My gelding is extremely sensitive to the touch and we've ruled out most suggestions..

[Malter]

My 9 year old OTTB gelding has been extremely sensitive since the day I first bought him. It’s gotten better and worse with no real pattern as to why. He has been treated for stomach ulcers with omeprazole which while helping his overall demeanor, does not change his actual body sensitivity. He’s noticeably more sensitive to touch on his right side. If you touch his flank area on the right side he will kick out. He hates to be brushed, will bite out and spin his head around the entire time. Hates it. Hates to be touched a whole lot, but will stand for pets if you know where and how to do so. I’ve tried hard brushes, soft brushes, three different types of curries, he just hates brushing. His back isn’t sore, his saddle has been custom fitted to his current back. There’s no indication of anything being sore, aside from his overall body sensitivity. He’s a sweet boy, but it sure breaks my heart to see him so unhappy when grooming or touching him. What strikes me funny is that he’s so much more sensitive on his right side than his left, especially over his flank region.

He has been tested for lyme and various other diseases, all of which were negative and unlikely for the area we live, anyway (South Florida, Miami Dade).

My last hope is that maybe it’s the hind gut? But would that present with overall body sensitivity and extreme sensitivity to the right side? The horse is otherwise in good spirits, a real character, but it really does hurt me to see him so grumpy over touch.

What else would cause body sensitivity and right side extreme sensitivity? Please help!

PS–he scoped CLEAR literally 2 weeks ago after 30 days omeprazole and 3 weeks weaning off. We did not scope before treating, but have confirmed there are no stomach ulcers post treatment.

He’s well managed on a forage diet with alfalfa, grass hay, and some rice bran, and is doing very well on it. He has also been on a grain based diet with no alfalfa with no difference in body sensitivity. I don’t think it’s a diet problem. I just wish I could make him more comfortable. I hope someone else has heard of right side sensitivity. My chiropractor has confirmed that it’s not skeletal or muscular.

[Abbie.S]

Have you gone into the realm of neurological issues? If it’s not skeletal, not muscular, not Lyme/other diseases, not feed or ulcer based, this sounds like neuro to me.

[Malter]

[QUOTE=Abbie.S;8532559]
Have you gone into the realm of neurological issues? If it’s not skeletal, not muscular, not Lyme/other diseases, not feed or ulcer based, this sounds like neuro to me.[/QUOTE]

Any advice on what type of neurological issue would cause such body sensitivity? EPM? I’m thinking about switching to a different vet, because at this point I’M the one throwing ideas out to him instead of him trying to figure out what’s wrong with my horse. When I groom any other horse I’m surprised at how well mannered they are, until I realize it’s MY horse who’s so unhappy, not every other horse being extra well behaved

FWIW, He is ridden between 3 and 4 times a week and does really well under saddle, of course with more resistance to that right side. The muscles aren’t terribly uneven, but he does have a bit less bulk on the right side. Hates bending right, and of course, reacts poorly to a lot of leg on the right side. He’s not unsound or off to the right at the canter, but the gait feels obviously different to me. Everyone on the ground (and through video, which I wish I had access to right now) says each direction appears the same. Just feels different from up top.

[Abbie.S]

OK, so based on your second paragraph, have you had any more intensive radiological studies done? Xrays of the spine or pelvis? Body scans?

There are a lot of neurological diseases out there, some not nearly as common, but what you need to start is a full neuro work-up, which is doesn’t sound like your vet has done/is capable of doing. The neurologic exam answers two questions: does your horse demonstrate neurologic abnormalities? And if yes, what specific part of the nervous system is affected and to what severity? You start there, and then get specific. EPM is a big one, but comes with a lot of other symptoms, generally speaking.

But, like I said, your second paragraph to me now suggests something physical, maybe spine or pelvis, or potentially a neuro condition that is causing issues unilaterally.

When you’ve done this much to rule stuff out, the next big step is the take the horse to a veterinary hospital for some of the heavy-hitter tests. Don’t know where you’re located, but I’m talking someplace like Tufts or New Bolton.

[Malter]

[QUOTE=Abbie.S;8532592]
OK, so based on your second paragraph, have you had any more intensive radiological studies done? Xrays of the spine or pelvis? Body scans?

There are a lot of neurological diseases out there, some not nearly as common, but what you need to start is a full neuro work-up, which is doesn’t sound like your vet has done/is capable of doing. The neurologic exam answers two questions: does your horse demonstrate neurologic abnormalities? And if yes, what specific part of the nervous system is affected and to what severity? You start there, and then get specific. EPM is a big one, but comes with a lot of other symptoms, generally speaking.

But, like I said, your second paragraph to me now suggests something physical, maybe spine or pelvis, or potentially a neuro condition that is causing issues unilaterally.

When you’ve done this much to rule stuff out, the next big step is the take the horse to a veterinary hospital for some of the heavy-hitter tests. Don’t know where you’re located, but I’m talking someplace like Tufts or New Bolton.[/QUOTE]

We have not had any sort of intense workup done. Past the ulcers DX by the vet, he doesn’t seem to have much more suggestion for me, which is troubling. We do have another area vet which I will likely bring in to help sort this out further, possibly to get a better look at the spine pelvis, etc.

The vet did do a basic lameness exam when I mentioned feeling weird at the canter to the right and being mildly concerned for his ankles, but he found no reason to point to a soundness problem at that point. He’s got old cold small osselets on his front ankles from running until he was 7 years old, but they are not hot, cause no reaction upon palpating, and the vet thinks are completely unrelated to any other issue. He is due for his 6 month check up blood work vaccines and teeth next month, so I intend to get radio graphs of the ankles since they seem to bother me more than him, just so I know what’s going on. Maybe there’s a chip in the right ankle which causes him a bit of pain and throws that whole right side out of whack? I don’t know, I’ve mentioned that to the vet also and he says unlikely given how hateful he is about anything touch related on the right side.

I’m in South Florida with the ability to trailer to any vet needed, we just haven’t gotten that far, this is the first time I thought (thanks to you!) to think about neurological. For so long the vet and my research had me thinking ulcers ulcers ulcers.

Looks like maybe I need to make a call to the other vet around here. Neuro scares me, since it’s not an exact science in most cases when it comes to a diagnosis. It would make sense, since he raced for so long. He’s stoic, so for him to act out means it really is bothersome. He had a huge chunk out of his coronary band over the summer and the vet did extensive cutting of tissue and flushing of the wound, all unsedated while my horse stood half asleep. Yet pass a brush over him and look for your head to get kicked in

[beowulf]

what do you do when he pins his ears, threatens to strike out/kick out/bite?

a horse is allowed to express their opinion but the second they do so in a threatening manner i am on their case. IMHO unacceptable behavior. he may be in pain but that is not an excuse to be kicking out at you.

what does your vet say? did you chiro?

[Lieslot]

I have no suggestions or idea what could be causing this. But if everything fails DX-wise perhaps discuss a 2 or 3 month trial with high dose Gabapentin, which could quiet nerve pain or nerve-ending sensitivity. Takes about 6 wks to take effect.
Again just a suggestion afer you have run out of other ideas to try.
Good luck!

[Malter]

[QUOTE=beowulf;8532613]
what do you do when he pins his ears, threatens to strike out/kick out/bite?

a horse is allowed to express their opinion but the second they do so in a threatening manner i am on their case. IMHO unacceptable behavior. he may be in pain but that is not an excuse to be kicking out at you.

what does your vet say? did you chiro?[/QUOTE]

Oh he doesn’t get away with it, even if I feel sorry for him. If he kicks out, bites or acts in any other directly dangerous way, he gets a swift smack to the ass, or shoulder, or neck, or wherever I am at the time that he threatens me. He always stands down, but continues to be uncomfortable. Ear pinning gets a verbal for a warning beforehand.

The vet is at a loss. He is taking MY suggestions at this point. The chiro says he’s in great shape, barely out, put a rib back in last time (on the left side) and all was right. Way less jacked up than I imagined he would be. (Chiro is going to be back out this week as a plea to help me pinpoint ANY pain we can find)

[Malter]

[QUOTE=Lieslot;8532632]
I have no suggestions or idea what could be causing this. But if everything fails DX-wise perhaps discuss a 2 or 3 month trial with high dose Gabapentin, which could quiet nerve pain or nerve-ending sensitivity. Takes about 6 wks to take effect.
Again just a suggestion afer you have run out of other ideas to try.
Good luck![/QUOTE]

That’s a great suggestion! I will add it to the list, also. It breaks my heart so very much to see such sensitivity in such a sweet horse. He is really something special to me, so it hurts that much more seeing him so uncomfortable. As soon as the brushes are gone, and he knows I’m not going to poke and play with his body any longer, his angel eyes and face come back. Long strokes on the neck and chest are okay, but if you “scratch” even lightly, he will attempt to bite. It’s notable to add that he has actually never made contact or tried very hard to make contact with biting OR kicking. He’s threatening and letting me know he’s not okay with the problem, but not being downright vicious. Makes me think more pain than behavioral.

[beowulf]

have you done a bute trial yet?

[Malter]

[QUOTE=beowulf;8532638]
have you done a bute trial yet?[/QUOTE]

I’m a little bit concerned to try it, in case something is going on in the hind gut. The vet says no no no, but I’m just not convinced.

It’s something I’m willing to try at this point…I’ve never actually done the bute test (heard of it but never executed it)…Refresh my mind, is it a fast acting thing, will I know pretty quickly? I’d like to have him on the bute as little as possible for a trial period just to save his gut. Is a dose followed by a ride soon after too soon?

I also wanted to add that I did try magnesium supplementation for a month with MagRestore, with NO improvement AT ALL. Just in case someone suggests that (I’ve been back and forth left and right on this BB looking for answers before posting!)

[beowulf]

IMHO, it’s usually one of my first go tos, not my last, but, you put the horse on bute for 3-5 days. if there’s a noticeable improvement, you know it is physical.

you could mix it in with the alfalfa and if you are really worried, feed it with some pop rocks, vegetable oil and papaya juice mixed up. or find some lecithin tablets.

is he stalled?

[SugarCubes]

I have a gelding who acts very, very similarly. I’ve posted about him in the past, but he acts like I’m trying to kill him when he’s being groomed. You can only pet him a certain way too, and even putting on and taking off blankets is torture. Any other time, he is an angel.

I had three vets look at him and we still never figured it out. However, while we were looking for the answer, we did xrays of his back and found he has kissing spines. The vet was convinced the KS caused the sensitivity because it can impinge on nerves and make their neurons fire over and over making them very sensitive to touch. Unfortunately, even with the treatment protocol the vet suggested, his sensitivity never improved. I try to limit his grooming and only knock the dirt off the saddle area and keep him body clipped in the winter.

Sorry to not be more helpful, but I’ll be following to see if you get to the bottom of it with your horse!

[Malter]

[QUOTE=beowulf;8532675]
IMHO, it’s usually one of my first go tos, not my last, but, you put the horse on bute for 3-5 days. if there’s a noticeable improvement, you know it is physical.

you could mix it in with the alfalfa and if you are really worried, feed it with some pop rocks, vegetable oil and papaya juice mixed up. or find some lecithin tablets.

is he stalled?[/QUOTE]

He is stalled for 10 hours, out for 14. I have some left over omeprazole I can give him while administering the bute. I wonder why my vet didn’t suggest this. He’s openly at a loss for a diagnosis so I’m surprised he didn’t mention this as just another way to eliminate something. Clearly my vet choice has to change the more I think about it.

I do have bute, probably about a week’s worth left, that has an expiration date of June, so I guess now’s as good of a time as any to give this a shot. I’m going to feel really bad if he gets better on it, but at least it will direct me to an answer.

[Malter]

[QUOTE=SugarCubes;8532677]
I have a gelding who acts very, very similarly. I’ve posted about him in the past, but he acts like I’m trying to kill him when he’s being groomed. You can only pet him a certain way too, and even putting on and taking off blankets is torture. Any other time, he is an angel.

I had three vets look at him and we still never figured it out. However, while we were looking for the answer, we did xrays of his back and found he has kissing spines. The vet was convinced the KS caused the sensitivity because it can impinge on nerves and make their neurons fire over and over making them very sensitive to touch. Unfortunately, even with the treatment protocol the vet suggested, his sensitivity never improved. I try to limit his grooming and only knock the dirt off the saddle area and keep him body clipped in the winter.

Sorry to not be more helpful, but I’ll be following to see if you get to the bottom of it with your horse![/QUOTE]

Thanks for the suggestion of KS. I’ve quickly thought about it a time or two, but palpating his back, he usually isn’t reactive unless he had a hard work out the day before and shows understandable muscle soreness. I’ll have to have my chiro (who is now coming Tonight due to my plea for help!) spend some extra time looking at the spine to really see if something looks off to her before we move onto the vet (a new one).

[beowulf]

[QUOTE=Malter;8532705]
He is stalled for 10 hours, out for 14. I have some left over omeprazole I can give him while administering the bute. I wonder why my vet didn’t suggest this. He’s openly at a loss for a diagnosis so I’m surprised he didn’t mention this as just another way to eliminate something. Clearly my vet choice has to change the more I think about it.

I do have bute, probably about a week’s worth left, that has an expiration date of June, so I guess now’s as good of a time as any to give this a shot. I’m going to feel really bad if he gets better on it, but at least it will direct me to an answer.[/QUOTE]

speaking as a prior BM here, and i have my own horses at home… my protocol with horses with suspected ulcers and stiffness is to keep them out 24/7. IME stalling causes more issues than it is worth - i know of more than one horse that gets very stiff and body sore if stalled O/N for a week… have one in my front yard as well.

[Guyot]

We have a horse just like this at my farm. After years of struggling we finally ran a vitamin E test, he was dangerously low… They need vitamin E to generate and maintain nerves and nerve endings. That’s why he was so so sensitive to the touch. Worth looking into as I don’t believe the blood work was that expensive. We did also run to check his selenium levels, which were fine.

On liquid Vitamine E he was a different horse in a couple of weeks. Not saying this is what’s going on with your guy, but something to look at and try. Best of luck!

[Malter]

[QUOTE=beowulf;8532737]
speaking as a prior BM here, and i have my own horses at home… my protocol with horses with suspected ulcers and stiffness is to keep them out 24/7. IME stalling causes more issues than it is worth - i know of more than one horse that gets very stiff and body sore if stalled O/N for a week… have one in my front yard as well.[/QUOTE]

I wish 24/7 was an option, but in the south florida sun with no run ins or shade, day time turnout during the summer isn’t allowed, and I wouldn’t want him to have it, as he sweats in front of a fan in the worst of the summer, so can’t imagine him being out all day in it. He also really likes to have his stall time. He was on the track for 7 years, so he feels safe and secure in his stall. He’s not crazy in turnout and really loves it, but definitely has an ‘expiration time’ when it comes to being out. On really nice days (like the weather here this week) during the winter, they are out all night, in for feeding, back out, in for feeding, and out again. He handles daytime turnout okay for about an hour of sunbathing, then stands by the gate until it’s time to go in. He really likes to have his stall time. Won’t eat hay in turnout, devours hay in stall.

Obviously if 24/7 were something he had to have, I would make arrangements to find a place that provides shade and cover, but at this point, I’m not convinced he would particularly care to be out all the time.

[Malter]

[QUOTE=Guyot;8532750]
We have a horse just like this at my farm. After years of struggling we finally ran a vitamin E test, he was dangerously low… They need vitamin E to generate and maintain nerves and nerve endings. That’s why he was so so sensitive to the touch. Worth looking into as I don’t believe the blood work was that expensive. We did also run to check his selenium levels, which were fine.

On liquid Vitamine E he was a different horse in a couple of weeks. Not saying this is what’s going on with your guy, but something to look at and try. Best of luck![/QUOTE]

My vet hasn’t run vit e and selenium, but I’ve asked him to (and he says at the next check up we can) I think my area is deficient in selenium, but to be fair, our hay isn’t grown in this soil. It’s shipped in from northern/western/sometimes eastern states. Only hay that grows in the soil we have here are coastal type hays which he isn’t eating.

[85union]

Have you tried a magnesium supplement like MagRestore? Being very sensitive to touch is one symptom of magnesium deficiency. My gelding is very sensitive to grooming when not on MagRestore.
http://performanceequinenutrition.com/magnesium-101/