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View Full Version : Help Vet is baffled!!! Any one gone through this???????????


Serendipity
08-18-2007, 10:44 PM
I generally hate to ask these kinds of questions, but we are at wits end.
Trying to make this short as possible Prueba spent all of Friday at the Vet.
He ran every test he could on her along with physical exam and he does not know what it could be he is as baffled as I am. She has an appointment to go to a Vet Hospital in Memphis on Mon if not better.

Here are the symptoms:

Eating grain but very slowly
Tilting head up and to the side to chew
Only picking at hay, eating about ¼ what is normal
Not drinking much
Splashing the water, and dunking her Whole nose as far in the bucket as she can,
Holding her breath with her mouth open as in rinsing out her mouth, coughs and
Sputter because her nose was under water but keeps doing this several times in a
Row.
Wanted mouth rinsed out with a hose stood for an hour while I just rinsed it out
Once in a while a little cough
Will graze on grass
Roof of mouth mildly swollen

Okay here is what we know from the Vet

Physical exam:

All vital normal
Teeth were not the problem, only some very minor points those are fixed now
No lesions or infected areas like a place a thistle got her, a cut or a bit tongue.
No redness in the mouth at all
No sign of outward pain looked clear back to throat
No pain in throatlatch area or along neckline

Tests

He said everything was in normal levels or just a point or to high or low
The things that are
White blood cells 1 point high
Bone marrow or baby white blood calls 8 points high
Slightly anemic
Lym-3 points low
Rdw slightly high
No blood in fecal
Nothing showed in fecal test to worry about
Blood work other than these everything else normal

He was very worried about her he almost wanted me to take her right then to the university but he called a specialist in Memphis and they discussed everything about her (my vet in not young or inexperienced) The Memphis Vet thinks Ulcers even though this came on suddenly. After I took her food to him also for it to be tested (thought it’s the same thing everyone else is on) nothing in that either other that its just a basic grass hay.

So she does have the appointment on Monday to go to Memphis to be tested further and be scoped. We are leading toward a soar throat or an ulcer, and crossing our fingers it’s not anything else

But treatment for now is a mild antibiotic once a day mixed with applesauce to cut the taste and sooth the throat, mixed with her grain plus 2oz of red cell also can’t give an
anti-inflammatory because they tear up the stomach. But for the ulcer if its present 70cc of Maalox 3-4 times a day plus a flake of dehydrated Bermuda hay 3-4 times a day

Thank god she likes the Maalox, and the food mix she has shown some improvement today she has ate most of her food and has drank more still splashing but only saw her dunk her nose twice but her face has been dry most of the day

Has anyone else had a horse go through anything similar if so can you give some insite on how to treat or what it could be?

Heidi
08-18-2007, 11:11 PM
Has her head been x-rayed?
With her eating slow, tilting her head, picking at her food, dunking her muzzle to swish her mouth and standing while her mouth is hose-rinsed...it all sounds like a problem in her mouth or in the surrounding structure.
It seems like her bloodwork is mostly normal and not pin-pointing towards anything, so I'd be inclined to x-ray to look for an abcessed tooth, dental decay, pocket in her sinuses, tooth chip in the sinuses or bone, bone infection. With the roof of her mouth slightly swollen, I'd have to think SOMETHING either did irritate her or is still irritating her. Since physical exam hasn't shown anything...x-ray will show more of what can't be seen.

Best of luck to Prueba, she is a fave of mine to look at pics of here at APFs.
h

motorgypsy
08-18-2007, 11:23 PM
Any nasal discharge or odor from the mouth/nose area??

What about ears? Did he check down inside her ears? When their "sound is messed up" they will act very strange.

pnalley
08-19-2007, 12:02 AM
If they don't find ulcers, I'd agree with Heidi aabout ultrsounding her head (or xray).

I really hope she gets better quick, I know it's scary

PLEASURE PASOFINO
08-19-2007, 12:29 AM
Prayers your way!!!!

Serendipity
08-19-2007, 12:36 AM
no discharge and no order ears,eyes,and nose ok.

I am worried it is a thorn or something like that the x-ray won't show that but a scope will.Heading back out to night time doctoring,she's in good spirits and her EQ is good(so I don't think it ears)

Thanks for the Prayers!

Carol Nelson
08-19-2007, 12:42 AM
Is she having an allergic reaction to something she ate...??? :-?

PattiB
08-19-2007, 12:52 AM
We had a stallion that had a piece of baling wire (that must have been in the hay) go under his tongue and it caused the same symptoms. X-ray showed it.

Laura S
08-19-2007, 02:04 AM
Prayers heading your way. I hope she feels better soon. I wish they could talk and tell us what is wrong, that would make things easier!

Helene
08-19-2007, 02:44 AM
Guttural Pouch Infection?
I had a mare last year with some of those symptoms. I thought she had something stuck in her throat or was choking (but she seemed to be breathing alright, occasional cough, eating very slowly, tilting her head...). She did cough up very few kernels of grain through one of her nostrils once in a while.
My vet scoped her and removed fluid that had collected in her guttural pouch.... She was better right after....

Jasfino
08-19-2007, 05:12 AM
I hope she is better soon.. ((hugs)) and prayers.

diswick
08-19-2007, 06:15 AM
I lost my Arabian filly to symptoms almost like this. The vet hospital coulsn't figure it out. Right about then, there was a set of symptoms that was happening to a bunch of horses---see Whisper Syndrome.

I thought Rabies then but her bloodwork came back normal for rabies...

I am praying right now that your girl gets better. I am sorry you are going through this.

Diana

diswick
08-19-2007, 06:19 AM
FOund a site for you. I am praying it is not this. I need to tell you that none of the other horses at the barn showed any symptoms of this illness, and they were NOT eating from round bales...


http://www.completerider.com/Listeriosis.htm

Terri
08-19-2007, 10:25 AM
Oh Nicole, I am so sorry. I hope and pray she gets betters soon. Hmmm, with the higher white count blood cell count, it does sound like an infection somewhere. You said the roof of the mouth was mildly swollen. If it was me, I woud be suspicious of an infection somewhere there.

Sharon B
08-19-2007, 12:38 PM
We have been dealing with something very similar here. But our's is an older mare that has severe hock problems. The weather has been in triple digits for the past 2 weeks and it has just been to hot for her. She will only eat grass and a little hay. We placed her in a small pasture with a covered lean-to so she would be out of the sun about a month ago. I had not thought about an ulcer but she does not like being by herself even if it is in her best interest. The off grain started about 2 weeks ago. I feed MSM in her feed so she has not been getting that. It is strange when we hose her off each evening, she loves to drink the water out of the hose pipe just like you are describing. Please let us know what you find out, I think I will let my old mare out in the bigger pasture and let her roam as she wants to.
Sharon

Serendipity
08-19-2007, 02:38 PM
Update:

Prueba is better this morning no sign of water splashing, and was eating her grain almost like normal ate most of her hay.

I mixed her food last night and thought there is no way she is going to eat this I feed stratagy so Imagine this 26oz grain,2oz red cell,2 powder scoops antibiotics(its about a 1/4 cup),and 6oz applesauce. :shock:

My hand was sure tired of stiring it all together good thing only once a day :oops:

of course she looked at me like I was crazy when I put it in her bowl like "I'm not eating that" so when and got a little more grain and sprinkeled on top she started picking at it I figured I'd leave her alone and come back out around 10 to give her her last dose of maalox, the silly girl looks forward to the stuff :roll:

but we will see how she feels by tonight,have to call the vet in the morning,she's outside right now grazing I have her in a alone pasture with friends next door but I have been keeping her seprate because we have been getting ready for Nat'l and did not want her nicked up

CarolU
08-19-2007, 02:41 PM
Sounds like ulcers to me.

Her 'mash' sounds interesting, but it also sounds like it is working for her. I hope the success continues and she heals totally. Scary stuff!

Terri
08-19-2007, 03:37 PM
Well, if it is ulcers, my vet told me the VERY best medicine for ulcers is green and grows outside. Grass is the best thing you can do for her.

motorgypsy
08-20-2007, 03:08 AM
Hope it was just something she ate that didn't agree with her. I HATE it when they are sick. :cry: :cry:

Carol Kuiper
08-20-2007, 03:31 AM
I'd definitely do a jaw x-ray... Sounds like all the symptoms of an abcess that hasn't erupted yet... the cold or cooler water helps relieve the pain. Do it before the antibiotics reduces the swelling and masks the problem. Even tho you may solve the infection (and the symptons) at this time you will not have resolved the initial problem and it could return....

Dang.... I signed in this time as Rusel and it STILL shows me as Carol.... will have to figure this one out before I put my opinion out again under her name.... she'll shoot me for sure....

lisa l aka marci
08-20-2007, 10:46 AM
Here is a wierd thought.....

If she was outside (or even inside) - could she have gotten STUNG by something in her mouth? Possibly picked up a bee or bug.....that could account for swelling and pain/irritation.......and should be going away by now.........