HELP! Perfect horse gone unrideable.... Wont go forward, travels crooked,Bucks etc

[melbeery7]

I need help have had several vets come out and all say different things was wondering if any one else had these issues and what we really wrong with your horse?

My 7yr old QH mare had a baby may 2013 so she was laid off for a good year from barrel racing and riding. I hopped on her a few times after the baby and she was fine. Then randomly one day I go to ride her and her movement is off behind, rough not wanting to canter, cross canters etc so I get off and call the chiro, he comes out and says she is off all over and her hip was locked does his thing and go to ride her again, she does the same thing with no change… She then started to be really weird about her girth area and under her belly tries to bite and kick if I try to touch it. Had another vet come out and said he thought it was epm… But she passé a neurological test and I don’t see any clinical signs of epm… Then had another vet come out and tell me she has effusion in her stifle joints and needs injections… She gave me bute to give her and told me to ride her while on the bute. Tried and ever since I gave her the bute 1 gm for 2 days… I can’t ride her at all when I get on she balks and won’t go forward she bucks, rears, goes crooked. On the lounge line she short strides up front and lacks impulsion behind. She doesn’t move out well and something’s refuses to go to the right. When she stops he bunny hops. Also noticed her chest muscles spasm and when I feel them the muscle feels like rubber bands. She also haslooked like her sides Of her belly are cramped up. She is also weird about me touching her stifles too. I just don’t know what is going on I have had her for 2 yrs with no issues… I was thinking maybe epsm because of muscle spasms and muscle tigthness…so I just recently switched her diet to Timothy pellets, grass hay and turn out all day.
Thought is might be a mineral deficiency haven’t tried anything yet. Thought maybe hindgut ulcers going to start ranitdine tomorrow… Just so many things it could be… Was wondering if anyone else had a similar story? Or suggestions? It is not just a behavior issue something is going on. She is getting her feet done this week they are a little off as well so maybe that could help?

[dehere98]

Lyme can cause an array of strange symptoms. SI dysfunction. There are some good posts on here about SI issues.
You could be right about EPSM, it certainly can’t hurt to change her diet, but ‘fat’ is what she needs. Google Dr Valentine epsm diet.

[tbchick84]

I tell ya, reading this made me think some sort of vitamin/mineral deficiency. You say this all started after she had a foal which can really mess with the balance of nutrients in the mother. You mention tension and spasms and it reminded me of the awful sudden spasms I get when I need to eat a banana for potassium. I would have her complete feeding routine evaluated. Have you ever heard of feedxl.com? I used it once and found 2 things my horse was greatly lacking. Once I added them to his diet, no more problems. Obviously I could be completely off and this whole thing, but that’s what my gut said when I read your post.

[newhorsemommy]

My vet doesn’t think that Bute for a day or two is a good test for pain. When I was trying to determine the cause of my mare’s grumpiness under saddle, my vet recommend a month long trial of Previcox. That way you can be certain whether or not the behavior is due to pain or not.

[foggybok]

Scope (or treat) for ulcers, your story is very consistent with stomach ulcers

ranitidine is good, but won’t work for healing unless you dose frequently enough (every 8 hours) and give enough (expensive)

[Lady_Eboshi]

I’d have her evaluated for possible “kissing spines.”

[ArbGrl]

Check for Lyme, ulcers, and have a very good chiropractor go over her.

[J-Lu]

I’m not sure where you are, but I suggest picking a very good vet and staying with that vet. Rule out problems one by one. What does your farrier think of her feet? the “sudden onset” on problems makes me wonder if she got cast and struggled (causing spinal injury) or sustained an injury you don’t know about. Are you giving her any kind of fortified grain or vitamins? Depending on where you are, hay pellets, hay and grass is likely not enough for a broodmare! I say she needs quality vitamin-fortified grain to nutritionally balance what she’s not getting from a strict forage diet. A blood panel might help you and a very thorough vet exam may also help. I know it costs money but it can help. How come you changed vets? Are they each not helpful?

[riopony]

Sounds like my horse! We have injected the SI, chiropractor, rehabbed a RH DDFT and now he is still doing the stop, buck, rear. Vet was just out and now it’s right front. We blocked 3 times then she had an emergency call. X-rays lined up for this week. We are thinking cannon bone area for front but haven’t ruled out shoeing issues, saddle fit (again) and back/ SI. This is my last effort before going to a hospital with him. It’s been since September. Good luck! We have ruled out Lyme, vitamin E and selenium issues too.

Try some of what I have maybe??? If you get a better answer let me know!!!

[quietann]

She is a Quarter Horse? What is her HYPP status? Some of her symptoms sound like HYPP… not all, certainly, but some.

Kissing spines and Lyme are the other things I’d think about…

[jesterjigger]

Also get her checked for pssm

[Calamber]

She sounds like she is either tying up or having some kind of muscle related syndrome like PSSM. Also second questioning whether she is HYPP tested and/or predisposed.

[gumshoe]

Since giving her bute made her worse, my money is on ulcers.

[Calamber]

Oh, missed that Gumshoe. Also no point in scoping, just treat, and just as an fyi, hindgut ulcers do not scope.

[melbeery7]

She is a quarter horse… Lyme was negative and she isn’t impressive breed so I’m not thinking it is hypp. If he does have a vitamin deficiency what do I give her to fix it? Probably mag, vitmin e and selenium? Any suggested supplements to give her I have heard of mag restore? I have been watching her more the last few days, I’m kind of ruling out ulcers as the main problem. She might have them too but she is starting to act more neurological to me. And I gave her ranitdine for 3 days with no improvement. She still wont let me touch her belly or ride her. it looks like there are welts under her belly. She is starting to get more stumbly, not going to the right at all on the lounge line and when she does go either way she won’t trot she just wants to run and it is hard to get her to stop. She is a lot more spooky then normal, her eyes seem to be opened wider than normal. It was just her hinders that was being weird now it is all four. No one else in my family sees it, they think she is just fat and lazy but I know my horse and this is not her.

[Abbie.S]

[QUOTE=melbeery7;7585177]
I have been watching her more the last few days, I’m kind of ruling out ulcers as the main problem. She might have them too but she is starting to act more neurological to me. And I gave her ranitdine for 3 days with no improvement. She still wont let me touch her belly or ride her.[/QUOTE]

Don’t rule out ulcers. Stomach ulcers are easy to diagnose compared to other diseases, esp. neurological ones, so getting a scope is an easy way to say for sure. Like Lyme’s, ulcers have “traditional” clinical symptoms and a whole list of non-traditional ones. And either way, 3 days of Rantidine wouldn’t be enough to touch a serious case of stomach ulcers.

Vitamin deficiency can be tricky to diagnose definitively, you can have blood pulled but timing can mess with results. If this is her problem, I would think the severity of her symptoms indicate she’d test low regardless of when blood was taken. Some advocate for just treating because it “can’t hurt”, but I like to know I’m not wasting money or time just tossing powder at my horse. I’d have your vet pull blood to check.

[Ambitious_Kate]

Many horse ulcers are in the hind gut, which I don’t beleive is seen with a scope, AND rantitidine does not heal horse ulcers. The best way to address ulcers is to start on a full 28 day regimine of omeprazole. If the horse improves, it was ulcers. However, you can’t determine if the horse is suffering from ulcers if you give ranitidine for 3 days.

[Sound_Horses_Win]

I might recommend a product that just came on the market last fall and has several years of research behind it. It’s the best product for getting to the horse’s hindgut where it’s going to be the most beneficial for treating and preventing ulcers. It also helps prevent colic, dramatically boosts the immune system and is very effective at providing a healthy gut. I know horses that have seen dramatic results from this product. It’s called ProBiostatin and I can get you some info as well as discounted pricing on it, if you’re interested. Just shoot me an email at cuttingedgeperformance@gmail.com. I wish you the best and hope you find a solution.

[Lord_Helpus]

Somehow ulcers seems too easy. It is the disease “du jour” and it seems to be suggested as the answer for everything.

Of course you have to rule it out, but I can’t see her behavior changing so drastically in 2 days from ulcers.

Lyme is another thing that needs to be ruled out. It presents itself in so many different ways, that it is tricky to diagnose. It has many different symptoms, but behavior changes and extreme sensitivity are 2 of them. Do you live in a tick infested area? Have you seen any ticks on her? At least for lyme disease there is a test. But, since many horses have been affected without showing any symptoms, and/or vaccinated for it, many horses will test positive for it. That just about exhausts my knowledge of Lyme, but here is a good article on it: https://ahdc.vet.cornell.edu/docs/Lyme_Disease_Multiplex_Testing_for_Horses.pdf

Since she is getting neurological, I would put my $$ on EPM, or kissing spines.

I would talk to my vet about a plan for ruling out these 4 things and how he wants to go about it.

Kissing spines is more quickly ruled in or out: An x-ray at a vet clinic with a large x-ray machine. If it is not definitive, an ultra sound could give more information. If her spine shows suspicious vertebrae, you can have her back injected to see if her behavior gets better.

The injections are not a long range solution since they will wear off in a matter of weeks -> month, but it will narrow down the guessing game.

If it is EPM, put her on a month’s course of Marquis. If she seems to be getting better, give her a second month of Marquis. After 2 months she should have improved quite a lot, if it is EPM.

Good luck.

[Cherry]

If you want to try Mag Restore it won’t hurt her. It may take at least two-three weeks before you see any improvement–the magnesium has to build up in the blodstream. It won’t interfere with testing for EPM, etc.

Another thing that might help is vitamin E, usually given to horses with neurological issues. Some deficiencies are not easily tested for.

I’d pick one vet in whom you have confidence and stick with him/her. Perhaps he/she would be willing to work with the equine nutritionist, Dr. Kellon, to figure out what’s going on with your mare. Dr. Kellon appears to be working with Uckele, who makes equine supplements.

I’m sending you a big cyber hug! I know what it’s like to have a horse with a mystery illness. I think it took over two years to get my pony’s illness figured out. The symptoms were only the tip of the iceberg!