# Horse diagnosed with Neurological problems, Anyone???!!!!



## italylyns (17 June 2011)

My horse was diagnosed with Neurological problems today!!

I have been told he is unsafe to ride and that he will get worse with time!

I know i now have to make the decision to have him put to sleep as i cannot afford to keep him in the field as he is!!

Has anyone had this before, i am sooo upset and am finding it so hard to deal with!!


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## Spook (17 June 2011)

Neurological? problems ....... what are the symptoms?


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## MrsMozart (17 June 2011)

What are the symptoms?

Who diagnosed him?

Age, general health, etc.

LC was diagnosed with something neurological, but we know no more than that.


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## bj666 (18 June 2011)

If you cannot keep , I'd PTS . Do it whilst horse is still ok .... as such ... rather than wait for him to get worse or dangerous and hurt himself or you or someone else. 
Sad .


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## Spook (19 June 2011)

By "neurological problems" do you mean showing signs of "Wobbler Syndrome"?


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## Angelbones (19 June 2011)

My 3 yr old Connie had problems which first became apparent when trying to back him - he just couldn't move forward very well, we thought he was stubborn and kept trying but then we started to watch him in the field, and how he turned on the yard etc. He would use the other horses's bums as a bumper to stop in the field, like he had no brakes himself.

We called the vet who came back several times to keep an eye on him and finally it was decided that he had some sort of neuro problem, originating around his cervical spine (his withers specifically). If you pulled his tail to one side whilst walking he would stumble and nearly fall. He wasn't insured, the tests were going to be very expensive, and we were told that any test they did would, in the vet's opinion, come back with bad news that we couldn't do anything about no matter at what cost. And with most cases like this it is degenerative, just nobody can predict at what rate.

We decided to keep him as a companion and see how he went. As it turned out his decline was much more rapid than we expected. He got foot abcess (sp) after abcess and treating him became dangerous as he would fall over when you picked his feet up. We made the decision to have him pts the day the vet came only one week after having seen him, and the vet was shocked at the pony's decline (whereas we had seen him everyday and had not noticed it being so bad), and the pony was able to walk himself down to the school without any distress and then he was gone. It was a tragic waste, very traumatic for all on the yard who had known him since birth, but it was only going to get much worse and result in him having no dignity and self control.

I have a friend who recently lost her horse to the same thing - same symptoms, same diagnosis without testing.  It is not the only case I've come across.

I'm really sorry for you and your horse. If you are able to keep your horse safe and comfy until the day it is apparent that things are beyond a reasonable and dignified life, then that's wonderful and could be a comfort to you, but my experience says that the time will come sooner rather than later where you have to intervene, just don't leave it too late. When they lose control of their limbs its a pitiful time.

Having said all the above, we also have a horse who is now 26 and who was diagnosed with wobblers at an early age and we were issued with a written warning from the vet to say the horse should never race. This horse never did get any worse, and we never saw the (mild) symptoms again. He went on to have a good racing career including getting placed in the Foxhunters at Aintree, and being my mum's hunt horse when she was a master and doing 3 days a week. He is still sound although retired. So my point is, I guess, that depending on what the vet says, it may or may not be the end of the road so get all the facts and go from there.

All the best with it all. x


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## Spook (19 June 2011)

Has your horse been wormed/treated for mites either by injection or orally with an Ivermec based product?


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## pizzi (25 June 2011)

My old pony was diagnosed with neurological problems. Unfortunately these were progressing rapidly. Reflexes were compromised, she couldn't figure out where to place her feet. I was advised PTS right away as she could have severly damaged herself. Heartbreaking decision -I had her for 27 years- but didn't want her to suffer. Each diagnosis is unique to that horse.Be guided by your vet and how rapidly it progresses.


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## popularfurball (25 June 2011)

As a result of the auto immune disease my pony has she had a spell of not placing feet properly, unable to stand up when picking feet out etc. This was due to the allergic swelling in her body.

My vets opinion was that she was on steroids - and steroids are his preference for seeing how responsive a neuro problem is so to wait it out unlesstheere was a big decline. We got rid of the swelling using steroids and I am back riding er three months on - some symptoms are there but it's hard to know what's neuro, what's fatigue, what's her skin and what isthe disease! 

I personally, ifthe horse dignity and shat have you, run a course of steroids and then review to see if it is responsive to treatment.


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## Marydoll (3 July 2011)

My older horse 26 had a stroke at the start of the year, she was neuro compromised, stamping back feet, looked like she had pins and needles swinging her hind legs, staggerey gait and crab walking to the side when walking forwards .
She had stopped eating her hay and it looked like she didnt know how to chew the long stems, was losing weight.
She had a course of steroids and has asprin every 2 nd day now, i put her on short chop forage with 3 good feeds a day to keep weight on, within 3 weeks she'd picked up, her gait was better and her weight was improving.
Her neuro obs had improved greatly in the 4 weeks since her stroke and she is now back to her old retired self again, i can see the slight weaknesess it has left her with, but she can run and buck and leap about full of the joys of spring still, i know shes old but she gave me years of fun and good times, so as long as she gets a good quality of life from any interventions we make, i'll keep giving her the chance .... I know some might think its better to pts when things like a stroke happen, but i gave her a chance and when i see her now im glad i did, i know the time will come when she will need to be pts, but im sure she'll let me know when shes had enough as does my vet.


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## applecart14 (4 July 2011)

My horse was diagnosed with Wobblers Syndrome or CVM (grade 3 touching at times on Grade 4) at the age of 10 after a fall in the field damaging his neck (he got calcium deposits because of the fall which narrowed his spinal cord and associated nerves).  He was sadly misdiagnosed for a long time as the vet treating him at the time thought he had EHV (Equine Herpes Virus).  I read and researched on Google, etc and realised that he had wobblers syndrome which is what the first vet who came out to him thought, but later changed his mind.  My horse was eventually referred (on my insistance) to Liverpool Equine Hospital and was assessed and xrayed and within two hours of arriving at Liverpool was put to sleep on humane grounds.  The consultant said it was on humane grounds as the horse was extremely ataxic (wobbly) and he was therefore considered dangerous to handle as he could fall on someone or fall in the field and not be able to rise (recumbency).  

If you have decided for your own reasons that your horse should be put to sleep (and only you can make that decision) then it might be worth asking your vet if your horse is so ataxic that he will be classified as pts on humane grounds.  This way you will get the value of your horse if you have horse insurance.

My horse was ten.  I would have kept him as a field ornament but to be honest the consultant knew I was a keen rider and competitor and I think helped make the decision for me by saying I would get my insurance money.  I asked about an operation but this was not suitable for my horse due to the damage to the vetebrae in the neck.  I miss Rommy each and every day, but realise it was the right decision for him.


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## FairyLights (4 July 2011)

My 14 yr old mare had a neurological problem. I had her PTS as I felt it was wrong to sell her or pass her on as a companion. Who knows where she might have ended up. She was PTS at home in her own field. Its difficult I know, but I feel it was for the best.


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