Horse Extremely Sensitive to Touch

[DunByMistake]

My 10 year old ISH gelding has become extremely sensitive to being touched in the last week or so. I’ve been grooming him pretty regularly to deal with shedding and while I wouldn’t say he’s ever loved being groomed, he’s definitely become more intolerant. He almost seems to flinch when being brushed. And I’m being very gentle.

He is most sensitive around his belly which I’m beginning to think is a combo of being ticklish but also pain. I treated him with Nexium for 3 weeks to deal with a stressful period (adjusting to living alone) and I’m thinking I may have overdone it and upset the balance in his hindgut. If his belly is palpated around his last ribs (particularly on right side), he will kick and he means business. He also consistently seems to twitch skin and flinch when he is touched there.

I finally got to ride last weekend and he was great. Moved out great and didn’t show any stiffness or soreness while on trails. I’m riding on hard packed gravel road at moment so not a soft surface either. I rode Monday after work and he was NQR personality wise. Very quiet and reluctant - which is not like him. Definitely flinched when I did up back buckle on girth. He did perk up a bit after our very short (walking only) ride. Had very loud gut sounds that day and I think he was having trouble with bad gas. I stopped Nexium and put on blanket. I have concerns that he may not be drinking enough water during day.

Tuesday and Wednesday he was his normal self. Met me at gate at feeding time and was running around kicking and feeling good. Less sensitive on belly. Today, he was quiet again at morning feed and super sensitive on belly. I’ve debated hindgut acidosis but he eats everything that is in front of him and his poop is normal. Plus, he seems to be becoming more sensitive all over. His weight is decent - could stand a few more pounds but he hasn’t dropped any since this started.

Anyways, I’m looking for some advice and suggestions on why he might be so sensitive. My kind sister is bringing me back a yeast supplement and a Vitamin E supplment (feed store where I am is lacking) which I’ll be starting tomorrow. Otherwise his diet consists of mix of grass/alfalfa hay (about 35 pounds a day) plus 2 lbs Step 8 Hi fat Supplement, farrier’s choice hoof supplement and Equicell mineral supplement. My other thought is that we finally have snow gone and he may be eating things in his pasture that are bothering him.

I should also say - I do have concerns that he is lacking in minerals/vitamins. His diet is mainly forage and I have NEVER seen him touch his salt block. I have to get vet out anyways to do Coggins, vaccines, etc so I’m going to have blood panel pulled and see what his blood test shows. Obviously I will ask vet about sensitivity also but both vets at the practice I use will readily admit they are not nutritionists.

[tbchick84]

Lyme

[Dark_horse17]

Not sure where you’re located, but Lyme would be my suspicion as well. Otherwise, sensitivity around the belly / girthing up, etc. could point to ulcers. Not sure about the Nexium (how are you dosing that?) but you could try a round of Gastrogard. Also… long shot… Magnesium deficiency?

[Simkie]

I’d also think lyme, if you’re in a tick area.

What did you do for tapering the nexium? I’ve been veeeeery careful on that step, and haven’t had any issues.

[DunByMistake]

Vet is coming Tuesday and lyme is going to be tested. I don’t think I’m in an area where we have lots of it but it’s possible. He had ulcers in the fall and his behaviour is not similar at all. He was truly insane when we had ulcers - dangerous to handle. I did the Nexium as a precautionary measure due to living alone and spring weather (he’s a bit of a sensitive snowflake). Because he was so belly sensitive on Monday and I was concerned that it was related to Nexium use, I just stopped it and haven’t been tapering.

After scrubbing his water trough this morning and filling it to a certain point to monitor it, when I came home he hadn’t had a drop. However, his skin test was normal and he didn’t have that sucked up look dehydrated horses get. So I’m 99% certain he is getting his water intake from the lake of melted snow in his pen. Which is clean (you can see through water to ground) but I can’t imagine that can be particularly good for his digestive tract either. So he is locked out of that pen and forced to drink out of his trough. I can’t imagine how freezing cold water off the ground can be more appealing but what do I know!

[OneTwoMany]

I would suspect Lyme as well. Every horse is affected differently, but change in attitude is a very common clinical symptom for Lyme.

[LookmaNohands]

Ditto Lyme. You could also check for EPM, it manifests in weird ways sometimes.

[SaratogaTB]

Although I agree with Lyme, I think Magnesium deficiency presents similarly. My OTTB got super sensitive and a little spooky, so I added magnesium. He was his normal self within a couple days. I’m guessing that end of winter would be when a deficiency could be at its worst.

[EmilyM]

If you are pulling blood anyway, why not see about a Vitamin E deficiency while you are at it. Have you added probiotics to try to correct the disruption in his gut flora that you are suspicious of? Can’t hurt, might help. Good luck. It’s so upsetting when they are NQR, and the cause isn’t obvious. . .

[DunByMistake]

@EmilyM tell me about it!!! How I wish they could talk. I’m going to do full blood panel - I have suspicion he is mineral/vitamin deficient but want to get an idea how much. My sister is arriving today with Vit E supplement so I’ll start him on that right away. I also got a yeast supplement to help with gut.

I’m not sure we have a lot of lyme in my area but I was thinking this morning he spent the first 9 years of his life on the west coast so it’s very possible he picked it up there.

[Angela_Freda]

How long has he been drinking from standing water/puddle?
They can pick up lots of nasty things drinking water from the ground… snails, bacteria, etc…

http://equusmagazine.com/management/threats-water-53343

[Showbizz]

I wouldn’t add anything new if you want answers. Wait to get the blood results before you add more supplements.

[Dr_Doolittle]

DBM, good advice on waiting for the bloodwork results to come back (the one downside being how long that will take), but you might indeed (as you alluded to) consider hindgut issues as the cause.

My young mare presented with the exact same symptoms last fall: suddenly VERY pissy about being touched and groomed, lots of sensitivity in the right flank/stomach area, and gurgly gut sounds. Like your horse, she ate and drank well, firm manure.

The symptoms did vary a bit from day to day, but I basically stopped working her or really grooming her to give the treatment(s) a chance to work.

We put her on omeprazole (compounded, from the barn vet), and when the symptoms didn’t resolve, started her on Equishure. It took weeks for her to improve (meanwhile we tested for Lyme, she was negative), but we also weaned off the omeprazole, which I discovered - thank you, wise COTHers! - can be contraindicated for hindgut ulcers. So maybe that’s why she got better slowly, there was “overlap” until she was weaned off.

Anyway, I kept her on the Equishure, but at the advice of KER, switched her to Rite Trac, a more complete stomach/digestive treatement. (She had been on it before when she showed mild tummy symptoms, it did the trick, but I eventually switched her to G.U.T. to save some money. My bad :sigh:)

She was already getting vitamin E and magnesium, as well as Probios. She is an “internalizer”, so in spite of her pretty close to ideal management, gets stressed and needs the “support”.

She gets an lb. or two of MC30, an RB, with her supplement baggie (no grain), free choice forage (alfalfa/orchard grass hay) when in her 14X14 stall (only a few hours a day unless there is bad weather), and is on great pasture in a huge field with T/O buddies about 20 hours a day.

My hypothesis as to the trigger was the fall grass: we had a VERY dry fall, and from what I read the sugar content of the grass can mess with the hindgut Ph. It was the only change, really (other than graduating into more regular ridden work), and since she’s been on the Ritetrac, she seems fine, no issues. Had a wee flareup last week where she was pissy about being touched/groomed in that same right rear area - and those noisy gut sounds were present :(, so I just did some groundwork with her that day, and bought some Succeed to try out. She was completely normal 2 days later, go figure.

It can be a puzzle! First step is to rule out Lyme, then go from there. Good luck!

[DunByMistake]

Thanks for your help everyone! I will be patient and hold off on Vitamin E supplement until we get blood results… Might kill me but I’ll try. But I will try yeast supplement to see if that helps.

I’m thinking he has some kind of hindgut issues from omeprazole treatment in fall and has exacerbated it by drinking the lake water (it’s waaay beyond puddle size). He’s never loved having his belly touched (even when I first got him) but it’s never been this bad.

Seriously horses might have the most poorly designed and sensitive digestive systems of any animal.

[Angela_Freda]

@DunByMistake

Thanks for your help everyone! I will be patient and hold off on Vitamin E supplement until we get blood results… Might kill me but I’ll try. But I will try yeast supplement to see if that helps.

I’m thinking he has some kind of hindgut issues from omeprazole treatment in fall and has exacerbated it by drinking the lake water (it’s waaay beyond puddle size). He’s never loved having his belly touched (even when I first got him) but it’s never been this bad.

Seriously horses might have the most poorly designed and sensitive digestive systems of any animal.

I encourage you to read that link I shared… it’s not just about puddles… or your typical puddle.
When my horse died last May the standing water in his pasture was one consideration for his initial GI upset… the standing water was probably about 20’ across… it’s not just puddles.

[DunByMistake]

@Angela Freda I’m going to keep him locked out of the pen with water until it dries up. I do take it seriously - I wish I would’ve been a little smarter to think of him drinking that water before. I am going to talk to my coworkers about ordering me some sample bottles to have water tested to see what might be in it. I’m assuming the E coli count will be considerable due to the horse, elk, and deer poop that is likely mixed in with water.

[Joozybug]

My horse had same symptoms last fall right after I wormed with Quest Plus. Lasted about a week. Just throwing that out there.

[SallyM]

DunByMistake - I know your post is old but did you ever get to the bottom of this? I have what sounds like the exact same problem currently!

[bathsheba8542]

I wouldn’t have stopped the Nexium cold; better plan is to taper it off as just stopping can cause a real rebound effect. I also use and would recommend RiteTrac for horses with sensitives guts. I’ve seen a huge improvement using it.

[DunByMistake]

@SallyM Yes I did get to the bottom of this problem (mostly). My horse had some major digestive issues going on - his hindgut was pretty out of whack. I actually ended up working with a nutritionist not long after this post was written which was some of the best money I’ve ever spent. Really helped get my guy back on track. He’s still ulcer prone but we’ve never gone back to the level of unhappiness he was when this post was written. Unfortunately, there is no option for scope where I live so I haven’t had a look inside his stomach so far.