Questions about Thumps

[R Whiteman]

We just returned from the vet with our little mare Red. For the second time in 5 months, she has required IV Calcium. I have had horses for many years and have read about a condition called Thumps, a metabolic condition, usually seen in horses whose electrolytes are out of whack due to hard work. It is life threatening. It presents like a bad case of hiccups timed with the beat of an overworking heart. Without the calcium, the horse goes down and dies. Now I've seen it twice and I'm confused as to why. I thought some one of you all may have seen it in minis and can give us some idea as to why and what to do. Even my vet has only seen one clinical case...ours.

So here are the details; Red is a 31 inch mini mare, 12 years old. Retired from the show ring, bred twice. First foal born at 308 days, dead due to a hind foot forward which took several hours (yes, you read that correctly)

to resolve. Mare leaped to her feet after delivery and went right to grazing. Left off for a year to heal and checked by a vet before breeding again and foaled a colt who is now three years old. We quit breeding to let the market "heal" so mares have been turned out. They're presently very fat, so are wearing grazing muzzles during turnout. In March of this year, I found Red in the field shivering. Checked her temp; it was 105 so I called the vet, made an appointment for later in the day. Put a blanket on her and kept watch throughout the day. About noon she went down in a far corner of the field. I was unable to get her up. With the help of the neighbors, we loaded her into the bucket of our tractor and took her to the trailer, and then to the vet. I truly was not sure I would find her alive when I got there. When I opened the back door of the trailer, she staggered out and nibbled at the grass in the waiting area. Blood work showed no calcium, low white blood cells, low magnesium. She was given IV calcium...slowly and the "thumping" going on in her flanks resolved itself. She was then kept overnight and treated for colic and infection...by then she had no fever showing on the thermometer, but they were going by the blood work results. She came home the next day and was fine from that point on until today. At chores tonight, Red was down; She got up when I went out to check on her, but she was thumping again. Off to the vets for more Calcium. 20 minutes of drip and the thumps, high heart rate and 103 degree temp were gone. There was a stage when all of her large muscles started quivering, but that also resolved itself quickly. She's back to normal and standing in her stall tonight. We'll check her a couple of times, but I don't expect to see anything unusual till the next time.

Anyone seen anything like this? What can we do to keep it from happening again? Why is it happening to her and not to any of our other mares that share her pasture and her "figure type"? A side note: Her dam was the victim of early onset Cushings and was put down at 17 because of the repeated founders that could not be resolved. Could it be related? Anybody???

Dorothy

 

[kaykay]

Dorothy

I have had many friends mares get this. Once a mare gets it they seem to always be prone to it. Obese mares are even more prone to it. Especially when they foal and the foal is nursing. I had one friend that had to keep liquid calcium on hand at home.

So many vets are not aware that this is more common in miniature mares then it is big horses so its often missed.

If she was mine I would put her on a diet and slowly get the weight off her, and then always monitor her weight pretty closely.

Sending good thoughts for your mare

Kay

 

[cretahillsgal]

I had a mare develop thumps year before last. She also was treated with IV calcium. BUT, my vet also had me treating her with CMPK paste for 3 months afterward to keep it from returning. I also had to cut back on the grass hay and start supplementing her with small amounts of alfalfa.

 

[Marty]

My Quarter Horse Sonny was diagnosed with thumps at around 4-5 years old but I'm not at all possitive that is what really went on but his testing said his electrolytes were non exsistant and other levels were off the charts. Seems the hiccups would kick in usually only at a show and at the time, I just thought it was another one of his very weird nervous quirks.

He would stand for a variety of halter classes and riding classes and he was a bit beefy but was conditioned for all this. What I think really brought him down was the heat during the shows in Florida and I feel there had to be a relationship there. After putting him on a good broad spectrum vitamin, changing the whole feeding program up a bit, and keeping him on Gatorade during those heat waves, he got it all under control. The shivering, the fever, also point to heat stroke. You may want to check into a really good vitamin supplment with the calcium you need. I think Smart Pac had something for this very thing you may want to look into.

Here he is still going strong at 29 years young

 

[Joanne]

We just went through this on a miniature horse we received starved. This is a more common problem in endurance horses and if seen on an endurance ride the horse is pulled from the ride.

The thumps appeared ten days after we received the mare and we were told it was due to being fed and her body not use to eating and that the electrolyte balance was off once she started eating again.

It can certainly be caused by heat exhaustion too. That may be an issue in your area if she is not drinking enough.

We have done several chemestry panels and in addition to the initial IV's, have given her electrolyte paste. The one we found that has additional calcium is called JUG and we got it through KV Supply (kvpet.com).

Alfalfa is excellent for boosting her calcium levels. It is scary to see them go through this and is uncomfortable for the horse as well. Access to salt / mineral blocks as well as fresh clean water is important in addition to food.

I would say if you are seeing this happen multiple times you need to address your feeding program and make some changes. Blood work for this mare will let you know if you are correcting her problem.

 

[wildoak]

The only experience I've had with thumps was with a mare nursing a foal. Colt was just old enough to wean so at my vet's suggestion we went ahead and weaned him a little early, the mare was treated and has never repeated it although she is a chronic colic horse who diet has to be carefully watched. It's been about 10 years ago and I don't remember all that was done for her, aside from electrolytes. I do know she - like your mare - was in pretty bad shape, and it happened very quickly. I still have her, she's had several foals since then and is healthy. She can't eat grass hay and maintains on alfalfa & Equine Sr.

Jan

added...Marty, great picture of Sonny! I didn't realize how much he looks like our old Shadow that we lost a couple of years ago. Great treasures, both of them.

 

[madmax]

Keep a supply of calcium/phosphate on hand and dose her when the thumps begin. It can be purchased otc, made by Horse Health I think. Check with your vet.(There is a small amount available through Jeffers Pet)

I used this with my newly weaned foal and worked right away.

 

[Little Bits]

My race mare had the thumps and actually it happens quite a bit in racehorses. I started her on a calcium supplement called Dia-Cal and she never had it again. My mare also had anihidrosis. She would not sweat. The heat really took a beating on her. I started her on a product called One-AC and with in a couple weeks she was sweating and made a huge turn around. I think both things went hand in hand as it has to do with electrolyte imbalances.

I would put my horse on a calcium supplement as it keeps happening over and over again.

 

[R Whiteman]

[

It can certainly be caused by heat exhaustion too. That may be an issue in your area if she is not drinking enough.

I want to thank you guys for all your responses. I know now that I am not dealing with something totally unheard of and I have a plan of action. I bought some supplement yesterday for horses who may have these kinds of issues and have put her on small amounts of alfalfa pellets.

I had to respond to the above quote however: While the rest of the country is suffering extreme heat and horses are standing in sprinklers trying to find relief, we in the PNW are enjoying a summer where the average temperature seems to be about 65 degrees. We're still wearing our coats and muck boots

Thank you again and again

Dorothy