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

I haven’t been back in front of the computer yet to really digest and reply but I don’t think that looked like a totally normal peeing session to me. It looks like the horse was straining, took a while to get the stream going, and peed a lot. Prostate?

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OP where are you geographically?

OP is in Texas

Question regarding his eating: Does he seem to eat more from one side of his mouth than the other? It might be most obvious when grazing (or if he gets grain in a ground feeder) - my polyneuritis horse grazed with his head tilted so left side was closer to ground as his cranial nerve issues (loss of muscle control) were on the right side.

Fort Worth TX

Not that i have ever noticed but it is something I will watch for going forward.

So I am still thinking there’s some kind of spine issue along the lines of polyneuritis equi. And that’s in part why the horse seems to be struggling a little bit to urinate. The way he parks out and the amount of time it takes him to get going is not quire right, IMHO. He doesn’t look super comfortable either.

Alternative idea is that there’s something wrong with the penis and when he drops he’s feeling discomfort (tumor, lesion, internal blockage of some sort?) and that he drops a bit in anticipation of you mounting and then he gets into the mode where it’s uncomfortable/stuck. How thorough has the examination of his penis itself been (not the urine but the penis).

Alternative crazy shot in the dark idea is something prostate related. But I don’t think the symptoms quite match.

Honestly the symptoms are just plain weird. i feel terrible for you and him, it’s a legitimate mystery!

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OP–you mentioned you had a PPE when you bought this horse? Was there anything suspect on the neuro exam—tail pull, backing up, etc.?

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I did have a PPE and he passed. There was no sign of lameness, or neuro issues. He is registered and well bred, but not fancy. I was trying to choose a horse that would be low maintenance and an easy keeper.

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OP. Have you considered taking him to the vet school. A difficult case may want many diverse specialists available.

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He has been cleaned out but I am not sure that his penis was thoroughly examined. I don’t know the physiology or mechanics of what controls the dropping but you present some interesting question. More to think about for sure. Thank you for sharing your thoughts.

Hi, I did talk at length with a vet at Texas A&M back in February. They are about 3.5 hours away. The vet highly recommended Dr. Madrigal at ESMS in Weatherford which is about 40 min from me. My vet had also recommended Dr. Madrigal so I took him there. Dr. Madrigal is an internist.
I just sent A&M a follow up email with a link to the video and practically begged them for any direction they can give me. :crossed_fingers:t3: Waiting on their response.

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For those who may be curious and wondering what Jasper was like when I purchased him, here’s his sale video: https://youtu.be/_AiB9F16iCk

The owner I got him from purchased him from a sale barn and this is the sale video from that sale barn. I did not see this video prior to making the purchase: https://youtu.be/JkNHjS7x1g4

I don’t think his hind end looks comfortable at all in either of those videos.

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Your guy is very handsome. Maybe someone already asked this question. Does he ever grunt or make a noise when he trots? Is there anything that you know of that could have caused an abdominal injury?
I knew of a stallion that parked out due to discomfort when urinating after an injury occured and while he was healing. He had an injury during a live cover breeding that caused an strain to his abdominal muscles. This stallion did grunt at the trot while recovering. He did not have any of the other issues that your horse is showing though.
I hope you get answers soon.

**edited due to cat helping me type

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I believe the penile nerve comes off of the sacral area. I apologize, I did not reread the entire thread but I think you mentioned this started after someone worked on his sacral area. I wonder if the nerve could be impinged/damaged.

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That was another poster with a horse with similar issue but basically this is my guess too- the horse has a damaged nerve that is causing uncontrollable firing of the muscles in the abdomen or penis or pelvis. Like a muscle spasm in the calf. Most likely it is higher up and only one nerve as you mentioned he has had many tests for general neurological deficits and passed them and has no muscle loss. The problem for you now is- can this be helped? If it keeps getting worse and it caused by a tumor or spinal injury you will likely have to put him down, as sad as that is it is kinder than a ruptured bladder or a bad fall. If it is caused by something not in the spine- muscle damage, sacrum etc it is a harder call but also tough to diagnose and to treat. Your vet thinks spine area impingement though, and they are a vet and have seen the horse many times so that’s a strong opinion over ours online looking at a few videos.

This is horrible for you as a first time owner but I would talk honestly to your vet. If this is getting worse and he is straining to urinate it might be time to put him down. If not that yet, pasture board can cure many ills that horses suffer from, including pelvic injuries -up to and including fractures- and it will not hurt him at all to spend a year outside. I know two horses who flipped over and injured their pelvis and spent a year outside on hills and came back OK. As long as he is checked every day and not deteriorating it won’t hurt him.

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You need to make a decision on whether you can actually address this or put him down. IMO there is suffering involved in his every day living. This case he needs to be at a vet hospital being actively examined, diagnosed, and treated. If you cannot do that or afford that, putting him down would be the kindest option.

A horse urinates or should urinate several times a day. If he has to strain and experience discomfort every time, for months (or however long this has gone on for), that’s not ok.

I’m not doubting that you’ve tried and that you care for the horse, but it’s going to reach a point or perhaps it had already, where it isn’t fair to him.

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I’m so sorry you’re going through this. Like you, I have a horse that just presented with weird issues that we couldn’t figure out for a long time. Like you, I tried to go with my regular vet but they were stymied. I hope you find the answer. He is a lovely horse, and you are a wonderful owner.

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:cat2: :joy:
Thank you for your response. He doesn’t grunt when trotting and hasn’t been injured since I have had him. He had his share of bites when he was first acclimating to the herd, but I have never seen any signs of serious injury.

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