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Post by archie1 on Apr 27, 2016 18:53:18 GMT
Hiya please could anyone tell me what are the first signs of wobblers starting in a pony.
I've been told that a pony I sold over 4 months ago has now got wobblers and the vet has said this has been going on months before I sold him.
This pony was absolutely fine and has been for 4 month without a problem now they want a refund
Any help or advice much appreciated
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Post by oldschooler on Apr 27, 2016 20:37:31 GMT
Hiya please could anyone tell me what are the first signs of wobblers starting in a pony. I've been told that a pony I sold over 4 months ago has now got wobblers and the vet has said this has been going on months before I sold him. This pony was absolutely fine and has been for 4 month without a problem now they want a refund Any help or advice much appreciated A very difficult situation. Very sadly I have had to have 2 colt foals pts in the past as they developed wobblers syndrome. With both of them this developed over a period of about 2 months, starting with just a suspicion that things were not quite right. As they were grazing on quite a steep hill it became more obvious over the weeks when moving down hill. They both developed the traditional symptoms of little resistance when pushing them sideways at the back, and little resistance lifting their tails up. I would have said it would have been quite difficult to diagnose if they had been on a flatter field, but having had experience with the first one the second one was easier to spot. I did a lot of research at the time and it seems to occur more often with colts, and had a very poor prognosis. There are reports of some horses being operated on to relieve the pressure on the spine, with some success, but my vet and myself found little to give hope. I am not sure how a vet could say it had been going on for months before you sold it, and yet they have only just identified it. It would also depend on the age of the pony and if the pony was ridden for example. It is a very unusual syndrome, with the first foal it took my vet quite a few weeks to decide it was wobblers. How old is the pony? Have there been x rays taken? Does the vet have good experience of wobblers? You need to ask a few questions.
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sarah1
Junior Member
Posts: 114
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Post by sarah1 on Apr 28, 2016 7:43:27 GMT
Agree with above it can be difficult to diagnose - I lost my TB with it at 5 years old. No signs previous he was out competing the week before etc At fist he would walk absolutely fine and when asked to stand he would lean sideways with his backend- after a couple of days this developed into a stumble. We got the vet who also was unsure and suggested xrays (this was around 10am on the morning) however she did not have a huge amount of experience with Wobblers, especially with horses of that age (as I understand it usually shows in foals/yearlings etc) and so contacted the senior vet who agreed to come see him in the afternoon. Before the senior vet had chance to arrive we had to call them back out as he was beginning to stagger (as if he was drunk) when the vet arrived he had no doubt what it was - the horse actually went down before he was PTS (this all happened so quickly)We had little hope with him as he deteriorated so quickly - it was heart braking. From my experience we had absolutely no idea in the weeks before - he was being ridden and was completely fine - from the first sign to him being PTS was 3 days!
Agree with above - lost of questions need to be asked
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sarahp
Happy to help
Posts: 9,510
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Post by sarahp on Apr 28, 2016 8:00:09 GMT
I have had a senior, very experienced vet misdiagnose a foal of mine to be a wobbler, no tests done though. One visit from a physical therapist and it was fine, it couldn't bring one hind leg through underneath straight but swung it out when it moved. I had it all through its growing up with no further symptoms.
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Post by archie1 on Apr 28, 2016 8:16:39 GMT
Well The pony will be 5 in May but he has been fine in all the time of me owning him and on the months they have had him.
I lost my other boy who was 20 at the time to what I think was wobblers but never confirmed u til the day he collapsed in stable and could not get back up it was horrendous to see and that day he was pts but he couldn't roll couldn't trot couldn't walk without swaying to the side and looking very drunk.
So this is why I am shocked the vet has suggested he had this before I sold him which is 4 and a half months ago as I would know of something wasn't right.
And this is the reason the buyer now wants a refund but to keep the pony and to pay all vet bills he is insured but she's saying the vet told her they won't pay out as he had this with me.
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Post by sjw87 on Apr 28, 2016 9:37:57 GMT
I'm guessing they didn't have him vetted at purchase? Do you know when they first got a vet to him? If they've only just thought there may be a problem, I don't see how you could have known previously either - if they'd only had him a few days and had concerns then that's a completely different case surely.
This is only my personal opinion but if you've never had a vet to the horse for anything that may be seen as related to wobblers then I would ask them to put their case to you in writing and then reply with full veterinary history to show that you've never had a problem. If you're a bhs member or have legal advice included with any other insurance then it would certainly be worth a phone call to get professional advice on where you stand - it does sound like they are just trying it on but no harm in being informed and prepared.
Sent from my SM-A300FU using proboards
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Post by gillwales on Apr 28, 2016 17:27:06 GMT
I doubt that your boy aged 20 had wobblers, it is caused by the cannal through the spinal column not increasing with size, it then pinches the spinal nerve and can cause a horse to fall over; pacing is a sign, ultimately it can cause the back end to become paralysed. Obviously this means death to the horse.
I hope this is of help to you. The reason I said that I do not think that your older boy had it is becasue it becomes apparent at maturity at the latest. It is a condition a horse is born with, you cannot tell if the horse will develop it until they show signs of it. If he has not paced or frequently stumbled or fallen over then I doubt you would have realised the animal had the condition. If the new owners did not have the animal vetted and was not prevented from being vetted I do not think there is anything they can do about it. Has this animal ever been shown? If it has then that might be proof that he had not shown signs of the condition before you sold him.
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Post by archie1 on Apr 28, 2016 19:42:01 GMT
Hi gill Wales yeh he has been shown the last show was in October with myself and did a show with the new owners Easter weekend and he was fine he's still going out in field and running about.
Not really sure what my old boy had but wish he was still here but recently I keep questioning my decision of putting him to sleep
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Post by gillwales on Apr 28, 2016 20:27:03 GMT
I would write to them and remind them of the facts if they contact you about it again.
Do not doubt yourself re your old boy, my biggest regret was trying to keep, what was a young mare going when my head told my heart it was wrong, she died in pain and I have always since tried to put my animal family members before myself. Better to let them go a bit early when they are not suffering.
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Post by kateanne0 on May 17, 2016 13:18:49 GMT
Hiya please could anyone tell me what are the first signs of wobblers starting in a pony. I've been told that a pony I sold over 4 months ago has now got wobblers and the vet has said this has been going on months before I sold him. This pony was absolutely fine and has been for 4 month without a problem now they want a refund Any help or advice much appreciated Did you breed the pony or did you buy it at a young age? Asking because if you bred it, then from what I'm gathering from comments above is that Wobblers is a congenital fault, therefore, if you had had any problems they would be on your veterinary record for the pony. You can give consent to your vet to release the pony's record to the purchaser to prove that you had never sought veterinary advice for the Wobbler symptoms. If the purchaser has the pony insured, you wouldn't need to refund anything if they have cover for loss of use because the insurers would pay out. As for the vet categorically saying that the pony had Wobblers for quite a few months, ask for a written statement from said vet as to how he can 100% confirm that the pony was suffering from Wobblers at the time of sale/purchase. I would not be inclined to give any refund unless there is a doubt in your mind that the pony may have had Wobblers whilst you owned him. As usual, if pony wasn't vetted prior to purchase there isn't a lot the purchaser can do to make you give a refund unless they can prove that you withheld vital information. Bearing in mind that whatever stage of vetting is performed, it really is only a diagnosis on that particular day with anything bar blood tests for drug use and Xrays!
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