Four different vets are all stumped.
15 yr. old OTTB that I have had for 10 years. 100% healthy, never lame, perfect weight, lively, great personality, lovely to ride, barefoot with perfect feet — a dedicated cribber though.
Personality change late last summer, girthy, spooky, bucking. Treated for ulcers with GastroGuard (didn’t scope) — 90% improvement but still NQR = off and on mild colic/ gas while eating feed (forage based) always resolved quickly but sometimes lost interest in finishing feed and preferred to eat hay.
November/December sheath started swelling up — interest in eating feed did pick up; he was eating with gusto — but he started losing some top line weight. Pulled blood which only showed slightly low protein. Lyme test negative. ACTH normal. Fecal showed moderate to high shedding — wormed him with Zimectrin.
Re-treated for ulcers with GastroGuard, sulfracate, misoprostal.
After 3.5 weeks on ulcer meds he went completely off his feed was really NQR — lethargic and grumpy. I stopped all meds (my gut was telling me they weren’t agreeing with him (not ulcers) and he quickly began eating again with gusto and has never had any more mild colic/gassy episodes again —to date.
January/February sheath still really swollen (got huge) — second blood test showed slightly low protein again. Losing more top line weight. I started adding brewers yeast to his feed. 2nd vet thought IBD maybe. Vitamin E test came back normal.
Then in late March he got (what appeared to be) strangles! No nasal discharge, no temperature — just two burst abscesses under jaw. He was acting fine — certainly not your typical strangles case. None of my other horses caught it. I did get a new horse but he had been here for almost 10 weeks — could be a silent carrier — only infected my mystery case.
By April/May he had lost even more weight. Re-wormed with Zimectrin Gold. By now he was getting weak in hind quarters/ muscle loss + injured front tendon somehow in turn-out. Two different vets did neuro tests for EPM. Horse only showed reaction with tail pull and couldn’t place right hind easily (while backing up) but did show some lameness in right hind, cause unknown.
By now sheath swelling had gone completely down to normal size and is staying normal size.
I treated for EPM just in case — 10 days of Levamisole/Decoquinate. Horse immediately got a bad snotty nose (no smell) which took weeks to clear up + EPM treatment = no improvement.
Wanted to worm again with Quest for possible encysted strongyles but horse is too thin and too weak by now to do that with 100% safety. Coat quality excellent BTW.
About 10 days ago HE STOPPED CRIBBING. Not gradual — he just stopped.
Did full dental work-up — float + radiographed all his teeth. Showed a few minor anomalies that come with age but nothing that could explain his weight loss and certainly no EOTRH that would explain his cribbing cessation.
Tested for Cushing (TRH) — came back negative. Did a full abdominal ultrasound — all normal. Urinalysis normak. Kidney levels normal too. Low protein is really the only thing that stands out in all his bloodwork.
Currently waiting for a fecal to come back, but none of the vets think that worms are causing his weight loss and overall weakness.
Right now he looks like a hat rack — eating really well — shiny coat — weak hind end with a lot of muscle loss + one hind leg (the one he’s mysteriously lame on) is stocking up when he’s in his stall for any length of time.
Everything we can test for has been done short of a spinal tap for EPM. Not keen on doing that.
Vets are stumped. I feel like my horse is just slowly wasting away and isn’t going to make it. Some form of cancer a possibility.
I’ve researched adnauseum every known equine disease and nothing fits him. Frustrating, sad – and I feel utterly helpless.
