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 Regular
Posts: 96
Location: Colorado | Please if anyone has any idea what is going on with my gelding please chime in. Yesterday, my father in law went to ride him and he was really stiff.. he appeared to be lame, but felt better by the afternoon. Today he is really stiff and doesn't really want to move around, but when he does his joints pop. What does this mean. He is in with two other horses who are fine, but should I separate him???is it a mineral deficiency or something more serious? |
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 Expert
Posts: 1857
  
| Did you ride him the day before he showed any stiffness? Is it in his hind end mainly or all over? have you given him any banamine since you've noticed? My first guess without those answers would be that he is tying up on you. If that's the case don't force him to move , turn him out so he can move at his own will, give some bute for pain and call vet about giving him a muscle relaxer. there's a few ladies on here that are really knowledgeable about it.
Edited by FlyingJT 2014-04-04 2:34 PM
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 Experienced Mouse Trapper
Posts: 3106
Location: North Dakota | Do you have any new grass that he has access to? Founder?? |
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Regular
Posts: 60
| sounds like he is tying up. try giving banamine in the vein and then take him to the vet. This can be easily cured but untreated can be serious. It can cause serious muscle damage . do not try to make him move around
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Regular
Posts: 96
Location: Colorado | Yes he is being ridden everyday to check cows. Mostly at a walk and trot. Just the last two days he has been showing the stiffness. It is mostly in his hind end. But I do here the popping in his front end too. I tested the pressure points in his back and there is no soreness. However I do feel some fluid in his shocks and knees. Possibly his stifles too, but not so good at palpating those. |
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Regular
Posts: 96
Location: Colorado | That did cross my mind. The tyeing up makes sense. I have had horses do this in the past, but it was more sudden, like right after a work out. This seems more gradual. He must be deficient in something then. |
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 Tried and True
Posts: 21185
Location: Where I am happiest | Could be a selenium defiency by the sounds of it. At first I thought tying up but after your last post it sounds more like a selenium defiency. |
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Regular
Posts: 96
Location: Colorado | I agree. I thought when they tied up there was a lot of sweating and increased heart rate but he doesn't have either of these. |
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Tried and True
Posts: 21185
Location: Where I am happiest | puffthemagicpony - 2014-04-04 2:55 PM I agree. I thought when they tied up there was a lot of sweating and increased heart rate but he doesn't have either of these.
Generally yes, and after a tye up they will pee very dark brown instead of yellow. This is due to excreting the toxins the liver is expelling. The dark urin is your tell tell sign. |
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Tried and True
Posts: 21185
Location: Where I am happiest | If it is selenium defiency a selenium vit e shot will take care of it.
Edited by ThreeCorners 2014-04-04 3:00 PM
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Expert
Posts: 1857
| Could be deficient in Potassium or sodium too. |
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 Fact Checker
Posts: 16575
Location: Displaced Iowegian | Have you ever thought about having a vet check this horse out? Some things mentioned here could be VERY serious if NOT treated......... |
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The Advice Guru
Posts: 6419
| Pssm horses can also exhibit symptoms of tying up.
EPM, westnile, EHV1 with neurological symptoms all of these can affect their gait in the early stages |
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Regular
Posts: 96
Location: Colorado | Update... Thank you all for input. I have never in all my years experience something like this. I gave him some bani mine and put my pht blanket on him. He seems to be feeling tons better. I do have a call into my vet, just waiting to hear back from her to discuss his symptoms. |
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 Worst.Housekeeper.EVER.
Location: Missouri | My horse had hypocalcemia last year.
I went to check on him in the evening and he wouldn't walk up to greet me. He wasn't able to chew and was very stiff and reluctant to move. I took him to the vet right away, but they weren't able to make a diagnosis until the following day. While at the clinic, he had diaphragmatic flutter("thumps") which is associated with the electrolyte imbalance.
Once treated properly, he recovered quickly.
Just an idea...
I had never experienced this before, and I don't think the vet had seen it either.
Here's some info: http://www.merckmanuals.com/vet/metabolic_disorders/disorders_of_calcium_metabolism/hypocalcemic_tetany_in%C2%A0horses.html |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 794
| How nice would it be if our babies could just tell us what is wrong. Hope your horse gets better soon. Nothing like having a sick baby. |
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