If your horse is displaying erratic movements, odd postures, and behaviors that are not normal for them, it may be a sign that they are suffering from a neurologic disorder. Equine neurological disorders are typically caused by an infection or a malformation in the spinal column.

Common neurological disorders in horses include, but are not limited to

• Botulism: An infection caused by bacteria that can be found in poorly stored or moist fodder that produces a toxin when consumed, leading to an inability to swallow, hold the head up, and muscle weakness.
• Equine Protozoal Myeloencephalitis (EPM): Protozoal parasites attack the central nervous system resulting in muscle weakness, a lack of coordination, a change in gait, and sporadic lameness.
  
• Equine Motor Neuron Disease (EMND): A disease associated with Vitamin E deficiency that causes sweating, weakness, muscle twitches, and restlessness.
• Lyme Disease: A tick-borne illness that causes joint pain, incoordination, fever, and depression.
• Rabies: A highly infectious, life-threatening disease that can be carried by skunks, raccoons, and bats that can cause convulsions, loss of appetite, incoordination, paralysis, and head-pressing
• Tetanus: Also known as Lockjaw, a disease caused by a toxin that is typically introduced to the body via a wound. Symptoms include muscle spasms, a tense grinning face, third eyelid prolapse, and a stiff gait.
• Wobbler Syndrome: A narrowing in the cervical vertebrae that causes incoordination.
• West Nile Virus: A mosquito-borne illness that causes inflammation of the nervous system, leading to fever, weakness, hyper-excitability, and an inability to swallow.

Symptoms of Neurologic Disorders

Symptoms of a neurological disorder in your horse can vary depending on the cause, but the most common symptoms include:

• Abnormal posture like the inability to keep limbs aligned, asymmetrical neck and head positioning, or a distorted spine contour.
• Abnormal behavior like becoming unresponsive, or overly reactive to stimuli like sound.
• Stumbling or incoordination
• Muscular weakness

If your horse is displaying worrying symptom, reach out to your veterinarian for an exam. The sooner a diagnosis is made, the sooner your horse can be treated.

Testing For Neurologic Disorders

To test your horse for a suspected neurological disorder, we will perform a thorough neurological physical examination. We will:

• Assess the horse‚Äôs muscular strength: Pulling on the horse’s tail or pushing their side should be resisted and they should not easily move or lose balance.
• Assess the horse’s coordination: The horse is led to check for stability and leg placement.
• Conduct a foot placement test: The horse’s leg is placed in front of the opposite leg and is watched for how long and if the horse moves it back to a normal position.

For a more in-depth examination, we use the following methods to diagnose your horse:

• Radiographs and CAT scans to locate trauma, tumors, and check for compression on the spinal cord.
• Blood tests to test for antibodies related to infections like tetanus and
• Spinal taps to examine spinal fluid to rule identify parasites, or viral or bacterial infection.

Once a diagnosis is made, we will work with you to discuss a treatment plan.