What is tying up these days (health condition)?

[Scribbler]

Not my horse, just curious. Horse has now seen a vet.

Was wondering what the current thoughts on tying up were. I worried constantly about Monday Morning Sickness as a teen, but have never seen tying up in real life until the other night.

I was called up on to give my two cents worth the other night when a pony was having odd symptoms. When I saw her she was just looking unhappy, and later had some tremors over her hind gut area. My advice was to get some electrolytes and water into her, which she was really enthusiastic about.

Before I saw her, she’d apparently staggered under saddle and had an episode of scary heavy breathing. She didn’t try to lie down.

Kids mon thought tying up, I thought possible but also that was a wide category of symptoms from various causes. When I saw the gut tremors I wondered if it was colic. Horse was seen by a vet the next morning and vet apparently said tying up.

I’ve never seen this IRL, though as a kid I used to worry a lot about Monday Morning Sickness if my own horse had a day off, because that was still a Thing in my vet books. Now I understand it’s most likely to be a symptom of PSSM not something that randomly hits all.horses because of bad stable management.

This pony has stock horse blood (so could be PSSM).The treatment involves a week of stall rest and some medication for the first couple of days. Painkiller? Child did not recall name of med. Vet took a blood test.

Anyhow, just curious what are the current thoughts about tying up. Could I have suggested anything more helpful?

[JB]

“stock horse blood” would make me test for PSSM1 and especially HYPP, like today.

[Scribbler]

@JB

“stock horse blood” would make me test for PSSM1 and especially HYPP, like today.

Hopefully that’s what the vet is doing with their blood test.

[JB]

Not likely - most likely they’re going to do blood work to check for the markers for muscle damage.

The owner needs to pull hair to send to UC Davis

[Scribbler]

My vet sent off a HYPP test at my request.

I don’t know the attending vet.

I will see what they report back from the vet and if it’s not a test, will suggest that.

[HeartsDesireEventing]

That was basically the treatment for my previous TB who had mild tying up episodes. They pulled blood to check enzyme levels for muscle damage - his were 1/10 of what they would be for a full-blown tying up episode, but still high and enough to cause visible symptoms. Muscle cramping in his hindquarters and reluctance to walk, although if you could get him walking he would get better as he went. They ran fluids and electrolytes and that was about it as far as I recall. I know one year he got IV DMSO - that made him smell great, LOL. I think that was also the year he tore a muscle on course so then couldn’t be kept walking while he was hot, so that was a bit more of a mess than usual…

I learned first, to never let him stand too long once he was working - if we were waiting our turn to cross country school, we were walking circles - and second, to keep him on electrolytes year round. His problem seemed to be more tied to not drinking enough away from home.