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So it started with a hind leg resting about 8 days after being ridden several days in the mountains with easy boots on the front and barefoot on the back. (Horse pastured on rocky terrain, and we have ridden her this way over 14 years.) Assume that we are dealing with the beginnings of a hoof abscess or stone bruise. Soak the hoof and put a soaking boot on her. Looks better the next day. Assume that it may be a bruise, but expect a follow-on abscess. Walking a little strange in the hind-end, kind of spreading her legs farther apart when walking. 2 days later, obviously lame on the same leg, but I could catch her resting the other leg with full weight on the supposed bad leg. Seems strange. We go camping with 3 horses. Bring this horse as I don’t have anyone to watch her at home. She looks good as we unload her. Doesn’t appear to be lame on any leg. We put boots on 4 feet, and pony her a few miles for a light ride. (Can’t leave her at camp or she will tear down the portable corrals.) The next day seems off. Picking at feed, but we have some hay that the horses aren’t thrilled over. Still wanting richer feed like carrots or Equine Senior. Take her temp. 101.4 Take it mid-day: 100.6. Give her a 1/2 gram of bute and pony her for about 4 miles. Slow ride. Stopping frequently to eat grass, etc. Back at camp, she looks uncomfortable. Doing weird equine yoga. Stretching neck, back, stretching back legs out behind her one at a time. As I get closer to her, I realize that she is very slightly trembling. 100.8 temp. Give her another 1/2 gram of bute. Take her out to meadow and let her eat grass. She looks like she is moving stiffly, but appears brighter munching on grass. I assume the bute is kicking in, and she is feeling a little better. Next day, 101.4 in the morning. Trembling more. Looks uncomfortable. Arches back a couple of times. take her temp 1/2 hour later 103.5. 1/2 hour later, 104.8. Now she is off feed. I only have powdered bute, and she isn’t wanting to eat the equine senior with it. I eventually get her to eat it slowly over about 1 hour – 3/4 of a gram. (Being conservative with the bute given that she might be dehydrated and not drinking her normal amounts due to camping.) Decide the camping trip is over. Take her to the meadow again. Much brighter after bute. Eats grass for about 1/2 hour. Drinks from stream. Carrots are good again. 2 hour trailer ride. Normal poop in the trailer. Temp 101 when she exits the trailer. Check with vet, and she says that we could probably wait over night. Check her temp an hour later – 100.5. Eating everything in sight. Moving more normally. Drinking. No more trembling.
Plan is to run blood work in the AM and look for something.
I’m curious if you have any ideas of what could be in play other than Tick fever. It’s late in the year for this, but vet says that they have still seen some cases. We are out now 8 years from our pigeon fever from hell experience. It is always in the back of my mind as I know that immunity lasts just so long. I can’t see any obvious external abscess activity. I keep worrying that all of the stretching and weird contortions are like she was trying to either pass something, dealing with mild colic, or may have something going on internally that is generating pain.
Ideas of additional things to look for?
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Hello lsweeny,
Sorry for the delay, we have been traveling the last week. Hmmm the symptoms sound like an undiagnosed lameness followed by vaguely colicky symptoms associated with a transient fever episode. As to a single cause that seems unlikely but Lyme’s disease can cause a multitude of symptoms if this is an endemic disease to your area it could be considered. Tick fever (anaplasmosis) generally has more persistent fever and presents with vasculitis and jaundice is common. Best is not to prejudge and let a thorough physical exam and targeted lab work lead you.
DrO -
So if it had been just the fever, I would have given it a little while to see where it was going to go. But given all of the other weird symptoms, she went off to the vet, even though she looked fabulous, wasn’t limping and didn’t have a fever. And….of course the blood work was unremarkble. Some evidence of banding. Vet didn’t think it warranted testing for tick disease, pigeon fever, but retained blood so that we could do so if she became symptomatic again. So far, so good. No more weirdness, eating like a “horse” and no more fever.
Sigh….
Of course, if we had stayed camping, then she would be down for the count…..
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As I reread the above I don’t have any further diagnostic info but do have one recommendation. The thing I am certain I would have done differently is given flunixin (Banamine) for the colicky symptoms. We carry both injectable and paste when we camp. Research shows the oral paste works almost as well as the injection as it is very rapidly absorbed from the gi tract. It may have saved the trip and the mare would have been more comfortable, at least from the colic.
DrO -
To follow up on this, I now know what was causing this. Her back feet were getting bruised. I had ridden her for years with boots on the front, barefoot on the back. My husband, who is a bigger guy, started riding her, and she is now in her teens. After several episodes of this, we started putting boots on the hind feet, and she stopped spiking fevers, walking weird a couple of days after camping trips, etc.
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