Wobblers In Horses

What Is Wobblers?
If you notice that your horse is becoming quite clumsy or lacking coordination in the gaits there might be a hidden issue. It may not necessarily mean that he/she is becoming lame but symptoms can show in other ways. There might be many medical conditions that might exhibit these signs and symptoms such as the EPM (Equine Protozoal Myeloencephalitis) which is the major cause of the neurologic conditions experienced by majority of horses in North America. The best action is to first consult your veterinarian to conduct a thorough diagnosis to determine if the horse is suffering from EPM or it is the Wobbler syndrome. More often than not when individuals suspect it is EPM it turns out to be wobblers. Statistics show that among the equine population only about one percent of them is diagnosed with EPM.


How Horses Get Wobblers
Wobblers or wobbles gets its name from what it does to the gait of the horses. It causes them to lose coordination hence becoming wobbly as a result of the lost stability. This condition can be described as the lack of self-awareness and limb functioning in horses. The horses are not aware where their feet are and hence do not have control or coordination of how they are moving. In extreme cases the horse will keep bumping into items or they will find it impossible to stand. The disease is usually measured on a scale of one to five to determine the intensity or how far it has advanced in an animal. A majority of times the horses start becoming noticeable at stage two where it is evident that they are abnormally clumsy then after a while the condition advances to the third, fourth or fifth level. It is very possible for a horse to be totally fine today then tomorrow appear to be a total disaster. The disease manifestation is mostly evident in the hind limbs but at times it might be on all fours. The manifestation mostly occurs equally on the left and right sides at similar degrees. The main cause of the disease is the compression of the spinal cord which kills the nerves that help in limb coordination. Treatment The diagnosis of the wobbles does not mean the end for your horse. There are various surgical and non-surgical treatment procedures to restore the limb coordination in your horse. In young horses the diet modification will help in correcting the condition. The administration of vitamin E supplements might also help but if they fail you might have to result to surgical treatments.