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Discussion on Sudden neck pain
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New Member:
lisabel
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Posted on Sunday, Jun 29, 2008 - 2:53 am:
I have a six year old akhal teke gelding. about two months ago I came out to do the evening feeding to find him walking anxiously around with his nose dragging the ground. He couldn't lift his head above his knees, and if pressed on his neck on the right side just above the shoulder he would almost fall down.
The emergency vet came out and gave him an injection of painrelievers and told me that if he wasn't better in the morning I should have him radiographed. She suspected a fractured neck, though there was no sign anywhere that he had fallen or run into anything.
The next morning he was perfectly fine. I carefully put him back into riding over the following week and he had absolutely no stiffness or pain whatsoever.
Last night I went out to feed and he was his normal self. Then suddenly, he was walking with his nose to the ground again and again unable to raise his head. Clearly he had not fallen or done anything whatsoever to injure his neck in that situation.
What is going on? He has a long neck, but is very athletic, flexible and very stabile in his gaits with good reaching movements. He is in training as an endurance horse, but has not been pushed particularly hard. He has never to my knowledge fallen.
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Moderator:
DrO
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Posted on Monday, Jun 30, 2008 - 8:35 am:
Welcome Lisa,
The intermittent nature and lack of noting any signs suggesting respiratory or gi involvement suggests to me either a muscle spasm of one of the ventral strap muscles or a intermittently trapped nerve root possibly secondary to cervical instability, see Diseases of Horses » Nervous System » Incoordination, Weakness, Spasticity, Tremors » Wobblers or Cervical Stenotic Myelopathy.
In an effort to diagnose this a thorough physical exam which may lead to radiographs or possibly serology for muscle enzymes as a logical next step.
DrO
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New Member:
lisabel
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Posted on Monday, Jun 30, 2008 - 9:41 am:
Thanks Dr. O, for the suggestions. He has had a couple of times where he stumbled with his hind feet when out riding, but it is uncommon and I had chalked it up to his being tired. I hope it is not Wobblers. If it is a cervical stenotic myelopathy, what is the prognosis? Is it degenerative? Is it treatable? I will read the information you pointed me to.
And please give Fort Collins my best regards. I am from Tom McCracken,s very last year of BIC students before they shut down the program, and I do miss The Fort a lot.
Cheers, Lisa (who now lives in Denmark)
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New Member:
lisabel
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Posted on Monday, Jun 30, 2008 - 9:47 am:
Hmm, I can see you are in NC, not Fort Collins. Weren't you at CSU or am I having early-onset dementia? 
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