Hello All,
My horse was diagnosed with a heart arrhythmia today. The vet is going to do an ECG and then an ultrasound of his heart. The vet suspects he has atrial fibrillation. He will likely need to ship to a hospital to get a treatment with quinidine. He is a twelve year old Dutch Warmblood jumper. The vet said that because he is so young and he displays no clinical signs, there is no immediate risk. However, if anyone has a horse that has undergone a treatment with quinidine, could you share your and your horse’s experience (and maybe the approximate price of the treatment as well? I am worried about that.) I am happy to hear that my horse will be okay, but I would love to hear how this has gone for anyone else. I am a little worried about the price of the treatment as well.
Thank you
Has anyone had a horse that has had this treatment or condition?
Sorry, I haven’t, although I’ve treated many human patients with a fib as a former tech in a large cardiovascular clinic.
The prognosis for converting to sinus rhythm is good if the horse has no underlying heart disease. I’m sure that’s why he wants the ultrasound.
Here’s a good article that talks about common heart arrhythmias and treatments: http://www.vetfolio.com/veterinary-practice-issues/atrial-fibrillation-in-horses-treatment-and-prognosis
I would ask your doctor about the risk of reverting to atrial fib after conversion and about exercise afterward.
Hope you find someone here with experience. There are some discussions over at Horse & Hound you might find helpful: http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?567691-Your-experience-of-horses-with-atrial-fibrillation
Hope it all goes well for your horse and for you too!
OP - I had a TB that was treated for Atrial Fib. This was probably 11 years ago. He had no symptoms, it was found when he was checked over for a mild colic event; also had a murmur. He was 17 at the time. Took him to Ohio State, they did the tests, measured heart chambers, etc. Put him on Quinidine, I think every 4 or 6 hours (memory fuzzy). His heart rhythm, which was initially described as “irregularly irregular” improved a fair amount but did not convert to normal. Somewhere after about 24 hours he began showing some signs of reacting to the drug - loose stool - so they pulled him off the drug and declared it unsuccessful. The horse is kept in ICU during treatment and hooked to a heart monitor so it can be closely observed. I think he was there 2 nights, maybe 3. My cost then was about $1200 all in. (ex my personal hotel expenses, etc).
The vets gave me clearance to go back to full work - we were 4th level dressage at the time - and to watch for: lethargy, loss of appetite/weight, exercise intolerance and depression. When he was about 22 I had the heart re-evaluated, there were moderate changes, and at that point he was diagnosed as “mild - moderate congestive heart failure” At that time he was being ridden at lower level, just to maintain fitness. No problems during any of this time that were heart related. At 25+ he was beginning to show increasing discomfort from cervical arthritis and got a bad case of lymphangitis that wasn’t showing the expected improvement. About three weeks into that problem, I noticed ventral edema of some significance and when my vet checked his heart she said it sounded like a sneaker in the dryer and it was clear that the heart was not doing its job too well. We put him on lasix for a couple of days until I could make arrangements and then we put him down.
If they find some enlarged areas or other structural problems with the heart, get him re-evaluated every few years so you can keep an eye on any progression of the problem. Good luck!
Thank you, and I am sorry that you had to lose your horse! I am concerned about the price, because my horse would have to go to New England Animal Hospital or Tufts Veterinary, which are known for being extra expensive. My horse is just 12, so this makes me hopeful!
As I understand, the recommendation for human patients that will not convert to normal sinus rhythm, or who are elderly and the patient cannot tolerate ablation, or electro-conversion, if the patient is not bothered by the a-fib, the treatment is just long-term anticoagulant therapy.
I had a four year old PMU gelding who had afib. I lost him to congestive heart failure. I had brought him to Tufts. It was an irregular heartbeat that came and went—my vet had never heard any irregularities previously until he went into CHF and then it just got worse until we euthanized him. I think they were going to try quidine but he went downhill quickly.
necropsy showed no abnormalities of the heart.
