May
27
Written by:
Surgi-Care Center for Horses
5/27/2011 4:44 PM
Tying up, also known as exertional rhabdomyolysis or ER, is one of the most common causes of poor performance in horses. It usually happens suddenly after an episode of hard work. ER occurs when there is not enough blood flow to the muscles during exercise. The muscle cells don’t get enough oxygen and begin to build up toxins. The cells then become damaged and leak these toxins into the bloodstream. The toxins are harmful to the kidneys, liver and other organs and may be severe enough to cause death. Glycogen, which is the stored form of energy in the muscles, is depleted and the muscles can no longer work properly. ER is painful because the decreased blood flow and the release of toxins causes inflammation and cramping of the muscles.
There are two forms of tying up, sporadic and chronic. The sporadic form is the most common and is simply due to working a horse harder than his condition level. It is usually a one time event. Horses with chronic ER have repeated episodes of tying up. The chronic form is much more complicated as it is generally due to an underlying muscle disorder. There are three described muscle disorders in horses and they are Recurrent Exertional Rhabdomyolysis (RER) found in Thoroughbreds, Polysaccharide Storage Myopathy (PSM) described in Quarter Horses and Equine Polysaccharide Storage Myopathy (EPSM) characterized in Draft Breeds. For the purposes of this article we will be focusing on the sporadic form of this disease.
Depending on the severity of the episode, the signs of ER can be variable ranging anywhere from mild stiffness to the horse being down and unable to get up. Some horses can die from this disease. With a mild episode, the horse may be reluctant to move and have a shortened gait with muscle spasms. Often the muscles of the hindquarters are hard to the touch. Horses with ER may show signs of colic, be depressed and be off feed. If the episode is severe enough they may have brownish-red colored urine, be dehydrated and act very anxious.
Call your veterinarian immediately to initiate treatment. Treatment often consists of nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs which decrease the amount of inflammation and relieve pain. A tranquilizer or sedative may be given if the horse is anxious or nervous. Most importantly, fluids should be given through a catheter directly into a vein. The fluids help to dilute the toxins in the bloodstream and decrease the chance of damage to the kidneys, liver and other organs. Horses should not be moved as this will only increase the amount of cell death and toxin release. Stall rest is indicated for several days and you should keep the horse warm and dry. Horses usually return to normal within 12-36 hours after the attack.
Here are some recommendations to decrease/minimize the risks of your horse tying-up:
- Proper conditioning is very important in preventing ER. Maintain a regular exercise program for your horse and any increase in exercise level should be done gradually. A 10 minute warmup before exercise and a 10 minute cooldown after exercise are recommended. Allow turnout as often as possible.
- Feed a proper balanced diet. Decrease carbohydrates and add fat to the diet. Feed good quality hay. Avoid alfalfa as it can contain higher carbohydrate levels than grass hay.
- Add electrolytes to the feed or water to prevent dehydration. Electrolytes are especially helpful during strenuous workouts in warm, humid weather.
Contact
Surgi-Care Center for Horses at 813-643-7177 or
email lkuebelbeck@surgi-carecenter.com with
any questions regarding this topic.
2 comment(s) so far...
Is there a supplement that can be given to reduce the toxins in the body? Something to try and prevent future episodes?
Background: I have a 6 yr old AQHA reiner, I’ve had her since she was a yearling, she’s been in training and ridden regularly since she was 3 with winter months off. She had a single tie-up occur summer of her 4 yr old year. She came right out of it and no signs until this spring, she tied up during a work-out. We did blood work and concluded that it was caused by a selenium deficiency. She’s been on supplemented Selenium/Vit E for 4 months and daily electrolytes to her feed. She’s on 100% turn-out on pasture with 1-2 Cups Purina Ultium feed twice a day with Selenium & Electrolyte supplements. A week ago, she had a 3rd tie up. We are currently waiting for results from a PSM test. I am keeping my fingers crossed that it is not PSM. I have a hard time comprehending, that with her background and use that its just now showing up. We have taken her on LONG and HOT pack trips where she has limited water and feed, for days without grain and before she was on added selenium, with zero issue.
Along with this, she has added anxiety. She has a very quiet and friendly personality, no ‘mare’ issues, and very trainable personality. She is loved by all who have met her, and the 4-H kids love her! I first noticed the anxiety last fall, and she was 90% quiet and 10% nervousness. It has really boggled my mind, since she’s been such a great horse. She is seen by a vet regularly, she is seen by a chiropractor regularly, no arena sour or sour to work. There’s just no rhyme or reason to the madness in my opinion.
We have treated her so ulcers, blood work, added magnesium supplements, mare management supplements, and nothing seems to be working. I am concerned that this is all caused by pain, and we’re all unable to find the source. With that… do you have any advice for me? How to manage her better than I already am? Any other suggests for possible causes? Anything would be much appreciated!
I would love to be able to show her again once she’s back to 100%. Also, no history of injury or trauma.
Thank you
Stacie
By STACIE_S on
7/26/2011 7:57 AM
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Stacie,
You present a very difficult case and one that I am sure is extremely frustrating. It sounds like you are working with a very good veterinarian as when I read through your letter, a thought would come to my mind, but then I would see your veterinarian had already addressed the issue as I continued to read. I am anxious to hear how your PSM test results came back as that would be an easy answer and treatable. To answer your original question, there are no supplements that are going to remove the toxins or effectively eliminate the risk of her tying up in the future. There is a good new supplement on the market called Equithrive. It is only available through veterinarians, so you may want to ask your veterinarian about it. It contains resveratrol which works in the anti-inflammatory pathway differently than most anti-inflammatories. It reduces gene expression of inflammatory mediators and thus lowers concentrations of inflammatory enzymes in the body. I am not suggesting that this will thus eliminate the risk of tying up, but, it may help.
You also mentioned that you had treated for ulcers. Did you ever have gastroscopy performed to confirm the presence of ulcers initially, or the effectiveness of your treatment? If not, that may be another thing to do as some horses will get quite "anxious" when asked to work with gastric ulcers.
Lastly, I assume you have had a very thorough musculoskeletal exam to evaluate for any low grade soreness/lameness? If not, I would suggest that you schedule an appointment with your veterinarian to have this done.
Best of luck and keep me posted,
Leann
By Leann Kuebelbeck, DVM, DACVS on
8/26/2011 7:26 AM
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