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  Discussion on Sudden onset severe ataxia ???
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Member:
stek

Posted on Friday, Apr 23, 2010 - 10:52 am:

A horse at our farm presented with sudden onset severe ataxia last night. Didn't come in for dinner, and when I went to get him he was very uncoordinated, walking like he was drunk. Vitals all normal, and he would eat so long as hay was presented at chest level. When he puts his head down to graze just about keeled over.

Had vet out immediately and he is stumped so far. Ataxia is generalized (not one side or the other or front or back) and no weakness was present last night. No suggestion of pain. Vet said best guess was trauma, he had some minor cuts where he had banged himself up - not sure if he took a bad fall and knocked himself silly, or if the ataxia caused the fall?

Vet gave him bute, banamine and dex and pulled blood to send to the lab today.

This morning he is worse if anything. Standing off on his own, depressed. Was able to follow me over to his hay (fed at chest level) which he took a couple bites of. Then he walked to the other side of the hay box, went to take another bite and fell flat over on his side. Immediately bounced right back up at least.

The ataxia overall seems worse this morning and he has muscle tremors too. After his fall he was not interested in eating and wanted to be off by himself again.

EPM seems unlikely due to the sudden severe onset though we do have opposums in the area. He is vaccinated for west nile. Nothing poisonous growing in the pasture. He is a paint and I wondered about HYPP?

Any ideas would be appreciated.
Member:
scooter

Posted on Friday, Apr 23, 2010 - 2:43 pm:

Yikes Shannon is he vaccinated for rabies, tetanus ect.

With such sudden onset, it almost has to be trauma, or some kind of poisoning, Sam acted kind of like that when he had his black locust poisoning.

What were his vitals?
Member:
stek

Posted on Friday, Apr 23, 2010 - 3:29 pm:

Sad to report we had to put him down. He was deteriorating rapidly this morning, fell several times. Vitals were normal through all of it. By the time the vet got here he had dislocated his stifle and yet was feeling no pain from it. Tests showed either at the base of the brain or somewhere along his spine near the shoulders he must have had a lesion/trauma to the spine. When we covered his eyes he had no idea where his feet were at all .. the only way he had been able to move around today was by compensating with his vision to determine where his feet were. Couldn't feel a thing from shoulders back. Best guess is he took a weird fall but no clear diagnosis.

Just awful and unbelievably sudden. I guess better that than having him suffer through a long illness.

Enjoy the green grass on the other side of rainbow bridge Diesel...
Member:
scooter

Posted on Friday, Apr 23, 2010 - 3:39 pm:

I'm sorry Shannon that's so sad.. God Speed Diesel, Condolences to the owner.
Member:
vickiann

Posted on Friday, Apr 23, 2010 - 3:51 pm:

I'm so sorry to hear this sad news about Diesel.
Member:
canter

Posted on Friday, Apr 23, 2010 - 4:20 pm:

My condolences, Shannon.
Member:
lilo

Posted on Friday, Apr 23, 2010 - 5:27 pm:

My condolences, Shannon. Such sad news, and such a sudden occurrence. One just never knows - we need to appreciate our horses every single day!
Lilo
Member:
stek

Posted on Saturday, Apr 24, 2010 - 10:57 am:

Thanks guys, I will pass your kind words along to his owner too. One small condolence is we had a beautiful day last Sunday and took a very long, relaxing ride, commenting along the way how perfect it was. Great way to remember him for sure.

One of the joys (and now sorrows) of boarding horses is how it extends your horse family. Diesel has been with us for almost 4 years and will be missed for sure.
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Sunday, Apr 25, 2010 - 10:30 am:

My condolences Shannon. I agree that the symptoms you present to us suggest a severe lesion in the cervical spinal cord. A brain stem lesion is possible but I would have not expected even the degree of mentation and coordination you describe in many brain stem lesions.
DrO
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