After all this time trying to find out why my POA is so sore and miserable & thinking it is founder. We have had many vet opinions & most have leaned to founder with an old hip injury. Anyway a new vet came out to do xrays but after looking at her we decided to run blood work first & do xrays if that didn't show anything. She has been so bad we were talking about putting her down so she didn't suffer anymore. She barely can take a step, shivers, all over body aches. All four legs are lame - shifts from one to the other. Has needed bute 2 times a day ( barely helped) The tests they ran showed positive for lymes disease. I started her on Doxycyclin - 37 capsules a day. ( a real pain to open each one & to give her) She won't eat it in her food & now are trying to mix up in a syringe. This has to be given for 28 days & may or may not help. I hope we didn't catch it too late. She is only 8 years old & has more personality than 20 horses put together. We have had to rig up a temporary heated stall since it was -22 this morning & too hard for her to stay warm even with the blanket & leg wraps on. It isn't a real warm stall but much warmer then having the wind on her along with those bitter temps. Anybody ever have a horse with lymes? Any other great ideas to help her would be appreciated. The vet also thinks she does have a broken pelvis ( old injury) & maybe a slight case of founder last year but her feet didn't show any pain when he tested them.
Lymes disease
- Thread starter Kelly
- Start date
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fellersbarnoneranch
Well-known member
I haven't had any experience with this. How is your POA mare doing?
No experience with Lyme, but we have found mixing meds in apple sauce and then mixed in grain works alot of the time, sounds like a tough road for you both. Both you and your horse will know when it's time to put her down. Good luck to both.
Alan
Alan
It really isn't going well at all. One more test came back from the University positive for Lymes. Since I posted she has continued to get worse. Now she is having neorological problems - she can't walk correctly & doesn't have the balance. They just doubled the medicine so now it is 2 times a day. They did xrays on her front feet to rule out founder - just found a slight case which happened last year. Not much else to say... I have tried the applesauce in her meds also - it used to fool her but not anymore!
Tough one for you, is she still on Bute? If so, a paste may be upsetting her stomach, you may be able to get your Vet to give you some injectable to give her. Also you may see if your Vet has her meds in a larger dose, some pharmacies can compound the drug for your Vet if its a large enough order, 60 pills or so, but I don't know that doxycyclin is one that can be compunded.
Good luck, Keep me posted, what part of the country are you in?
Alan
Good luck, Keep me posted, what part of the country are you in?
Alan
