Strange colic and seizure

["Tracey" <tracey@tbt.co.za>]

I'm really hoping that the various lists I've cross-posted (sorry!) can help me with this, as my regular vet has emigrated, and I've yet to find another local vet that I like.

 

 

I took my horse on a hack on Saturday.  It was about 2,5 hours after his breakfast, he looked fine in the paddock, wasn't agitated when I tacked him up, no reason for concern.  Walked for half an hour, had a trot for about half a km, all fine. Got to our usual, sandy canter trail (about half a km) and put him into a canter.  He got quite strong, and it turned into more of a half pace, but again there was no reason to worry, so I let him go a bit. Stopped him. 

 

He's usually pretty quick to settle down after a canter, but this time, he was a bit over the top.  Again, I didn't worry because he's fitter than he's been for a while, and I thought he was feeling his oats.

 

About five minutes after we stopped cantering, he began pawing the ground whenever I asked him to wait for the other horse who was with us.  Put it down to impatience.  About ten minutes after that, I realised that he was colicking.  By this time, he'd come out in a white lather all down his neck and he was literally dripping with sweat - this from a horse who rarely sweats up, even in the hottest weather and hard work.

 

I elected to get back on board and trot him home.  Next minute, he had what I can only describe as some kind of sezure : head shaking, tongue flapping out of the side of his mouth, weird canter strike-off type actions which went nowhere.  I immediately got off and walked him on until he'd calmed down a little. 

 

I phoned a vet and asked her to meet us at the yard, and, when the seizure settled, got back on to trot him home (he was still colicking).  About 2 kms later (and about 500 meters from the gate) he stopped trotting, and started staggering and doing the whole head-shaking, tongue-flapping deal again.  I climbed off, and walked him home.  He was in considerable distress, although he walked calmly next to me, he kept nudging me and shaking his head. 

 

Got him home, and immediately took the leg wraps off and hosed him down all over (the sweat was dripping off of his belly in rivers).  He started a violent shivering, so I thought maybe it was a tying up, but he was quite happy to walk off and move about.  Unsnapped the lead rein, and he immediately staled : urine smelt and looked quite normal.  He pawed the ground a couple more times, but didn't go down, and next thing he was fine.  All colic symptoms gone, no sign of a seizure, completely normal.  To the extent that he was trying to turn the lock in the feed-room door to open it and steal carrots.

 

The vet still hadn't come, so I phoned her and she said just to monitor him for a bit.  He was fine.  No further signs of colic, normal appetite (although I didn't give him his lunch), drank normally, temperature normal.  His colour, which had been blue during the seizure, was back to normal, and he was trotting round the paddock playing with the pony.

 

 

Could this be related to the blocked jugular (perhaps the blood didn't drain quickly enough and he had pressure on the brain?), or does it sound like epilepsy?  How would I check for this?  Why the colic - which suddenly disappeared? 

 

I'd appreciate any help, or even possible questions which I can put to whichever vet I finally have examine him - my last vet has known him all of his life, and it's daunting to have to go to someone new, with something which seems so serious.

 

 

Tracey