[divinelite]

good point and absolutely will do that, at the very least to rule out

[pony baloney]

Can horses get vestibular disease? Are his eyes going back and forth? Head tilt?

My late dog had VS but it was caused by a brain lesion; she would often walk in circles or pace in and out of the room and have balance issues.

Maybe there is a swelling in his brain causing the neurological symptoms.

[Carolinadreamin']

yes and that is a very good observation, that was confirmed negative in blood work up

I had thought that an HYPP verification could only be done through DNA testing on hair roots. Someone correct me if I'm wrong! I'm sorry, OP, I'm just trying to see if we can come up with anything to help you.

[divinelite]

we don't know his previous history since purchased/saved at meat auction, but we can see there is alot of muscular issues in the neck, lumps and indentions? that led us to working with acupuncture in case he had had a trailer accident or similiar type trauma. The high protein diet and the acupuncture did help and he has been stable until just recently, a very serious change...and no differences in his diet, stabling, excercise nothing...

[joiedevie99]

If you put a halter on the horse, and lead him in a straight line- where exactly do you see the symptoms?

- Does he carry his head straight?
- Does he bend his neck one way or the other?
- Do the front legs track straight?
- Does he bend through the barrel?
- Do his hind legs track straight?

If you have effects in the head, neck or front legs- my next move would be to shoot a few quick x-rays of the neck. If you only have effects in the hind end, I might shoot a few from the withers to the SI.

[divinelite]

actually you are correct, it is a very easy test and was included in the very first work up (which included the blood work) and I believe why they suggested the diet change just in case and actually that diet change has been the biggest help for him, until recently this massive decline which is very very odd

[divinelite]

he throws his head severe from side to side just to walk, he also has to hold his tail up very very high for balance. I see the symptoms under halter more prominent in the hind end. He also gets his back feet crossed and has a hard time getting them uncrossed.

[divinelite]

I do not notice anything unusual in the eyes at all. I will do some basic sight tests tomorrow, he throws his head severely from side to side. I was stating that if he had a tumor, swelling I would think he would also possibly have pain..and he shows absolutely no sign of distress at all, eats very very well, strong and healthy otherwise..

[divinelite]

he throws his head severe from side to side just to walk, he also has to hold his tail up very very high for balance. I see the symptoms under halter more prominent in the hind end. He also gets his back feet crossed and has a hard time getting them uncrossed

[Carolinadreamin']

Sounds a lot like the horse in the following thread: http://www.chronofhorse.com/forum/ar.../t-324726.html

[D Taylor]

Not sure that a brain tumor would mean an animal had to be in pain. Lost a friend to a brain tumor and she never had any pain.

ButI suggest you research brain worm -AKA: meningeal worm.

There are a few papers out there that are hard to find via normal interenet search engines of cases in horses. But perhaps if your vet has a subscription to vet data base journals they can find them.

Many vets do not know horses can be a rare host for brain worm. They have been taught it does not/can not happen.

My understanding is once in the nervous system meningeal worms in goats, lapacas, etc are hard to kill. Routine wormers would not suffice. They have to be treated with higher doses for prolonged periods. And treatment may still be unsuccessful. It appears that routine worming does seem knock back their reproductive ability to some extent and also some animals can have on and off symptoms for years....especially during extremely hot summers.

Steroids, anti-inflammatory drugs and albendazole seems to be the most treatment for many species.

[Dr. Doolittle]

I agree with the suggestion to x-ray his cervical spine; neck arthritis can present with neuro symptoms.

I lost a horse to a neuro disease, the cause of which was never identified--even after necropsy He was going downhill much faster than the OP's horse, but in addition to treating him for EPM (blood tests ruled out everything else), and when that didn't work, doing a spinal tap--which was negative for EPM--and explained WHY the course of Marquis didn't work!, they also x-rayed his cervical spine.

The above post is interesting, I doubt they checked for this in my horse (during the necropsy), but when the tried putting him on a course of steroids, his symptoms *did* improve in the short term.

Good luck, OP, and please keep us posted!

[The Crone of Cottonmouth County]

Admittedly I received my veterinary credentials from the School of Google, but these symptoms remind me strangely of the time my old dog started turning in circles and clawing at the floor to keep her balance. The vet said labrynthitis. Can it afflict horses, I wonder?

[gumshoe]

I would get that HYPP test done again.

[jonquil]

I remember a horse that did this when I was a kid and he had a tumor on his spine. I hope it's something more curable for your guy.