Nervous system | HorseheTH

Neurological problems "Shivers", "Wobblers" "Stringhalt" "Tying up"

Shivers is fortunately rare; it is a progressive neuromuscular disorder. It exhibits as muscle tremors, difficulty holding up the hind limbs, and an unusual gait when the horse is asked to move backwards. The tail head may also be elevated. Shivers occurs most commonly in warmbloods, thoroughbreds & heavy horses. Lighter breeds, including quarter horses can also suffer shivers. It is usually starts to appear by the age of 5 and gets progressively worse with age. Horses with mild symptoms can be worked moderately; severe cases experience muscle wastage & general incapacity & eventually may have to be put down.
Shivers is thought to be caused by a genetic disorder. No effective treatment is available, It can be ameliorated with high levels of vitamin E . Caution: most proprietary Vitamin E supplements contain selenium which is toxic at the levels required for horses with shivers. Pure natural vitamin E should be used if necessary. Synthetic vitamin E is only about 1/3rd as effective & can cause problems at very high levels.
For further advice complete & submit the Nutrition Enquiry Form.
Equine shivers symptoms are not dissimilar to those of Stringhalt, Upward fixation of the patella, Fibrotic myopathy, “Stiff-horse syndrome” , Equine motor neuron disease, & Equine protozoal myeloencephalitis. Veterinary advice should be sought for clarification & appropriate treatment.
See Dr Stephanie Valberg’s video for more detailed information

This is a painful condition which can develop shortly after the start of exercise, commonly after some days' rest. It damages a horse's muscle tissue and is considered to be largely the result of genetic weaknesses. This pre-disposes victims to excessive accumulation of an abnormal form of glycogen (storage form of glucose) in the muscles. This in turn leads to problems with the energy mechanism required for exercise. Harmful waste substances thus produced cause damage to the muscle cells, leading to stiffness of varying severity and in some cases the leakage of broken protein fragments into the bloodstream. These are excreted in the urine, giving it a very dark reddish-brown colour.
Symptoms include reluctance to move, stiffness or shortened gait and muscle spasms or cramps, with hard, painful muscles (especially the hindquarters). Other signs are sweating, elevated heart and respiratory rates as a result of the pain, anxious expression, shifting of weight from side to side, and standing hunched and tense. Afflicted horses should be moved as little as possible, to avoid further muscle damage. If necessary use a trailer or horsebox for substantial distances. Veterinary advice and treatment is then essential to effect a prompt recovery. There is considerable advice available on-line e.g.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equine_exertional_rhabdomyolysis and
https://ker.com/equinews/managing-horses-pssm

Diets need to be as low in starch & sugar as possible, Relatively safe feeds will include chopped forage such as alfalfa and dried grass, plus blends with chopped straw, together with high energy protein sources such as cooked linseed, soya & copra & synthetic amino-acids such ass lysine & methionine.
Hay may need to be soaked & grazing restricted. The sugar content of grass is lowest at night.
Mineral & vitamin supplements will be required, in particular a high level of vitamin E. To check the suitability of your feeds complete & submit the Nutrition Enquiry Form.

Neurological problems "Shivers", "Wobblers" "Stringhalt" "Tying up"

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