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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 1066
 
| There's something wrong with my 10 year old gelding. This morning he's acting like someone has tied him up and beat the crap out if him. I went to give him a pat whike he ate and he took off like I'd just hit him with a stock prod. I managed to get him cornered and catch him, got his hook off and his neck us rock hard. He won't let me touch him to take his blanket off. I've called the vet and she didn't have much for ideas. He is usually a big puppy dog and right now he's afraid of his own tail touching his legs. And ideas? |
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 Total Germophobe
Posts: 6437
 
Location: Montana | Could he have tied up? |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 1066
| mtcanchazer - 2015-02-08 12:23 PM
Could he have tied up?
I kind if wondered that too, but he seems to still be moving well, and he hasn't done anything but eat and hang out in the pasture for the last week |
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  Sock eating dog owner
Posts: 4553
 
Location: Where the pavement ends and the West begins Utah | Put up a camera you could have strangers in the night. or Ghosts |
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The Advice Guru
Posts: 6419
| My guess is you have a cat or grizzley lurking around.
Mine go bat**** crazy when the cat is back. It takes mine 3 days to go back to normal and 21 days later when the cat returns a twig can make a noise and my kid proof horses jump on top of you. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 1066
| Doesn't it seem odd that he's the only one in our pasture of 3 that us even remotely concerned with life? We have a 3yo and a mare (who is generally far more spooky than my guy) and neither one of them are acting even remotely strange. Seeing him like this makes my heart hurt... He's usually the biggest puppy dog and tonight I can't even get near him (and he's just in a 25x50 pen) without his eyes bugging out of his head and looking like I'm trying to kill him. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 1066
| cow pie - 2015-02-08 1:26 PM
Put up a camera you could have strangers in the night. or Ghosts
That's kind of what I was thinking, but he's in a pasture with 2 who are super easy to catch, and he's easy for me to catch, but a jerk for anyone else... |
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 Expert
Posts: 5290
| My first instinct is neurological. Like he really hit his head and either has blurry vision or possibly had a stroke? I had a mare once who had stroke and acted just like your horse. But she only did it inside barn not outside. |
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 Money Eating Baggage Owner
Posts: 9586
Location: Phoenix | Gosh I don't know but please keep us posted!! |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 865
| Is he eating and drinking normally? |
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 Expert
Posts: 1718
Location: Southeast Louisiana | He could have something wrong with his vision. It is strange that it's only him doing it.
I sure hope you figure out what's going on! I hope he's alright. |
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 Chasin my Dream
Posts: 13651
Location: Alberta | Texas Tornado - 2015-02-08 7:35 PM Is he eating and drinking normally?
He was not his usual self at feeding time but he was eating, she was still concerned (last I talked to her) whether he had drank.....I'm sure when she gets a chance she will update everyone....we can all just cross our fingers for her.... |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 1066
| He seems to be eating fine and I still haven't seen him drink, but he shares a watered with the other horses and I saw one of them drinking (so I know it's not a shock, unless it was a one time thing or maybe he bit where the cord for the heater connects to the extension cord). I'm pretty much at a loss. Trying to get a appointment for him tomorrow.., talked to the on call vet and she seemed mad that I wanted an appointment with my regular vet tomorrow, but it just seems like my best option seeing how she doesn't seen to have any ideas right now, doesn't it?
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 1066
| Nita - 2015-02-08 7:48 PM
He could have something wrong with his vision. It is strange that it's only him doing it.
I sure hope you figure out what's going on! I hope he's alright.
This had crossed our minds a few times... Having a hard time telling if he's blinking because he sees my hand, or because he feels the air. It's hard to be quiet with the crunchy snow out there. Going out again now to do chores and I think I'll hang out and try to pet him while he eats... I'm a bit worried because when I was out there earlier he almost seemed like he was on the fight... Like if I try to corner him he might just run me over. He's really acting like an untouched 3 year old... So weird |
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Porta Potty Pants
Posts: 2600
| Any change in supplements? My guy became extremely difficult - fearful, unable to saddle, pulling back (more than normal) after a month of exceed. Same thing happened to him with Platinum Performance. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 1066
| azsun - 2015-02-08 9:03 PM
Any change in supplements? My guy became extremely difficult - fearful, unable to saddle, pulling back (more than normal) after a month of exceed. Same thing happened to him with Platinum Performance.
The only thing that's changed is 2 weeks ago I started them all on some milled flax and rolled oats. Other than that nothing is different. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 1066
| So this morning I finally got him caught... He had relaxed a bit (no longer kicking at his tail, or cowering in the corner of his pen) so I was able to load him and take him to an osteopath. This has been an interesting experience to say the least... I've talked to some of the best vets around including an equine neuro specialist, and everyone pretty much decided he'd been traumatized, but I wasn't really willing to accept that because he is generally the most "sound of mind" of all if our horses... Definitely the least likely to he totally freaked by wildlife as everyone was suggesting. Anyways, the osteopath was very enlightening... She figures he had a bad fall that caused his cranial bones to move and cause some intense shooting pains through his body due to nerves being "pinched" or otherwise irritated. This was her explanation for why he was terrified of being touched, afraid of his own tail brushing his legs, and why he took off terrified when I first touched him on Sunday morning. He was just feeling pain from anything and everything that touched him, and on top if tgat she believes that his vision was affected... I know he was still able to see movement, but she said it could have been very blurry, or even like tunnel vision.
Anyways, I just thought I'd fill everyone in on what she found because as much as I hate that my guy went through this, it's been very interesting to learn about it. |
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 Transplant Okie
Posts: 1206
Location: Always on call..... | Two questions:
1. What kind of treatment did the osteopath perform or recommend? Cranial work?
2. Where or how does an equine osteopath get trained? Are they equine vets who do additional training in osteopathic manipulation/therapies? Or a layperson with this training? Just curious cause I'm a human DO (doctor of osteopathy). |
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 My Heart Be Happy
Posts: 9159
Location: Arkansas | Hope this means your guy is on the mend and gonna be fine? |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 1066
| Dr. J - 2015-02-11 12:25 AM
Two questions:
1. What kind of treatment did the osteopath perform or recommend? Cranial work?
2. Where or how does an equine osteopath get trained? Are they equine vets who do additional training in osteopathic manipulation/therapies? Or a layperson with this training? Just curious cause I'm a human DO (doctor of osteopathy).
This particular osteopath is very well educated in a variety of different fields (I think she's on her 7th year of formal education right now). She is not a vet, but the vets in our area highly recommend her as she has an amazing facility consisting of an aquatread, a salt water spa, lights, and she does all sorts of hands on therapy... I'm SUPER lucky to have her 10 minutes from me, and even luckier to call her a friend. I would recommend adding Coulee Equine of Facebook and just asking her- I believe she's been to 3-4 different schools for her training, so I'm not sure which is which.
Mic's whole body was very tense and his energy and metidians were all messed up (I know nothing about what she does, I just know she's amazing at it because she's literally the only person that my horse will relax for) so she worked on him from one end to the other, but yes, she did work on his cranial and that is where we finally saw him relax. |
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