One of our horses (mare, 4 yrs old, draft/tb), Fiona, lost her back end and is wobbling all over the place. She was perfectly fine yesterday, and today my sister rode her and was fine for a couple minutes and then her backend gave out. She started 10 min or so into the ride. She was crossing over, trying to stay up, always falling to the right.
The vet came out and gave steriods. She did have a vaccination yesterday, and we are hoping for the best- an inflammation reaction in the spine, but the vet says possible but unlikely.
Fiona is falling all over the place, but is in no pain, her front end works fine, and has no nuerological signs. She is in a stall and very pissed about it- her normal behavior.Everything is normal- except her backend.
Do you know of anything like this? Could it be wobbles (I thought that was an all body thing)? Any tips would be greatly appreciated. We do not want to have to put this young mare down.
2007-03-12 02:25:29 · 6 answers · asked by D 7 in Pets ➔ Other - Pets
There is no pain whatsoever and no inflammation. She is not stiff- is very flexible but her hind end can not fully support her weight (without teetering sideways)
2007-03-12 04:04:53 · update #1
The vet has said all of those possibilities, but she doesn't have any clue really. She said it is not like any of the clinical symptoms for any of the diseases.
We are going in tom if she doesn't get any better on steriods for spinal x-rays and possibly a tap for EPM (vet said blood work highly unreliable in most cases).
2007-03-12 04:14:46 · update #2
Are you in America? There is a possibility of it being West Nile disease. This disease has also recently been found in horses in Ireland. Here is a link for more information:
http://www.mda.state.mn.us/westnile.htm
It could also be EPM. See link:
http://www.cvm.uiuc.edu/petcolumns/showarticle.cfm?id=24
EHV, See link:
http://www.theequinecenter.com/new_page_24.htm
Wobbler syndrome encompasses a group of diseases characterized by gait instability. One of these diseases comes under the name of cervical vertebral stenotic myelopathy, producing spinal cord compression at the neck level. This is a disease characterized by an abnormal gait in the front and/or hind legs, usually worse in
the hind.
It is referred to as “wobbler” syndrome as the horse may seem wobbly when walking or exercising. The severity of the observed signs varies among horses. Some horses may seem to have a stiff neck, appear weak or “lazy”, stumble more than normal, or give missteps. Others may be reluctant to rise or fall easily.
These horses suffer from “ataxia” — a loss of the sense of where their feet are placed — and may appear “drunk” as the horse lacks perception of where its limbs are.
The etiology of this condition has been linked to osteochondrosis and to nutritional factors including mineral imbalances. The potential inherited nature of this disease has been widely debated. To date, no single cause of the condition has been identified but in growing animals it is believed that a strong dietary component is involved in this disease.
See link for more information:
http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/livestock/horses/facts/info_wobbler.htm
I hope you get a full diagnosis, with a positive prognosis very soon...
2007-03-12 04:40:20 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 1⤋
I know some illnesses that causes this. However, if your horse has not been exposed to EHV-1, I doubt the horse has this. There are several neurological illnesses that can cause this. The person you should have spoke to about this, is the vet. The vet is in a qualified position to answer this question for you. You can always call the vet's office and leave a message for the vet to call you in regards to some questions about your mare's condition. If your vet is a good vet, they'll call you back.
2007-03-12 03:37:20 · answer #2 · answered by Veneta T 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Where was the vaccination given? I read in horse illustrated that if the vet gives a horse a shot in the wrong injection site they can get an infection in the joint. If a vet gives a horse a shot anywhere other than on the neck you need to closely monitor them.
2007-03-12 09:03:25 · answer #3 · answered by Toni 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Before you make any rash decisions, get a horse chiropractor to check her out. They are less than $100 and can produce marvellous results immediately.
Also consider that she may have suffered a stroke and her sense of balance has been affected, although I know you said she has no neurological symptoms.
Spider bite, snake bite, tick???
I really wish you and Princess Fiona (aka Shrek) all the very best. Good luck and don't give up yet.
2007-03-12 03:00:49 · answer #4 · answered by Sparky5115 6 · 1⤊ 1⤋
It sounds like early Wobbles, but i think that usually shows effects in young horses......It could be a pinched nerver or something done if she rolled, even twisted gut that grabbs her with pain. If your vet looked at her and has no answers then find another more qualified and concerned vet.
check out www.thehorse.com it is free but to get the whole
artical you must join to get a password.
2007-03-12 03:09:31 · answer #5 · answered by akuna_kumara 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
o my god i want to cry i had a horse with the exact same thing one day he was fine and the next morning,boom and we hoped it would get better so we just kept him for six months just wobbling around he looked like he was getting better but it was because he was learning to work with it we had to put him down about 4 months ago, i am so sad hopefully your horse will get better. i wish you the best of luck with her.
p.s. it's not wobbles and do not ride her for your safety
2007-03-12 04:43:18 · answer #6 · answered by none 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋