Update: home recovering! (post 71) Emergency! Loading neuro horse

So sorry to hear about your other two horses. :sleepy:

There are few things as physically and emotionally exhausting as spending the night with a sick horse, whether alone with them at the barn (I can still cry thinking of those nights) or in a clinic. Those nights always feel longer and colder.

Do you have somewhere to catch a quick nap? To be there for him, we need to get your strength up, especially since you’re trying to recover from Covid. And please try to get some food in you.

Holding you both close in my heart. [[[Hugs]]]:kissing_heart:

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Praying and crying for both of you, @awaywego. I, too, have sat at the equine hospital thinking ā€œthis can’t be happening again. Why is this happening again?ā€ and my heart just breaks for you. I know the odds of it being something ā€œsimpleā€ are low, but I will keep hoping for a solution and healing for both of you. We are all here if you need us. :heart: :heart: :heart:

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Praying for you and your horse :pray: I have been to New Bolten many times over the years …one of my horses was confirmed wobbbler by myelogram …he’s thankfully a pasture puff , and my other is my 11yr old Wb mare that I’ve owned for the past 7yrs has suspected EDM…also now a retired companion for my other mare.

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In a surprising turn of events, we are now treating a very bad case of cellulitis, which may have been so painful as to present like neurological ropewalking but was not actually neurological in nature. I strongly disagree with the current treatment protocol and they are still closed for visitation so I am trying to figure out my options now.

The good news is that we are no longer discussing the awful neuro stuff :grimacing:

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That is amazingly wonderful!!! I am so happy for you. I hope all goes well.

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Can you share what the protocol is, and what you disagree with?

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Oh my gosh, @awaywego, that is (comparably) fantastic news! Still more jingles headed your way, but that’s at least a light through the clouds!

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Great news! Still jingling for a quick return home.

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On the whole this seems like better news than expected?

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Jingles and hugs.

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Continued jingles. :heart:

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Swelling is going down and I’m feeling both insane and lucky to somehow go from likely CVSM or EDM to cellulitis. What a wild turn of events. Maybe jingles really do work!!

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Where was the swelling/cellulitis at?

Hooray for productive jingles, so far!

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More Jingles!!!

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Sending jingles your way. I must be fairly local to you. I had a friend that had a mare named Tabby Cat. She threatened breed her to Harry the Hat just so she could name the foal Cat in the Hat.
I know a lot of locals that liked his foals. Good luck

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That’s a crazy differential. I am glad it sounds like you may be getting the best, easiest diagnosis! Jingles!

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In case it helps someone else - how my horse went from possible neurologic diagnosis to cellulitis:

At night check Tuesday he was struggling to stand in his stall – seemingly ataxic in the rear and not lameness per se, but reluctance to walk and ropewalking when I pulled him out of the stall. In my mind, this was an emergent situation and I was concerned about what his condition would be in another 6 hours considering how badly he had deteriorated in the previous 6 hours (he was reluctant to come in from turn-out which is unlike him – I was already thinking Lyme at that point and planning to call the vet the next day). There was the very earliest signs of swelling in his left front leg that in no way would suggest that it would render him unable to walk. (Looking back, I was finally able to get him on the trailer likely when the banamine dosed orally kicked in and the pain had subsided enough to move.)

When he got to New Bolton I pointed out the leg, said he is prone to cellulitis and that should be treated immediately so as to avoid blowing up (insert groan here). Presumably they believed the leg was secondary as well – he did not have a fever and they started antibiotics the next day (following the initial neuro eval which had lead to the 3 possible diagnoses of 1) CVSM (Wobblers) 2) EDM or 3) EPM - considered least likely/unlikely. The leg blew up to ā€œstovepipeā€ approx. 24 hours after he arrived at New Bolton. I never saw how bad it got and maybe that’s a good thing. I admit to being frustrated with their treatment protocol as my experience with cellutitis and treating this horse in particular involves at the very least steroids for the swelling and they remain reluctant to use any steroids. I was also surprised to hear they didn’t want him moving as I have always understood the complete opposite to be true. It’s been very hard to feel my hands are so tied now with his care.

Incidentally, I actually posted earlier this summer about accidentally blistering his legs with fungasol – both hind legs were hot and we treated immediately with my vet’s protocol of iv oxytetracycline, naquasone and followed with doxycycline. The swelling went right back down immediately and then we were just very careful while the blistering healed. I am incredibly careful with washing his hind legs now – we’ve had problems with washing with Microtek in the past too, so now just super gentle soap very gently worked for me once the blister mess healed. We had treated him successfully earlier this year using the same protocol when his right front leg started to swell up following a wound to the leg. A few weeks ago I was away for a long weekend and came home to a healed over cut on the left front leg – I cleaned up as best I could but I now believe that is likely the origin of this whole ordeal.

So now we continue to wait and see… the current working theory is that once the celluitis resolves, what initially looked neurological will also resolve. I am kinda beating myself up that I took him there because I really believe if I had kept him home I would have at the very least started him on antibiotics earlier. Hindsight is 20/20 right?

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Oh, please don’t beat yourself up! Anything that looks neurological and advances as fast as this did warrants emergency status. It is way better to feel a little foolish (you’re not) for going overboard than to have done the opposite.

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That was a completely reasonable call to make in the middle of the night. Don’t beat yourself up over it. Could your regular vet talk with the vet running his case at NB?

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Our vets tell all clients that they rather be called and things are checked out early, even if they are not much, than wait to see and then having a more serious problem at hand.

You did fine, don’t second guess yourself, now you know more, that is always a win.

Hope horse gets well and stays well for you.

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