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  Discussion on Grass related Anaphylactic Reaction
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Member:
redback

Posted on Sunday, Mar 16, 2008 - 7:27 am:

Hi Folks:
Previously I had asked the forums about my chestnut mare that has two or three times a year suffered quite scary symptoms.
She would start by starting in one corner of the paddock and walk backwards often on the diagonal and then walk forward and repeat the process. Then she would get very weak, shake her head and collapse, her breathing would become shallow and several times I had to try and pick her up of the ground. At no stage did she reach for her stomach.

We called the vets and one one occasion they had to come back. We found that a combination of antihestimine and cortisone brought her around so she was like nothing happened half an hour later.

We looked for insects as the cause, we eliminated european wasps, jumping jacks (a form of native ant like wasp) and mouse spiders from the property.

Again at the end of last year it happened again. I became suspicious of her eating in the old pasture (some 20 years old)especially after rain. We moved her to the new pasture we knew was endophyte free and she has had no re-occurance. So in the end we are very confident that she was getting an allergic reaction to grass staggers. The old pasture has rye and fescue so either or both could be the culprit.

I thought I'd pass this on as walking backwards had the vet stumped.

Regards
Geoff
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Sunday, Mar 16, 2008 - 8:47 pm:

Something about this smells Geoff, the clinical exam on a horse that has swooned do to anaphylaxis is entirely different than that of a horse that is having a seizure and the frequency is such that it is early to decide that the problem has resolved. Anaphylaxis in a horse generally is a "fluid in the lungs" event often accompanied by profuse frothy material coming from the nose and respiratory distress. Sometimes it involves a precipitous DrOp in blood pressure. The gums will vary from white to blue depending on the blood pressure and/or blood oxygenation.

None of this would be typically seen in mild to moderate seizures. Response to treatment can be misleading and we should be able to answer this question with the clinical appearance of the horse: cardiopulmonary distress or unexplained unconsciousness.
DrO
Member:
redback

Posted on Monday, Mar 17, 2008 - 5:03 am:

Dr O:
I take your point about and early result of no more reactions. I'm not sure that my definition of anaphylaxis is quite how you have explained it. I can confidently say that my horse had a series of considerable and significant reactions to something in the environment. On the last occasion I watched my horse, there was rain in the days before on seeding non endophyte free grass and she ate it. None of the other suspects were present.
My Vet was primarily unable to explain it and her reactions. We did not have the frothing or liquid lung situation so maybe you would prefer to call it an allergic reaction. The antihestimine and cortisone injections reversed the problem quickly.
She was unstable, wobbly, uncordinated, then collapsing with shallow strained breath.
That's about all I can add.
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