try not to worry. It could be 101 other things, like a nerve pinching somewhere although it does sound like his spinal cord is compressed somewhere.

Wobblers or CVM as is usually the case, is sometimes caused by traumatic injury (fall in the field/cast in stable, that kind of thing) although in younger horses its thought to be hereditary.

Long story short in my horses case the vet gave my horse finadyne to stabilise him prior to transportation to liverpool. He was given various neuro tests and then xrayed and he was then diagnosed. He was ten. Unfortunately there was nothing that could be done for my horse as he had too many problems but this is not always the case with wobblers horses although the prognosis is not always very good in many cases. I'd speak to your vet, and refer you to Liverpool. I'd get a professional transporter to take him rather than yourself so if he goes over in your box or trailer on the journey you won't have the stress involved with dealing with it yourself and you will be able to get your insurance to pay for transportation costs on your insurance claim.

You will feel better once you have a correct diagnosis. I know wobblers horses can lose weight, but not quite as dramatically as you describe. If he is tucked up this is normally a sign of pain, so its important to get him referred as soon as you can.

I'm not a vet, just a person who has been through a similar experience.

Good luck, be sure to keep us posted.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Thank you so much for your comments.

Applecart - that was most helpful. I am so sorry about your Boy, I am literally sick with worry over Flash so I cannot imagine what you have been through.

Is the test the one where you hold the tail and spin the horse around? Then yes, vet has done this. Flash didn't fall over but wasn't reacting to where his legs were going quick enough I suppose.

Vet has not mentioned Wobblers - it's what is screaming out to me when I think about things that are happening to Flash.

Vet out tomorrow morning. Unfortunately, I do not have vets insurance on him! Oh well, there goes my latest pay cheque, what needs to be done and all that.

Will keep this post up-dated; if not anything else but to help anyone else in a similar situation.

Thank you again for the replies xx
 
I would hope I'm on the wrong lines with this, but just with you saying there was a lot of muscle wastage in a very short time, it made me think of atypical seasonal myopathy, which has seemed to be on the increase around this time of year for the last few years.

Here is a link to info on it:

http://www.rossdales.com/downloads/atypical_myopathy_nov09.pdf

Like I say, hopefully it's not that, and it sounds as though if it is, you would expect to have seen more rapid progression. And if it is that, then you need to act fast with treatment.

..... but whether it's that or not, has your vet done some bloods to give him more info and hopefully point you all in the right direction.

Hope your boy is soon much improved and that it turns out to be something easily treatable.

Sarah
 
flintfootfilly said:
Just found another factsheet on atypical seasonal myopathy:

http://rosevean.xlvets.co.uk/userfiles/file/Atypical Myopathy Fact sheet.pdf

Sarah
Click to expand...

Thank you so much for your information. Sounds such a scary thing to happen! So quick as well.

He has been like this for just over a week now though? Nothing has changed from last year; same fields, same feeding regime from when he first arrived (basically nothing other than grass through the Summer - fatty Welsh D!)

Will mention to my Vet. Just been out for hugs (horses kept at home) and he is actually back to his old self - nipping me, mouthing and grooming me but that could be the bute. Thank you xx :)
 
Could he have got to any acorns? Has the vet taken bloods at all?
Last year my mare was lame behind and lost a dramatic amount of weight in a week, especially over her quarters. She had been regularly wormed all her life, the last time 8 weeks before with Equest. Bloods were taken which showed her counts to be less than 1! She was given a course of Myoplast as well as being wormed with Pramox. The Pramox was a revelation in that there were still worms being found 3 weeks later (so much for only keeping them in for 24 hours or that Equest lasts for 13 weeks!)
Bloods and worm counts were taken every week for 2 months, there was a huge improvement in the results after a month and she was eating a mountain of food but nothing seemed to improve her weight for a lot longer until we could get her out on decent grazing. The lameness we didn't think was anything to do with her weight loss so we ignored it if you like but she has been sound ever since and is now safely in foal.
It was a very worrying time, I thought we had lost her at one point so I sympathise with you completely. Do hope he can be sorted out quickly and it's good news.
 
Thank you - I have no oak trees at all on or near my land (thankfully!) He was wormed on Monday (it was the day before, the Sunday he went mysteriously lame / stiff) I am with intellgent worming and his counts have always come back at Nil or Low. xxx
 
The sway test is where you walk them fowards and pull on the tail at a right angle to their body, although I suppose it works the same on a circle. The outside leg will also swing round really wide on a circle if this is the problem.

As I say it could be lots of things. As people have mentioned about acorns, ataxia can be caused by lots of things (ataxia being loss of co-ordination in limbs). Mostly poisons ingested into the body, and impingement of the spinal cord.

Don't rely on xrays from a portable xray machine to see your horses neck bones on xray. This is misleading as the horses neck is very muscled and you can get an incorrect reading which is what happened to my horse, hence referal to somewhere with a decent xray machine such as Liverpool.

There is only one thing if your vet cannot help and that is to bite the bullet and get a referral somewhere else. You really have no choice, I know its a bummer when you have no insurance though, we have a similar problem with the dog, and its cost us a small fortune.
 
Thank you. I am not worried about the money aspect; that's why I do not insure, yes it's a risk but I have a lot of savings from what I would of spent on vets insurance (I do have BHS Gold Membership for third party etc etc so I am not completely draft!) If it costs £5,000 then so be it. We do not have Children and our horses / pets are our Children. :)

Actually, he does seem a million times better this morning; I was an hour late with his feed (with the bute in) and he walked out of his stable as sound as any horse. I am still waiting for the vet to call me, as it's a non-emergency it could be any time!

I don't know, maybe I am panicing over absolutely nothing. We shall see what the vet says today and if he needs to go to the Equine Hospital so be it!! Good Job the Hubby got a pay rise eh?! ;)
 
Oh I am praying for the best news. Let us know what they find. My old girl had some similarities to what you describe. Except weight loss. Turned out to be a vertibtae in neck compressing spinal cord. I myself think onset bought about by a fall. The test with the tail I think is just a pull to the side to see if your horse can maintain footing and balance. Will keep everything crossed
 
speedycivic said:
Oh I am praying for the best news. Let us know what they find. My old girl had some similarities to what you describe. Except weight loss. Turned out to be a vertibtae in neck compressing spinal cord. I myself think onset bought about by a fall. The test with the tail I think is just a pull to the side to see if your horse can maintain footing and balance. Will keep everything crossed
Click to expand...

Mine was brought about by a fall onto his neck. He reared and went over backwards. He couldn't lift his head above chest height and was in a state for days before being back to normal. But this fall sadly started off the problems and he was later diagnosed as a CVM or late onset wobblers case. He was ten.

I think if ever my horse had a similar condition/accident involving the neck I would ask the vet for finadyne immediately as this is what the vet used on Rommy to stabilise the ataxia enough for transportation to Liverpool following the third ataxic episode (that we knew of). If it works this well as an anti inflammatory/pain killer maybe it would have helped after the initial fall.
 
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