Extreme case of tying up

[Rae89]

This post is not about me, and I am only trying to help, so please no negativity.

A family member called me around 4 yesterday that something was happening to his horse. He has just got back from taking the horse out with the sleigh. He went on a 5 mile sleigh ride, and I later found out that one was acting up so he let them run for a while. It was -20C, and the horses aren’t that fit. The one mare was shaking when he got back. The owner is fairly green and a little hillbilly. He explained the symptoms and I guessed tying up. Gave him the vet’s number, and said I could come over later and give banamine.
I didn’t get there till 6:30, and the horse had went down by this point. (Don’t ask my why he put it in a tie stall!!) The horse’s muscles were rock hard. Looks like it had got caught in the tie stall and struggled for a while. She had very labored breathing. We had to use the tractor to pull her out of the stall. I got some banamine in her and talked to the vet. Wasn’t much she could do if she came out so we left the horse as is. This morning it had changed positions but still can’t get up and stand. He gave it a shot of Anafen from the vet today.
I don’t have a ton of experience with tying up, is this at all normal. Seems very extreme to me???
Is there anything more we can do? Will the mare come out of this?

Thanks

[sascha]

Hydration, electrolytes, pain control, bloodwork ASAP, like yesterday but hopefully NOW is better than never. After that fix the diet, turnout, and exercise issues to minimize the possibility of it happening again. Also, the reason for tying up must be found so further tests beyond blood might be necessary to be able to label the horse with the correct disease or syndrome. You need a disease/syndrome label to be able to fully fix the diet part of the equation.

Good luck.

[Ghazzu]

I’d exercise extreme caution with any more NSAIDs. Sever tying up causes myoglobin release from damaged muscle, which can impair the kidneys. Adding NSAIDs on top can further damage them.

[x-halt-salute]

Oh dear. That is not normal. Why wasn’t the vet out there yesterday? Have you been monitoring vitals? If you want the mare to have any shot at survival at all, you need to get a vet out right away. It’s not true that there’s nothing a vet can do. Administering IV fluids, for example, might have helped in the earlier stages, and at this point you need a vet to assess secondary complications.

Those hard muscles are being damaged as they cramp up, and as muscle breaks down there will be substances entering the horse’s bloodstream from dying cells that can be toxic, especially to the kidneys. There’s a good chance that the poor mare is in kidney failure. Severe exertional rhabdomyolysis (tying up) can be fatal, and is undoubtedly tremendously distressing and uncomfortable for the horse. Call a better vet – only a vet will be able to tell you whether the mare can recover or at least help ease the poor mare’s suffering.

It’s infuriating that someone would do that to a horse (run an unfit horse in extremely cold temps). I hope at least the horse was kept warm with blankets and offered small sips of warm water during the hours that she has been suffering. Your family member needs to do better by this poor mare (and maybe reconsider whether they are prepared for the responsibilities of horse ownership).

[Angela_Freda]

Keeping them covered and ‘warm’ in this winter cold is also advised.
This poor horse.

[Palm_Beach]

It’s extreme and the horse needs to be under the care of a vet. I feel really bad for this horse and the neglectful situation it is in. OP if the owner will not get the vet out, your responsibility is to call Animal Control, not post online on an anonymous horse forum. It’s a shame this needed to be said.