Navicular syndrome, laminitis, EPM, ulcers, tooth infection — Euthanasia recommended
The owner who loves him tells this story.
“Major was purchased as a recently gelded stud colt in November 2019; his feet were in terrible condition with his hind legs swollen from lack of heel and leg strain and he was underweight from being pushed off his food. We fixed his feet, he put on weight, and appeared to be a healthy 4 year old. He went for 90 days of training in Spring 2020 and seemed to be doing well. But in Spring 2021, he started limping on his front feet, alternating left and right. Radiographs revealed early navicular disease; this was addressed with shoeing and he appeared comfortable again.”
Then everything started to come apart.
“In Summer 2021 his right hind leg began sometimes collapsing. His transitions were getting slow and uncoordinated. I was told that he was lazy and to work him. I did, but the problem did not go away and was now getting worse. Multiple vets examined him but the consensus was that he was growing and uncoordinated and just needed time and work. I felt that there was more going on with him and had a fourth vet out who diagnosed him with EPM. He was treated for 90 days. The lameness and transitions improved.”
All resolved? No.
“Three weeks after treatment (December 2021) he did not want to lift his head above his neck. This issue continued for a few days and then he started to stand with his hind legs tucked up under himself, head down, laying down, biting his belly, standing back up, and then lying back down again. The vet referred us to the university. After three days in the hospital, his meal from 72 hours ago still had not passed out of his stomach and had to be flushed for scoping. Ulcers were diagnosed. He also now had a mass on the left side of his jaw which was an infected tooth. He was ataxic, had some atrophy on one side of his head, and some possible vestibular issues. He was sent home on multiple medications and a feeding regimen and scheduled to be checked in 30 days.”
“At 30 days, his gut issues appeared better but the tooth was not and he remained depressed. Back at the university, the tooth was pulled and the infection was determined to be antibiotic-resistant. He stayed at the university for several days because the infection was difficult to manage. Just as I was about to pick him up, he started to limp in front. Radiographs revealed no rotation with presumptive diagnosis of laminitis. I brought him home.”
Now everything spirals out of control.
“He was not better. At one point he had a life-threatening anaphylactic reaction to something unidentified. The vet gave supportive medications and noted that he will make it through the night — or he won’t. He made it through the night. The gut symptoms returned. The laminitis improved with PEMF sessions but it was never clear why he had laminitis. There is a team of vets involved – the local vets, the university vets, and vets from out-of-state – trying to figure out what is wrong with him. They agree that he is a “medical mystery” and that there is nothing else to try.”
“They agree that it would be fair to let him go to release him from pain.”
There is heartbreak under that last sentence. You can probably feel it.
Major is 7 years old.
“March 2022 is when I found you.”
What was wrong with Major? He had a catastrophically inflamed and leaky gut. That was the root cause of everything that was going wrong with his body – the early navicular issues, the apparent laziness, the laminitis, the ulcers, the impaired gut motility, the EPM, the tooth infection, the bizarre anaphylactic reaction. All of it. When horses start life in a malnourished, stressed state, as Major did, without the nutrients required to protect and maintain the gut and the immune system, multiple body systems can begin to spiral out of control. He was not a medical mystery. He was actually pretty straightforward to fix. And with the right support, he quickly fixed himself.
He was started on intensive gut support, including supplements not on the market that target leaky gut specifically. His residual EPM symptoms were targeted with nutraceuticals that stimulate nervous system healing and regeneration. His diet was changed to gut-friendly whole foods that are easy to digest with appropriate coverage of key amino acids and trace minerals – the critical nutrients that were missing from his early life and the lack of which set him up for this disaster.
Back to his owner.
“I stopped ALL of the medications. That horse turned around so fast I was speechless. Within days he was playing with my hair. Five weeks into the recommendations from Martha, I pulled up to the barn, which I only had to do twice a day now, and he was running full blast circles in his pen. He was kicking up. He was playing. I’m crying as I’m typing this because that was the day I finally knew we had got him right. His weight is up. His personality is in full swing. He is in fact not at all lazy. He’s a super sweet, hot mess of a boy, that is RELEASED TO RIDE! No more ulcers, laying down, tail held up and to the right, hanging his head until it swells, no more limping, constant yawning, or grinding his teeth. No more staying up all night watching him because he’s not acting right. No more custom shoes. He’s barefoot and sound. No more days of feeding every couple hours all day and night. No more soaking feed. No more begging for any and every prayer I can get. No more talks about how it never used to be this hard. Just no more mess. He is healthy, he is happy, and against all odds, he is easy!”
It has been almost 3 years since Major and I connected; he is coming 10 and still good.
