Filly keeps laying down and can't get up.

[wendyluvsminis]

A friend's two year old filly is having a real rough time. About 5 days ago, she started laying down and she could not get up without help. The vet was called and he ran panel and said her levels and organ function looked fine. She does look real weak in the hind quarters. Very little muscle tone. In the beginning (5 days ago) the filly would lay down all day long and night. The friend would prop her up, so her head wasn't below her belly, and the filly would still eat, although less than usual, and not interested in grain. The vet did put her on anit-biotics. Now she is up all day, but as soon as it is dark, she lays down and has to be helped up in the morning. When she is laying down, she is flat out, not curled up. She is interested in her grain again. She does have a runny eye, which my friend cleans daily. The vet suggested sending her to Madison for an evaluation, but my friend cannot afford to do so. The vet is not that experienced with horses, more of a cattle/swine guy. The filly is a bit better from a couple days ago, but a long ways from normal.

The filly might be a dwarf. She has a large head, compared to her body size. Crooked back legs and bit is off about a centimeter. Does this sound like a problem related to dwarfism? Has anyone had experience with something like this? Thank you.

 

[Lizzie]

She does sound dwarfish. Can you post pics please asap?

Lizzie

 

[wendyluvsminis]

She does sound dwarfish. Can you post pics please asap?

Lizzie

Sorry, I don't have one at the moment. Will post as soon as I get one.

What's also odd, is this filly when well, will occasionally sit down. When taken for a walk, the owner thought she was being balky, because all of a sudden she would sit like a dog. I've never heard of that before! She doesn't move like she is stiff or hurting.

 

[Hawks_Eye_Minis]

She can always call madison too and see what they say a phone call is FREE... also madison is AMAZING for doing payments so thats an option too

 

[ohmt]

Is the filly being fed well and at a good weight?

 

[Riverrose28]

If she is weak in the rear I would suspect something like EPM or West Nile, I can't remember the name of the EPM medication, but I would bring it up to the vet ASAP as the sooner the horse is started on meds the better the outcome.

 

[Genie]

I had a filly laying down a lot, even laying down to nibble at grass but mostly off her food. She had ulcers.

Treated her for ulcers and gave her some banamine for a couple of days.

 

[wendyluvsminis]

Is the filly being fed well and at a good weight?

Yes, she has been well cared for, shots and everything. Not West Nile shot though...

Thank you for all these great suggestions. I will call my friend with Round 1 of your ideas!

 

[Jill]

If she is weak in the rear I would suspect something like EPM or West Nile, I can't remember the name of the EPM medication, but I would bring it up to the vet ASAP as the sooner the horse is started on meds the better the outcome.

This was my first thought, too.

 

[wendyluvsminis]

How much Tagamet should she give the filly? And how often? Thank you!

 

[Lizzie]

Personally, I think it is very presumptious saying the filly sounds like a dwarf.

I don't think I was being presumptuous Diane. Large head, crooked legs and an off bite, made me think of dwarfism first. And I certainly didn't say she 'was'. I said the description sounded a bit dwarfish.

Certainly the mare might be suffering from other problems, as others have noted.

Lizzie

 

[Genie]

Personally, I think it is very presumptious saying the filly sounds like a dwarf.

I don't think I was being presumptuous Diane. Large head, crooked legs and an off bite, made me think of dwarfism first. And I certainly didn't say she 'was'. I said the description sounded a bit dwarfish.

Certainly the mare might be suffering from other problems, as others have noted.

Lizzie

This was part of the original post.......["i]The filly might be a dwarf. She has a large head, compared to her body size. Crooked back legs and bit is off about a centimeter. Does this sound like a problem related to dwarfism? Has anyone had experience with something like this? Thank you.

In my eyes you were merely agreeing with the o.p.'s thoughts

 

[wcr]

One thing this forum has taught us is that these little horses have different needs from the big horses and equine vets sometimes miss the big picture with them. A cattle vet probably has no idea what is going on so the first thing I would do is have another vet see the horse. If he recommended Madison (and I don't know anything about them) then that is probably where I would go. It would probably cost as much to get a second opinion from them as it would another vet and they are more knowledgeable. You have the right to say yes or no to treatments that can get expensive but it would give you a baseline to work from.

Since the vet already did blood work and didn't find some metabolic type problem that was fixable, then you can start looking at other possibilities. Others mentioned epm or West nile and my first thought was something causing neurological problems. I had a colt born with similar symptoms and it was a spinal injury from the birth. He had an adjustment the day he was born and a couple days later and that was the end of it.

The sooner the treatment the better the outcome.

 

[wendyluvsminis]

She got up on her own this morning for the first time in almost a week. She has been on pribiotics, so maybe that is starting to help. Owner is going to swtich her to alfalfa hay and put her on Tagament also.

 

[albahurst]

She got up on her own this morning for the first time in almost a week. She has been on pribiotics, so maybe that is starting to help. Owner is going to swtich her to alfalfa hay and put her on Tagament also.

Be sure to do any switching of feed or hay very gradually.