Chiropractor or Vet?

[mandam]

I have a yearling filly that seems to be having trouble moving her back end. It looks like her back legs have locked up and she can't move them right. She tries to run around the pasture and keeps falling over. I don't know what has caused this she was fine one day and then the next was this. I have contacted a chiropractor but I am wondering if I should get a vet out too... Any suggestions?

[JezzaBella]

I'd call out a vet for initial diagnosis, they will prescribe chiro treatment if they deem it appropriate. I honesty woudn't trust a chiro with that right off the bat, heard too many horror stories. I'm a huge chiropractics skeptic anyways.

[Gallamist]

Yep me too. I would call the vet FIRST. He/she can make a diagnosis where as the Chrio can't make a diagnosis...even if they could I wouldn't take there diagnosis as gospel.

The vet may need to do various flexion tests, or something to see what's wrong, possibly some radio-graphs as well of the legs to make sure things are growing properly and nothing is out of place.

Could be as simple as a pulled/strained muscle/tendon, pinched nerve or something more serious like an illness affecting her back end and gait.

Hope all works out well and let us know what the vet says.

[mandam]

Thanks for the advice!

I called the vet yesterday and they came out right away. It was a good thing I called. It seems she was just out in her back end but when I went to see her all legs were off.

This is sad. The vet has said it could be a number of things, none of which she stated were treatable....She said since it's all four legs it seems to be either Neurological or she did something to her head/neck ie: chipped a vertebrae or something.
She has absolutely no balance and no control of her legs. She walks all wobbly and if she moves too fast she falls over. So far she doesn't seem to be in pain. The vet is running blood work and gave us some drugs to hopefully stabilize her a bit so I can bring her in to be x-rayed. Right now she's so unstable I can't trailer her. And she is so unstable that they can't x-ray her in the field. Man I'm hoping this can be treated. I've never experienced this before.

blah. I'm going to keep my hopes up until she is diagnosed.

[Gallamist]

Awww poor girl!!!

We had a horse at the rental stables I worked at yrs ago that had a neurological problem and was similar to the symptoms your describing with your mare.

Hopefull the vet can figure something out by the blood work or at least give you guys a lead way to finding the problem and hopefully treating it.

Sending you guys good thoughts and prayers !!!!

[Betamax]

How old is the filly? What is her lifestyle like? Diet?

Just curious as I have seen this only twice before but the horses were under one year old...and both recovered.
Best wishes for you and her!

[mandam]

Well the blood work came back as normal so I took her in for x-rays today.

She fractured and displaced a bone in her head. Even if the fracture healed she would still be wobbly (neurologic is what the vet said) Hence she is a safety risk to herself and people.
We had to put her down. She was one year old on April 7th. She will be very missed.

Thanks guys

[Betamax]

Awww... (((hugs to you and yours)))

[In Alberta]

What a sad outcome. RIP little girl.

Laura

[Gallamist]

Awwww sorry to hear the outcome wasn't so great.

*****HUGS*****

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