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 Mouhahaha
Posts: 1786
   
Location: British Columbia | purplemoon828 - 2014-06-04 7:09 AM
Their is surgery for this condition. I had a 2 yo with a similar condition. The rate is anywhere's from 8-15,000$. We did not do the surgery as their was no guarantee that their would be a full recovery. I was told the longer you wait to do something the less successful you can be. Something like this just SUCKS all the way around. I've been in your shoes.
We definitely can't afford that kind of vet bill for a maybe.
God I wish animal health care was free.
He seems better this morning, like he's engaging his hind end. I walked him a bit just to get him out of the stall and he was trying to get really spunky(which he hasn't done since this happened). I'm hoping against hope this treatment works :( | |
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  Playing the Waiting Game
Posts: 2304
| When mine was diagnosed with wobblers my vet recommended putting him down right away. He said I'd either get injured when he lost his balance (just leading him or feeding him) or I'd go out to find him laying in one spot not able to get up. We didn't wake him up from anestesia (sp). eta sorry for you and your colt.
Edited by suzy2qtee 2014-06-04 12:09 PM
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 Total Germophobe
Posts: 6443
Location: Montana | I'm sorry for you and your colt.   | |
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Mouhahaha
Posts: 1786
Location: British Columbia | Everything I've read is very contradictory. Some studies say younger, trauma cause wobbles has a 55% recovery rate, others say they all have a 5% or lower recovery rate.
I wish there were actual statistics and someone to give all these needles for me(i think I hate giving them more than my colt hates getting them). | |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 437
| You seeing some improvement is awesome! No matter how small the improvement it is real and that means the aanti inflamitories are working! Be positive  | |
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Tried and True
Posts: 21185
Location: Where I am happiest | TMEquine - 2014-06-04 9:49 PM Everything I've read is very contradictory. Some studies say younger, trauma cause wobbles has a 55% recovery rate, others say they all have a 5% or lower recovery rate. I wish there were actual statistics and someone to give all these needles for me(i think I hate giving them more than my colt hates getting them).
Because you have to differentiate between injury induced, or those born a wobbler. Two different things. | |
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Expert
Posts: 1403
| just a thought.... a farm vet can not diagnose wobblers, the only way to tell for sure is a Myleogram...
ALL spinal swelling, damage, injuries, etc...will cause the SAME symptoms...
west nile, lymes, injury, EPM,tetnus, wobblers (spinal stenosis) caused at birth or by arthritis , pinched nerve etc... all can cause permanent damge OR just swelling..
Damage and swelling cause the same symptoms...
based on the symptoms, a vet should be able to narrow down the area of the spine that has the issues.
Damage will never recover, swelling will.... the only way to know the difference is necropsy.
Standard treatment is the same, DMSO and working on removing inflamation.
Then you have to figure out the problem, whats causing it, is it damage or just inflamation. Id the colt is not a danger to him self, or others.. give him a while on the DMSO and see what happens. If its an injury, that caused actual damage, then he will level out and stay the same, if he gets worse its more likely a disease, and if he gets better it could be the swelling is going down. | |
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Expert
Posts: 1403
| TMEquine - 2014-06-04 10:49 PM
Everything I've read is very contradictory. Some studies say younger, trauma cause wobbles has a 55% recovery rate, others say they all have a 5% or lower recovery rate.
I wish there were actual statistics and someone to give all these needles for me(i think I hate giving them more than my colt hates getting them).
Thats becasue injury induced neuro symptoms can be caused by actual damage, or just the trauma related damage and there is NO way to know, a human who is injured i n a car wreck, we do MRI, EMG, etc... to see if the nerve conductivity is still there, with a horse you treat for swelling and "wait"... thats all you can do.
Wobblers is actually a disease causing spinal stenosis from birth defect or arthritis a Myleogram can confirm Stenosis in the spine.
a horse doesnt get woblers from an accident, EPM, West NIle etc... he gets neurologicaly "damaged".
even something as simple as a piched nerve can cause HUGE symptoms in horses.
Did you see an accident happen ? or was their evidence of a fall ?
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Mouhahaha
Posts: 1786
Location: British Columbia | 3farm - 2014-06-05 7:00 AM
TMEquine - 2014-06-04 10:49 PM
Everything I've read is very contradictory. Some studies say younger, trauma cause wobbles has a 55% recovery rate, others say they all have a 5% or lower recovery rate.
I wish there were actual statistics and someone to give all these needles for me(i think I hate giving them more than my colt hates getting them).
Thats becasue injury induced neuro symptoms can be caused by actual damage, or just the trauma related damage and there is NO way to know, a human who is injured i n a car wreck, we do MRI, EMG, etc... to see if the nerve conductivity is still there, with a horse you treat for swelling and "wait"... thats all you can do.
Wobblers is actually a disease causing spinal stenosis from birth defect or arthritis a Myleogram can confirm Stenosis in the spine.
a horse doesnt get woblers from an accident, EPM, West NIle etc... he gets neurologicaly "damaged".
even something as simple as a piched nerve can cause HUGE symptoms in horses.
Did you see an accident happen ? or was their evidence of a fall ?
He has a hematoma(sp) on his chest with a large scuff of hair missing where he was kicked. I was out with them in the morning, groomed him and he was fine, and when I went to refill buckets in the afternoon I noticed his lagging walk so I brought him out and saw the hematoma and took the videos that I had previously posted. Unfortunately it took three days for me to be able to get a vet out here and that was them "squeezing me in".
I feel confident it is trauma induced as he's never taken a lame step before and has always been a very rowdy playful colt in the pasture.
But the vet said regardless, damage to his spine is damage and may not be reversible. | |
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Expert
Posts: 1403
| TMEquine - 2014-06-05 9:12 AM
3farm - 2014-06-05 7:00 AM
TMEquine - 2014-06-04 10:49 PM
Everything I've read is very contradictory. Some studies say younger, trauma cause wobbles has a 55% recovery rate, others say they all have a 5% or lower recovery rate.
I wish there were actual statistics and someone to give all these needles for me(i think I hate giving them more than my colt hates getting them).
Thats becasue injury induced neuro symptoms can be caused by actual damage, or just the trauma related damage and there is NO way to know, a human who is injured i n a car wreck, we do MRI, EMG, etc... to see if the nerve conductivity is still there, with a horse you treat for swelling and "wait"... thats all you can do.
Wobblers is actually a disease causing spinal stenosis from birth defect or arthritis a Myleogram can confirm Stenosis in the spine.
a horse doesnt get woblers from an accident, EPM, West NIle etc... he gets neurologicaly "damaged".
even something as simple as a piched nerve can cause HUGE symptoms in horses.
Did you see an accident happen ? or was their evidence of a fall ?
He has a hematoma (sp ) on his chest with a large scuff of hair missing where he was kicked. I was out with them in the morning, groomed him and he was fine, and when I went to refill buckets in the afternoon I noticed his lagging walk so I brought him out and saw the hematoma and took the videos that I had previously posted. Unfortunately it took three days for me to be able to get a vet out here and that was them "squeezing me in".
I feel confident it is trauma induced as he's never taken a lame step before and has always been a very rowdy playful colt in the pasture.
But the vet said regardless, damage to his spine is damage and may not be reversible.
If there is evidence of physical trauma, then its a good 90% indication that its an injury, but just food for thought I saw a marae with West nile, within a day she had fallen and broken her shoulder, so it looked like injury, but it wasnt.
with that said, keep doing the DMSO, like I said you dont have anything to loose, DMSO is cheap, you can also get straight bottles of DMSO and pour down his spine on your own in between jugs of DMSO by your vet. it coudl take weeks for the swelling to go down, and what your left with will be damage. Or possibly no damage.
if he is up and not recumbent, and not a danger, keep him safe and see if he heals.. I have seen recumbent horses not able to move get up in two weeks and be fine with severe spinal swelling, just like the hematoma on his chest, a hematoma pressing on his spine will take a while to absorb.
good luck, sorry you have to deal with this. :( | |
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 Sweet Tea
Posts: 3496
Location: Home of the World Famous "Silver Bullet" | wobblers are born this way. the spinal cord grows but the disc do not, putting pressure on the cord. our july select yearling for the keenland sale was a wobbler. his spinal cord was being pinched in half in 3 places. he did not know where his feet were going.
a injury is just that. injuries may show wobbler symptoms but he is not a true wobbler.
so sorry for you and your colt. rest and sedatives may be your best friend right now(for your colt). | |
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I'll Be Your Huckleberry
Posts: 1488
Location: Arizona | I'm so sorry to hear this. I hope he is able to continue getting better and that you are able to stay positive. Horses can be so frustrating sometimes, it seems like so much is just out of our hands when it comes to keeping them healthy. | |
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Expert
Posts: 1403
| barn mom - 2014-06-05 10:51 AM
wobblers are born this way. the spinal cord grows but the disc do not, putting pressure on the cord. our july select yearling for the keenland sale was a wobbler. his spinal cord was being pinched in half in 3 places. he did not know where his feet were going.
a injury is just that. injuries may show wobbler symptoms but he is not a true wobbler.
so sorry for you and your colt. rest and sedatives may be your best friend right now(for your colt).
You can also have a wobbler from Arthritis... not all are born that way...
but your mostly right, its not an injury or disease that causes it... Wobblers true definition is "spinal stenosis" and it can by by birth or age.... :)
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Expert
Posts: 1403
| MsDuchessGoTe - 2014-06-05 11:51 AM
I'm so sorry to hear this. I hope he is able to continue getting better and that you are able to stay positive. Horses can be so frustrating sometimes, it seems like so much is just out of our hands when it comes to keeping them healthy.
Amen !!!
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