We all know our horses well.  We know what is normal activity, body language and what is not.

My husband went to his GP yesterday for a normal check up.  He’s had a cold, which has been going around, aggravated by allergies.  He asked the doctor what he had.  The answer was “The Crud,” just like everyone else has.  It just keeps going away and coming back.

In the last couple of weeks the word “Neurological” has come up with not only horses, but people I know.  What, is this the new trend in diseases?

A friend totally passed out three weeks in a row, and was taken by ambulance to the hospital.  After many tests, nothing was found.  He has heart problems, but they couldn’t confirm anything there.  The symptoms indicated possible mini strokes.  Do you know what the doctor told him????  Drink more water.  Really?!!!!!!!  The man stopped breathing in church.  There were two nurses in attendance and they said so.  After the next week when he did it again at a restaurant, still no answers.  So they told him to go to a neurologist.  Well that would have been my guess after the first and second time when nothing was found.  We still don’t have answers on that one.  He says after it’s over he feels fine.  Well he doesn’t look fine, speak fine, or process information fine.  But he thinks, since the doctors haven’t found anything, and in his head he’s fine, he’s starting to drive again.  Oh my!

I’ve known several horses lately who have been diagnosed with neurological problems.  Now one I disagreed with, but the other I believe.  Horse couldn’t walk a straight line one day and the next it was fine.  Too much tequila last night I guess.  Since it was a temporary problem it didn’t look like the classical EPM or anything we usually vaccinate for.  With drought conditions we have no grass and horses are starting to eat anything that looks on the green side.  They are starting to eat weeds that they normally wouldn’t.  Some of them are toxic and will cause neurological symptoms.  A large amount of toxic plants will kill a horse.

If you find your horse doing something weird, don’t wait, check it out with a vet.  You may be able to reverse it, it may wear off itself, or it may be fatal.  If it’s a toxic plant you need to get it out of your pasture and stay on top of the possibilities.

This is not Weird Science, this is serious stuff.