# Horse seizures



## donkeymom (Mar 10, 2008)

We had to put our beloved appaloosa mare "Glow" down this past week. She was 27 years old and we've had her since she was 15. The morning started out like any other..open the barn door and let them all out for breakfast. 15 minutes later my jack donkey is braying non stop freaking right out. When we looked out the window and glow is down tangled in the fence near my jacks pen. (he's not loose with the girls) when we get out there and untangle her she started seizing (small seizures that only lasted maybe a minute or two) we thought maybe shock. we covered her up and then she would come out of it and try to get up, then she'd fall again. She was alert , ears perked and she whinnied when she saw my sister (Her owner) So she kinda knew who was around. She wanted in the barn so we slowly guided her there. She was seizing every few minutes but stayed to her feet until she got to the barn and then she went down again. When the vet got there she told us we had to put her down. She had no visible head trauma and was fine in the morning. We are devastated but we want answers on why? She showed no signs of being ill and to have like 20 seizures within the hour? The vet said she had a serious brain damage from some sort of trauma. Our barn is not the same and she is sadly missed by all of our animals. they keep looking for her. Does anyone know anything about horse seizures that could give us some answers


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## Emily's mom (Mar 10, 2008)

I am so sorry for your loss of Glow...how sad that the barn family is missing her as well.


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## chandab (Mar 10, 2008)

So sorry about your loss.

I don't know anything about this sort of thing, but perhaps at 27 years old, it was a stroke or something similar, and she fell into the fence hitting her head in the process.

[i worked on a race track one summer, a young filly flipped over backwards in the saddle yard and hit her head hard when she came down, the vet put her down rather than wait for the seizures to take her. It was so sad.]


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## MeadowRidge Farm (Mar 10, 2008)

I am so sorry to hear about Glow. I am sure it will be so hard to deal with losing her, but after the hurt passes, you will remember all the good times you spent with her. I have a 35 yr old arabian who we have had since he has been 3. He has been my best pal and companion for all these years but I know his time is getting short, and as hard as it will be , and our barn will never seem the same without him..I will be able to remember all the good times. So many horses never get to know the hands of being loved. (((hugs))).

My guess would be that when she went down she hit her head hard, and that could possible be what brought on the start of her seizures. Corinne


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## minie812 (Mar 10, 2008)

I feel for you. We had to put my aussie dog Chase down last tuesday and I still hurt and cry thinking about it. Something we never fully understand sometimes...I am so sorry. It is hard to watch them suffer


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## minimule (Mar 14, 2008)

Sorry you lost your girl. I had a mini mare that had seizures. She started out foaming at the mouth and unable to walk. The vet suspected rabies at first but we tried to save her anyway. He struggled with her for 24 hours. Her veins had collapsed so no IVs could be started. We had him do a necropsy to find the cause. It ended up she had "parasitic enciphilytis" (?sp). The scar on her brain stem was about 3 cms long by 5 mm wide. He said it was caused by a worm larvae that matured on her brainstem and then left when it was old enough but the damage was done. I don't think that is what happened to your girl though.


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## Basketmiss (Mar 15, 2008)

So sorry for your loss..

They are such a part of our families that is stinks when they go..


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## donkeymom (Mar 16, 2008)

Thanks for your support. our barn is finally getting somewhat back to normal. As hard as it was for us I think its been even harder for her pasture mates especially my mothers horse. We buried glow inside the pasture but fenced around the area because the ground is soft and that is where my mothers horse "dolly" stays most of the day. My mini-jennets and our mini-horse "cheyenne" stick together now and dolly is by herself. She still looks for glow everymorning and everynight pacing back and forth and whinnying for her. But things get better everyday My 9 year old son says glow is a unicorn now and she stands at heavens gate. Jenn


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