What is Sidewinder syndrome in horses?

Sidewinder is a lay term used to describe horses with an unusual gait characterized by a disjointed movement of the thoracic and pelvic limbs, in which the trunk, pelvis, and pelvic limbs drift to 1 side while the thoracic limbs are usually normal.

What causes sidewinders in horses?

The most common neurological causes of the sidewinder gait were compression of the spinal cord by vertebrae (five horses), equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (four horses) and damage to the spinal cord from unknown causes (four horses).

How do you treat Sidewinders in horses?

Anti-inflammatory medications may be useful. “With many neurologic problems horses tend to better if you keep them moving. Some degree of physical therapy and mild exercise like turnout or hand walking is helpful for horses recovering from EPM, but sometimes the sidewinding horses do better with exercise restriction."

Can a horse recover from ataxia?

RECOVERY CHANCES

THE prognosis for ataxia is variable, depending on the diagnosis. Stinging nettle-induced ataxia can resolve quickly and fully once the horse is removed from the nettles, sedated and provided with appropriate anti-inflammatories.

Can horses with ataxia be ridden?

In Europe if the horse is found to be ataxic, which is most often due to the disease 'wobbler syndrome', the horse is likely to be put down immediately. If a horse suffers from this disease, putting it down can be a necessity, as the animal can be dangerous to ride and handle.

Working with a Sidewinder

What can make ataxia worse?

Alcohol. Long-term excess alcohol intake may cause persistent ataxia. It's possible it may improve by avoiding alcohol completely.

Does ataxia get worse over time?

Some types may remain relatively stable or even improve with time, but most will get progressively worse over many years. Life expectancy is generally shorter than normal for people with hereditary ataxia, although some people can live well into their 50s, 60s or beyond.

What is the best treatment for ataxia?

Can ataxia go away on its own?

Ataxia in children may go away on its own in a few months. In others, underlying causes of ataxia will need to be treated. This may include medicine to ease swelling in the brain. Therapy may be also needed.

Does ataxia come on suddenly?

Certain injuries or illnesses can cause ataxia to appear suddenly, such as head injury, stroke, brain hemorrhage, infections, exposure to certain drugs, or if breathing or the heart stops.

Can muscle atrophy be reversed in horses?

Muscle has a remarkable ability to regenerate and many horses do return to a normal muscle mass and full function, depending on its cause. Nerve damage may take up to a year to know whether it will fully regenerate which will be followed by a return of muscle mass.

Why is my old horse walking sideways?

Sidewinder gait is usually observed in older horses and can have neurologic or musculoskeletal etiologies. Electromyography can be used as a diagnostic aid to determine neurologic versus non-neurologic disease and further localize those of neurologic origin.

How do you treat hindgut acidosis in horses?

Eliminate or reduce feeding grain and concentrates. Give your horse access to high-quality forages at least 12 hours per day. You may also want to consider feeding digestive support supplements such as probiotics, yeast, or digestive enzymes.

What are the first signs of EPM in horses?

Owners frequently notice obscure lameness, stumbling and incoordination. If the brain stem is involved, usually a head tilt is present. Clinical signs may include: Ataxia (incoordination) and weakness: Generally centered in the rear limbs, symptoms worsen when the head is elevated, or the horse moves up or down slopes.

How do they fix muscle atrophy in horses?

Treatment with corticosteroids can halt the muscle atrophy and may be combined with antibiotics if an infection is present. Muscle mass may recover without treatment within 2-3 months. Horses are fed a diet containing high quality protein and balanced vitamins and minerals during the recovery period.

What are signs of neurological problems in horses?

Lack of coordination, weakness or paralysis of the hind limbs, muscle twitching, impaired vision, head pressing, aimless wandering, convulsions, circling and coma are some of the severe neurologic effects. Horses typically have non-neurologic signs, too, such loss of appetite and a depressed attitude.

What foods should be avoided with ataxia?

Improved mood and spirit. Ataxia patients may sometimes benefit by avoiding simple carbohydrates. What this means is to eliminate foods sweetened with high fructose corn syrup, sugar, and artificial sweetener; no or very small amounts of cookies, cakes, candies, pastries, white flour, and fruit juice.

Does walking help ataxia?

Neuromotor exercises and physical therapy focusing on coordination and balance has been shown to improve or halt the progression of functional decline and are the mainstay treatments for Ataxia. The evidence has shown that balance training could improve the quality of walking as well as reduce the risk of falls.

What is the life expectancy of ataxia?

The symptoms of AT tend to get worse quite quickly. People with the condition usually live until the age of 19 to 25, although some may live into their 50s.

What vitamins help ataxia?

Vitamin E supplementation in AVED patients stabilizes the neurological signs and can lead to mild improvement of cerebellar ataxia, especially in early stages of the disease.

What is the main cause of ataxia?

Ataxia is usually caused by damage to a part of the brain known as the cerebellum, but it can also be caused by damage to the spinal cord or other nerves. The spinal cord is a long bundle of nerves that runs down the spine and connects the brain to all other parts of the body.

What is the drug of choice for ataxia?

Treating the underlying cause

episodic ataxia can often be controlled with a medication called acetazolamide and by avoiding triggers such as stress, alcohol and caffeine.

What can be mistaken for ataxia?

“It is often misdiagnosed because it resembles other things like multiple sclerosis, stroke and Parkinson's disease.” In fact, his grandfather and father died thinking they had multiple sclerosis.

What are the 3 types of ataxia?

There are 3 types of ataxia, namely proprioceptive, cerebellar and vestibular.

What vitamin deficiency can cause ataxia?

A shortage (deficiency) of vitamin E can lead to neurological problems, such as difficulty coordinating movements (ataxia) and speech (dysarthria), loss of reflexes in the legs (lower limb areflexia), and a loss of sensation in the extremities (peripheral neuropathy).