Post by daisysp8 on Oct 11, 2012 18:04:33 GMT 1
Hello all, word has spread through facebook and a couple of other forums i go on, so i thought i`d update you all on here .... warning it may be long. I have a thread elsewhere that i`ll copy and paste over, so i don`t forget any of what has happened so far.
It all started on Saturday evening, i got there and called him and he couldn`t move, i knew something was wrong because he didn`t come to me in the field, and he was soooooo ill. We managed to coax him down and i rang the vet straight away, it was like he was drunk, his legs just didn`t seem to belong to him. The vet came and ruled out colic (gut sounds are fine and he`s pooing ok) and ruled out lami (no heat, pulses or reaction to hoof testers). It seemed he was tying up, and he couldn`t walk and was shaking violently, as well as having a very high heart rate and high temp ... grass sickness was mentioned, among other things. We stabled him, and he had pain relief, buscopan and lots of bloods taken. I`ve got home at about 10pm (after being dragged there by hubs) freezing cold and heartbroken ... i just need him to be ok !!!!!
Sunday
he had`t improved much over night, sunday morning he was still stiff/unco-ordinated on his legs, he had passed some droppings, but they were harder than normal, he had`t eaten his hay net which is unheard of for him, but he had his fast fibre with his bute in it at about 7am. There was another issue first thing Sunday morning, his skin seemed to have large weird patches with air underneath that crackled and pops when you run your fingers over it (one at the girth area, one at the poll). The vet has been informed, and his blood tests were due back and the vet said she`d speak to me then.
A lot changed just in a few hours. He was doing better, he needed to be out and not in, as stood in the stable he had seized up completely and was desperately unhappy with very rapid breathing (didn`t help that he couldn`t see the other horses and they were going to be put out too). I opened the door and he came out, still not right but as he moved he became looser.
My new field is on our doorstep and we co-ordinated the other horse coming, so they`re now in together. Vet has agreed he needs to be moving about. The bloods showed mild dehydration, but everything else was with in normal ranges (which is such a relief). Bloods show it`s a trauma and judging by the swelling and crackling thing, we think he`s had an accident in the field (
), and he has seriously bruised his neck and the swelling is impairing/trapping the nerves and movement. This is why he has the problems wobbliness in all 4 legs. (Must stress this was guess work, as we were genuinely at a loss). We found a cut/small gash to the inside of his arm pit (where one lot of the swelling/crackling is), and they other part of the swelling/crackling is in his neck where he does appear to be sore.
So ... he`s allowed in the small paddock i have him in now, with his field shelter. If i`m worried i have to contain/stable him again and ring the vets. He`s on bute for a few days and was allowed to walk around as he seemed to be easing off the more he moves.
At that point we were honestly just playing it by ear, hour by hour, we were still at a loss, if he wasn`t any better in the next few days then he`d have to go in for more investigations ... It appeared it wasn`t Lami/EGS/Atypical Myopathy/Colic ... i was seriously relieved there i can tell you, having that hanging over you is damn scary .... so it became a case of gently gently and hope it is something sortable.
Monday
Sadly monday was not good at all, I rang the vets and they came out straight away ... his neck was so swollen, and the crackly thing under the skin (and the area it is covering is much worse). Turns out Coby has "Subcutaneous emphysema" ..... His neck (from poll to shoulder, both sides) chest girth area, and top of his legs are filled, swollen with air, but there`s no obvious reason why.
We were still thinking it is 'Trauma' in the field (?). The vet gave him a steroid jab, just in case he was having some kind of freaky, weird, not normal, re action to something (fly bite/something he`s eaten) ... But those reactions do tend to be urticaria, lumps, bumps and welts type thing, not air under the skin.
Air under the skin would indicate a puncture wound somewhere, or a rupture in the windpipe or lung. There is no obvious puncture wounds on him, just a couple of scrapes/cuts, and no obvious pain anywhere now either.
The plan was to give the swelling 24 hours now he`d had the steroid jab, but if there was no sign of improvement in 24 hours or so, then he`d be going in to horsepital to be scoped/x-rayed.
Monday Evening
I went back down there late afternoon, and he`d swelled up like a balloon and was groaning terribly ... We had to rush him through to the vets and leave him there .... he was in good hands with the operating team on stand by, it is definitely a rupture some where and the air is just filling him up ....... I had to leave him in the same stable my Quinn was in just before i lost him (last year), it was like deja vu, and just absolutely crushed me leaving him there
If he became more unstable over night they would operate ... if not, they'd sort him first thing in the morning.
Tuesday
It wasn`t good news. The vets called ... Coby was getting even bigger still, they didn`t know where it was coming from, and could only do so much to find it. They had scoped him, and they had a couple of ideas to try, but the trouble is the swelling could compromise the blood supply as it had now got nowhere to go, so was starting to crush internal areas .... they were looking into other things they could try ... The vet who called said Coby was an anomaly, they have never seen this before, they are trying their best.
They called me again .. they couldn`t find any where this air could be coming from, which really was not good news .... it could be lung emphysema where the air is actually just leaking through his lungs ... they just don`t know, all they can do now is monitor him, he was still swelling up and nothing is stopping it ...... oh god, i just felt sick, and scared .... please please please let my boy be ok
I headed down there to see him, i just need to hug him
My poor swollen boy Tuesday evening:
Wednesday
I spoke to the vet, they had done x-rays but it`s showing nothing conclusive due to the extent of the swelling, and obviously they can`t just lie him on his back like they would a dog. So after the x-rays and scope, they still believed it to be a rupture (lung/windpipe) ... it was the only explanation. They got the physio to do some "equissage" on him, just on one side, but the swelling is still there and the same size. Coby was very uncomfortable, and a very unhappy boy .. (understandably, my poor boy).
A few people suggested I call Liphook for some advice, so i did, but they said they wouldn`t do anything with out a referral ... however, upon calling my vets back, i found out he had consulted with Newmarket, and they wanted them to take some more x-rays, and Newmarket then want to look at them, they had asked for more blood tests too.
I also spoke with Tim Brazil (who is lovely) who has completely echo`d everything my vets were thinking, doing and saying, so that is a very positive thing for me. I called in at the vets to pick Dilly up this afternoon (my other lil man), and i gave Coby some hugs whilst i was there. I spoke with my vet, who told me a bit more about what they are are doing/thinking, and then to my happiness he agreed to speak with Tim Brazil, so they have now put their heads together too. Coby is in the right place getting the right care, with A LOT of other experts now being phoned for help/idea`s, they`ve even been in contact with a specialist in Dubai !!!!!! and though what`s happening to him isn`t well documented, i know they are trying their best. They are wanting to do a medical paper on him too.
So, over all, all we can hope is that the pressure now is equal on the outside of the rupture (where ever that may be), and once stabilized, can heal ... once the rupture is healed, the air **should** disperse and i can have my Coby back. If not, and it keeps happening then we will have to have a rethink, but for now, for the next couple of days, this is the plan. He`s still not out of the woods by a long shot, and i`m painfully aware of that, and i know that there may still be complications, and i could still lose him... but for now, he`s as "stable" as can be expected, and it is still and hour by hour, day by day thing.
Thursday
The plan today was for the vets to get the bloods and X-rays that Newmarket had asked for, and then we`re waiting for Newmarket to look at them and get back to my vets, hopefully today, but it may be tomorrow now. I know i can`t ring them every two minutes as they`re busy, and i know he`s in the best place right now, as should anything happen, he`ll get immediate emergency care.
So there you are ... the 72 hours have been awful, and he`s still not out of the woods yet, so any vibes are very, very, VERY welcome xxxx
It all started on Saturday evening, i got there and called him and he couldn`t move, i knew something was wrong because he didn`t come to me in the field, and he was soooooo ill. We managed to coax him down and i rang the vet straight away, it was like he was drunk, his legs just didn`t seem to belong to him. The vet came and ruled out colic (gut sounds are fine and he`s pooing ok) and ruled out lami (no heat, pulses or reaction to hoof testers). It seemed he was tying up, and he couldn`t walk and was shaking violently, as well as having a very high heart rate and high temp ... grass sickness was mentioned, among other things. We stabled him, and he had pain relief, buscopan and lots of bloods taken. I`ve got home at about 10pm (after being dragged there by hubs) freezing cold and heartbroken ... i just need him to be ok !!!!!
Sunday
he had`t improved much over night, sunday morning he was still stiff/unco-ordinated on his legs, he had passed some droppings, but they were harder than normal, he had`t eaten his hay net which is unheard of for him, but he had his fast fibre with his bute in it at about 7am. There was another issue first thing Sunday morning, his skin seemed to have large weird patches with air underneath that crackled and pops when you run your fingers over it (one at the girth area, one at the poll). The vet has been informed, and his blood tests were due back and the vet said she`d speak to me then.
A lot changed just in a few hours. He was doing better, he needed to be out and not in, as stood in the stable he had seized up completely and was desperately unhappy with very rapid breathing (didn`t help that he couldn`t see the other horses and they were going to be put out too). I opened the door and he came out, still not right but as he moved he became looser.
My new field is on our doorstep and we co-ordinated the other horse coming, so they`re now in together. Vet has agreed he needs to be moving about. The bloods showed mild dehydration, but everything else was with in normal ranges (which is such a relief). Bloods show it`s a trauma and judging by the swelling and crackling thing, we think he`s had an accident in the field (
), and he has seriously bruised his neck and the swelling is impairing/trapping the nerves and movement. This is why he has the problems wobbliness in all 4 legs. (Must stress this was guess work, as we were genuinely at a loss). We found a cut/small gash to the inside of his arm pit (where one lot of the swelling/crackling is), and they other part of the swelling/crackling is in his neck where he does appear to be sore. So ... he`s allowed in the small paddock i have him in now, with his field shelter. If i`m worried i have to contain/stable him again and ring the vets. He`s on bute for a few days and was allowed to walk around as he seemed to be easing off the more he moves.
At that point we were honestly just playing it by ear, hour by hour, we were still at a loss, if he wasn`t any better in the next few days then he`d have to go in for more investigations ... It appeared it wasn`t Lami/EGS/Atypical Myopathy/Colic ... i was seriously relieved there i can tell you, having that hanging over you is damn scary .... so it became a case of gently gently and hope it is something sortable.
Monday
Sadly monday was not good at all, I rang the vets and they came out straight away ... his neck was so swollen, and the crackly thing under the skin (and the area it is covering is much worse). Turns out Coby has "Subcutaneous emphysema" ..... His neck (from poll to shoulder, both sides) chest girth area, and top of his legs are filled, swollen with air, but there`s no obvious reason why.
We were still thinking it is 'Trauma' in the field (?). The vet gave him a steroid jab, just in case he was having some kind of freaky, weird, not normal, re action to something (fly bite/something he`s eaten) ... But those reactions do tend to be urticaria, lumps, bumps and welts type thing, not air under the skin.
Air under the skin would indicate a puncture wound somewhere, or a rupture in the windpipe or lung. There is no obvious puncture wounds on him, just a couple of scrapes/cuts, and no obvious pain anywhere now either.
The plan was to give the swelling 24 hours now he`d had the steroid jab, but if there was no sign of improvement in 24 hours or so, then he`d be going in to horsepital to be scoped/x-rayed.
Monday Evening
I went back down there late afternoon, and he`d swelled up like a balloon and was groaning terribly ... We had to rush him through to the vets and leave him there .... he was in good hands with the operating team on stand by, it is definitely a rupture some where and the air is just filling him up ....... I had to leave him in the same stable my Quinn was in just before i lost him (last year), it was like deja vu, and just absolutely crushed me leaving him there
If he became more unstable over night they would operate ... if not, they'd sort him first thing in the morning.
Tuesday
It wasn`t good news. The vets called ... Coby was getting even bigger still, they didn`t know where it was coming from, and could only do so much to find it. They had scoped him, and they had a couple of ideas to try, but the trouble is the swelling could compromise the blood supply as it had now got nowhere to go, so was starting to crush internal areas .... they were looking into other things they could try ... The vet who called said Coby was an anomaly, they have never seen this before, they are trying their best.
They called me again .. they couldn`t find any where this air could be coming from, which really was not good news .... it could be lung emphysema where the air is actually just leaking through his lungs ... they just don`t know, all they can do now is monitor him, he was still swelling up and nothing is stopping it ...... oh god, i just felt sick, and scared .... please please please let my boy be ok
I headed down there to see him, i just need to hug him
My poor swollen boy Tuesday evening:
Wednesday
I spoke to the vet, they had done x-rays but it`s showing nothing conclusive due to the extent of the swelling, and obviously they can`t just lie him on his back like they would a dog. So after the x-rays and scope, they still believed it to be a rupture (lung/windpipe) ... it was the only explanation. They got the physio to do some "equissage" on him, just on one side, but the swelling is still there and the same size. Coby was very uncomfortable, and a very unhappy boy .. (understandably, my poor boy).
A few people suggested I call Liphook for some advice, so i did, but they said they wouldn`t do anything with out a referral ... however, upon calling my vets back, i found out he had consulted with Newmarket, and they wanted them to take some more x-rays, and Newmarket then want to look at them, they had asked for more blood tests too.
I also spoke with Tim Brazil (who is lovely) who has completely echo`d everything my vets were thinking, doing and saying, so that is a very positive thing for me. I called in at the vets to pick Dilly up this afternoon (my other lil man), and i gave Coby some hugs whilst i was there. I spoke with my vet, who told me a bit more about what they are are doing/thinking, and then to my happiness he agreed to speak with Tim Brazil, so they have now put their heads together too. Coby is in the right place getting the right care, with A LOT of other experts now being phoned for help/idea`s, they`ve even been in contact with a specialist in Dubai !!!!!! and though what`s happening to him isn`t well documented, i know they are trying their best. They are wanting to do a medical paper on him too.
So, over all, all we can hope is that the pressure now is equal on the outside of the rupture (where ever that may be), and once stabilized, can heal ... once the rupture is healed, the air **should** disperse and i can have my Coby back. If not, and it keeps happening then we will have to have a rethink, but for now, for the next couple of days, this is the plan. He`s still not out of the woods by a long shot, and i`m painfully aware of that, and i know that there may still be complications, and i could still lose him... but for now, he`s as "stable" as can be expected, and it is still and hour by hour, day by day thing.
Thursday
The plan today was for the vets to get the bloods and X-rays that Newmarket had asked for, and then we`re waiting for Newmarket to look at them and get back to my vets, hopefully today, but it may be tomorrow now. I know i can`t ring them every two minutes as they`re busy, and i know he`s in the best place right now, as should anything happen, he`ll get immediate emergency care.
So there you are ... the 72 hours have been awful, and he`s still not out of the woods yet, so any vibes are very, very, VERY welcome xxxx
hugs xx
Glad to hear he is more stable today and praying for good news xxxx