why did my horse .....?

Question

my 12 yr old gelding who was healthy had all his shots and was just recently wormed passed away very strangely he was laying down when we went out to feed but he picked his head up and grabbed some hay thought it was odd that he didnt get up so I went back out to check on him a few minutes later and he did get up but only to come lay on his hay so I got him up walked him around he was shaking from being cold so i took him in the barn dried him off threw a winter blanket and hood on him listened to his stomache thinking maybe it was colic but he had good girggle sounds but i gave him banamine just in case after a lil while he seamed fine but I left him in the barn for the night just cause ive never had a horse shake that bad with everything looking to be ok I went to bed but by the time I went out to let horses out in the morning he was gone Has anyone else ever had this Happen?

he was fine when iwent to bed acting like his normal self didnt leave him to die I love my horses

I know what colic is he wouldnt of been eating and drinking if it was colic

Answer 1

So very sorry for your loss. We had this happen to a mare we had several years ago. She was healthy one day and the next morning she was down, and by the afternoon (at Texas A & M vet clinic) she was dead. After the autopsy, we discovered she had developed EPM. And since can mimic other syptoms and colic, it is hard to diagnose. This is a link to an article about the disease.

http://www.dclahdvm.com/articles/epm.htm

Answer 2

I am so sorry.

My horse *almost* died the same way. Similar symptoms. My horse has a very high pain tolerance though. The vets said he should have been thrashing around but instead he was simply quiet. He's not a quiet horse so I knew something was up.

What my horse had was the stomache flu. But since horses can't throw up, his stomache was swelling. We'll never know for sure what caused it. He was just very very drowsy, didn't show much interest in food, and wouldn't come to me. We think it was caused by bad grain, but there's no guarantee that's it.

Also, traditional wormer causes death in some horses. It's possible your horse had liver failure of some kind. It can build up in their liver and kidneys until they can't handle it anymore.

I know this may not be what you want to hear, but there is a positive side to this. You've learned a lesson. Now when you get another buddy, I'll guarantee you won't underestimate strange behavior. Me for example, I will NEVER feed my horse grain that isn't totally clean ever again.

Best wishes

Answer 3

It sounds like Colic, but the shaking is not characteristic, plus you checked his stomach.

Generally speaking though, any change in temperature more than a few degrees is cause for alarm. Ecspecially if his temperature dropped. It's not uncommon for a horse to be a bit warm depending on its surroundings and the weather, but it is not normal for them to be so cold that they're literally shaking.

It's expensive, but you might want to look into an autopsy if you have other horses to make sure whatever he had didn't have a longer incubation period. You may have other sick animals and not even know it.

Answer 4

It is hard to tell what he passed from, but I had two cases similar to yours. My first was a mare that had a cancer tumor that attached to her intenstine like a tree root and just shut off her intenstines. I also thought she was colicing, I gave her banamine and nothing. She had the sweats and was shivering (it was the middle of summer and over 100 degrees out). I wouldn't of known what it was but they did an autopsy. The other case was last year with my other mare, she had bad signs of colic. Same symptoms as the other mare, but she made it to the table. Turns out she had 2 large (softball size) stones in her intenstines. It is caused from calcium depositing and turining to stones. So it will be hard to know what happened to your guy with out doing an autopsy. One thing I did find out from an old horse guy, he gives his horses a 1/2-1 cup of apple cider vinegar a day in their grain. He swears it breaks up any stones or any other problems. I started doing it to my other horses. But I am sorry to hear about your horse, it is so hard to see them pass away.

Answer 5

I'm so sorry to hear that!
well from my experience he could of have a bit of colic but due to the fact that you got him up and he seemed better after giving him banamine, its a strange one. no-one knows your horse like you and if he seemed normal after then i would of left him to. you said that you put rugs him maybe it was that he had got so cold and weak from laying there, could he of been laying for a while???
if i was you i would give your vets a ring and just see what they say. they will be able to run down a list of possibilities with you, i would just do it for peace of mind! my heart goes out to you. its like loosing a leg!

Answer 6

Was he dizzy and disoriented? Could it have been West Nile or sleeping sickness? Did you call a vet for his/her opinion? I am sorry your horse died. I know it is hard to deal with, especially when you are close to him. Sounds like you did what you thought was best, even if calling a vet to be sure would have been the right thing.

Answer 7

I have 4 horses been around them all my life.To me it sounds as though your horse had collic.Its a stomach acke,What they do is get up lie down they get up lie down sometimes theyll even throw themselves down trying to get rid of the pain.When you see the horse getting up & lying down you need to walk them its very hard they wont want to move you eed to walk them untill a vet can come out & give a shot that they have.

Answer 8

Was he an Impressive quarter horse? It sounds like an HYPP attack, which causes muscle tremors and unexplainable death. I'm sorry for your loss.

Answer 9

He may have had cancer or something like that i no this horse she is old and her checks are massive full of cancer, he may have had it for a wile inside his body or something...i dont no it just brain storming
It pritty werrid tho

Answer 10

I would have call my horses vet and or stayed the night in the barn with the innocent helpless creature.......So sad your horse died all alone.
And No ,Never. Would that happen to me ....I would immediately have helped my friend and it would never go down like that.