Neurological Issue? Need Help. Gelding with strange behavior that no one has seen

Very interesting! Thanks for sharing. EPM has been suggested and for that reason, I posted this in an EPM group on FB. Which led me here. I was hoping the group could tell me if they thought this could be a rare symptom of EPM. No one did.

It may be related to a full bladder though?

Wow, that is weird and interesting at the same time. I am so glad you are still able to ride.
I have not done a bute trial, but that is a good suggestion to see if pain is an issue.

Thanks for responding and sharing.

I suppose it is possible but my vet didn’t think it was likely. Is that something that would get worse over time as these seems to be doing?

Thank you for responding.
This does seem to be progressing. I went from being able to ride to having issues riding, to not being able to ride. He went from dripping a few drops to tensing up and camping under, to tensing up and thrusting the air and squirting.
We are definitely not headed in the right direction. My fear is that he has something going on that cannot be fixed. I could spend thousands more and still not figure it out and if I did, there may be no solution.
I am concerned about his comfort and well being. My safety if he gets worse. I board him so if this isn’t fixable, can I find a place to keep him where they will care for him like I do? What truly is best for him in the long run? I have so many questions.

5 Likes

Thank you for sharing. I would love more information on these studies if you can share.
I appreciate your response.

Retained testicular tissue is a predisposing factor for tumors, benign and otherwise… might explain the worsening?

1 Like

Thank you for your response and empathy. This has been a rollercoaster ride emotionally. I don’t know what I am going to be able to do for him. I wish I owned land and didn’t have to board him.
I am definitely learning about patience and flexibility.

I would talk to your vet and see if you can do some medication trials just to get pointed in the right direction. Start with a bute trial a good 1-2grams 2x a day for 3 days. I would then see if my vet would let me try a steroid trial. If it’s nerve based usually a steroid would calm that down. EPM is pretty cheap to test but 30 days of one of the treatments is $200 compounded the same as the cost to test. I’d honestly put my $ into a bottle of treatment and see if he gets better.

The peeing thing is really interesting because my guy pees almost every time before and after a ride even before his humping started. We always figured it was from racing. He was gelded late too.

I’ve seen vets inject DMSO IV to help w inflammation in the spinal column for neck arthritis or die off of Protozoa due to treatment for EPM. I wonder if it would be helpful in this circumstance.

2 Likes

Has he been to a top vet center that has state-of-the-art x-ray machines? Right now you are using a scatter-gun approach with no answers. By taking him to New Bolton (or a similar specialized clinic) you will spend more upfront but,
at least you will get an answer. it will save you money in the long run.

2 Likes

Started reading about polyneuritis equi. I have a video of him urinating from 6/2/22. It looks to me like he is straining. Perhaps it would be helpful to those of you who have a lot more knowledge/experience than I do. Please excuse the poor video quality. I had another horse in my face :joy:.
Also, I forgot to mention that he drops a lot of food. His teeth were done less than a year ago, but he has always dropped food while he is chewing.

https://youtube.com/shorts/1Xu9MRF_veE?feature=share

Just wanted to extend my empathy- I have had several horse things that were bizarrely unusual, “almost never happen” according to vets. It is so tough & frustrating, especially after multiple things, which feels like it should be statistically impossible! So I just wanted to say that you aren’t alone!

I was given very good advice with a previous horse - just go straight to the specialist if you have something complex like this. As others have mentioned, you will spend more & waste time trying to pick at pieces around the edges, even if it doesn’t feel that way at first. They were right. There is definitely a time & place for the big clinics.

I will cross my fingers for you two & salute your thoughtful care for your boy. He’s lucky he found you!

10 Likes

Thank you so much. You are so kind.
My vet has shared that there really isn’t much more he can do, other than some additional testing, and that at this point it needs to be a specialist. I see no point in going to a generalist.

I hate to hear that you have had horses with bizarre issues… but it also helps to know I am not alone, so thank you for that.

3 Likes

Good luck with New Bolton. They’re very good. Give them a summary of all the information you have, regarding his symptoms and their progression, veterinary tests and treatments, and of course include the videos.

I’m so sorry that this is happening. {{{{{ HUGS }}}}} He looks like a lovely horse. Sending best healing vibes from Colorado.

4 Likes

This is going to sound very basic, but I only mention it because you said he seems to strain to urinate.

Did the vet check the end of his penis for a bean? There is a hidden pocket there where smegma accumulates and it can get very large and hard. My neighbor’s horse had one that was hard as a rock and the size of a walnut, the vet even had trouble removing it. His only symptom was spraying urine when he peed, instead of a normal stream.

So…probably not your guy’s issue, but I felt like I should at least mention it as a possibility. Best of luck, I hope you find the cause for your beautiful boy.

3 Likes

Thank you for responding. I think the basic things are always worth mentioning. He has been cleaned out multiple times, by 3 different vets. I appreciate it!

VIDEO #2 - I uploaded a video of Jasper urinating. It took me about 10 seconds to get my phone out so he was in this position trying to go for at least 10 additional seconds. Thought I would upload it and share in case anyone was interested.

https://youtube.com/shorts/1Xu9MRF_veE?feature=share

Since your horse’s bladder has been thoroughly examined, the New Bolton vets may begin by examining him for other issues. Though he does seem to have issues when he urinates, your vets seem to have covered the bladder ground.

The ejaculation behavior is puzzling and the progression of that behavior, that it now occurs when he is not under saddle, is an important piece of information to communicate to the New Bolton vets.

I hope you won’t hesitate to be straightforward with New Bolton about your finances. There is no shame in having only so much money to spend on diagnostics. You obviously love your horse and they won’t think otherwise.

Keep us posted. :+1:

5 Likes

Does anyone think that is a remarkable volume of pee in the video? (And FWIW New Bolton saved my horse.)

8 Likes

Thank you. I will be very clear about how much more I can spend. I wish I had a bottomless bank account. And that’s not to say that I didn’t know owning a horse would be expensive. I knew there was a risk that my horse could do something stupid and get hurt, or something could come up and it would be expensive. I just have to draw a line as to how much I can pour in to a horse that may never get better.
My vet, and others have shared that one can easily spend thousands and never find a root cause of an issues. Well I am in the thousands now and I feel like I have been strategic on where I spent and I have to be very strategic going forward. I know everyone here understands. If love could fix him, he would have been healed by now.
In my last conversation with my vet, I was very frank. If I can’t figure out what is wrong, I need to determine if he is comfortable and maybe consider placing him in a companion type home situation. Even that concerns me - not sure I can find a home where he will get the care he needs, or they won’t sell him off. These are the things that keep me up at night.

10 Likes