any information on Wobblers? I know absolutly nothing about it, so any info welcomed, I've heard different thoughts but everyone says they don't really know, so thought I'd try here.
Thanks
H
Thanks
H
Wobblers
- Thread starter Hel
- Start date
Hi Hel,
The ' wobbler syndrome' as far as I know desribes a number of conditions which results in a form of compression of the spinal cord usually in the neck area and results in the horse having an unusual gait.
It happens either suddenly , as in one day your horse is fine , the next day it isnt, or it can appear gradually. It seems to affect the hind legs more so than the fronts.
The horse basically looks totally un coordinated and almost seems unware of where its legs are.
They may fall over if stopped or turned suddenly , or they place there feet very deliberately/purposefully.
Its seen in young rapidly growing horses , but can affect older ones too , but rare to see it in ponies.
There are many reasons why a horse is affected by this,.... like I said its due to fast growing, maybe an injury or accident or vets are now thinking that in some cases it may be hereditary.
The disease is not always progressive but usually incurable.
What a cheerful subject
Ally
The ' wobbler syndrome' as far as I know desribes a number of conditions which results in a form of compression of the spinal cord usually in the neck area and results in the horse having an unusual gait.
It happens either suddenly , as in one day your horse is fine , the next day it isnt, or it can appear gradually. It seems to affect the hind legs more so than the fronts.
The horse basically looks totally un coordinated and almost seems unware of where its legs are.
They may fall over if stopped or turned suddenly , or they place there feet very deliberately/purposefully.
Its seen in young rapidly growing horses , but can affect older ones too , but rare to see it in ponies.
There are many reasons why a horse is affected by this,.... like I said its due to fast growing, maybe an injury or accident or vets are now thinking that in some cases it may be hereditary.
The disease is not always progressive but usually incurable.
What a cheerful subject
Ally
http://www.thehorse.com/advancedsearch.asp?aid=121&nid=7&n=Wobbler+Syndrome&case=1
www.thehorse.com is a good site, loads of info on everything. the link is to their wobblers articles.
www.thehorse.com is a good site, loads of info on everything. the link is to their wobblers articles.
I have heard of people getting some improvement in the disease with a special diet developed for EPSM (Equine polysaccharide storage myopathy - I think), loads of info on some of the US sites as it seems to be more common over there.
wobblers is sometimes confused with shiverers (both poorly understood conditions). I use the EPSM diet with my shiverer and it is very successful however, if your horse is a diagnosed wobbler this diet may not be appropriate. A shiverer (EPSM horse) cannot utilise carbohydrates therefore a high oil diet gives the horse another energy resource and thus reduces muscle wastage. A wobbler has a nerve problem which will not be solved with a diet change. However, as wobblers is only really seen in warmblood and thoroughbred young horses (generally as a result of growing too quick) it is definately worth getting a second opinion. A pre-purchase veterinary exam diagnosed another one of my horses as a wobbler - of course he wasn't - he had mild shearing of the heels causing an incoordinated gait. Check out both www.warmbloods.net for lots of information on EPSM and www.ruralheritage.com vet clinic where you can speak directly with the American Vet who is pioneering all the research into EPSM. She is very helpful
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