|
|
|
| |
auctions - advertising rates -
site news -
help -
contact
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
auctions - advertising rates -
site news -
help -
contact
| |
|
|
Posted by iris600 on December 10, 2003 at 17:30:30:
I left work early yesterday because my parents called me and told me one of thier horses was down. I got home, it was their 13 year old gelding(grade, prob quater horse arab or tbred cross). He went down in pasture and they found him lying in the snow. We got him inside, warmed him up,.. he was very very unstable on his legs, and would lay down. He tried to roll a couple times so we thought it might be colic and walked him. We tried to get a vet out (we called all vets in the area) and we were without a vet from the time he was found (about 12:30 or 1) until after 6. At one point, he fell over while we were walking him and laid there in the snow, it looked like he was dead for about 20 minutes. I checked his pulse, and he still had one. His pulse rate was very high (between 60-66) during all of this, but his capillary refill time was good based on pressing on his gums.
Finally, we got him back up. By this time Cornell had gotten ahold of one of their vets on in the field but they were a good hour or more away. They told us to keep walking him, no matter what it took. He began to sway some when stading, was losing some motor control but seemed decent (although obviously slow) while walking. Sometimes his eyes would roll back into his head.
The vet came, did a rectal, found NO signs of colic other than a very small distension in one portion of the intestine, but nothing that explained the symptoms. The gelding wasn't trying to roll and thrash. The spleen was slightly, very slightly, displaced.. but no intestines were near it. He gave him an injection of Banamine and another painkiller (very small amount of the second) and some drug that started with a "d" to pep him up so he could stand. We then tubed him, there was no reflux. We gave fluids and mineral oil, just in case. Then we put him back in his stall. In his stall, he started to really wobble. Then he started doing weird twitchy movements, like trying to bang his head against the side of the stall repeatedly.
Next thing we know, he was obviously blind. He FREAKED and was running into all of the walls of the stall, his mouth started bleeding from the force of it. We could wave our hands in front of his eyes and he wouldn't flinch.
We made the decision to put him down.
None of the vets know what it was,.. they suspected rabies but he was up on vaccinations.. they also suspected EPM but he had no prior signs of neurological or coordination problems. There were no injuries to show he had been kicked etc. We're having an autopsy done by Cornell... but I was wondering if anyone has seen anything like this or has any ideas? I should also say that his temperature was relatively normal, 99 degrees F. We're very concerned about possible contagious diseases, he was out with my Shire mare, our pregnant mare, and our donkey.
Ack. Help!