Epileptic Seizures

[Aly]

Just wondering if any of you have heard of epileptic seizures being common place in horses?

A friend of mine has a very old horse (about 30) who has been having these strange fits, and her vet diagnosed epilepsy.

The horse eyes glaze over and he looses any response to touch or sound, they then roll back in his head and then his head and neck start shaking uncontrolably, his legs and body wobble, and he has fallen down a couple of times. Once it is over, he seems to be disorientated, groggy but ok in himself. This is really distressing for my friend whom has loved this horse for years and years.

Do you know of any medications, natural or otherwise, that might help the horse? He appears to be a very healthy for an old man apart from that.

Any advice will be appreciated..
Cheers! Aly

[Monty]

I've heard of it before,there was an article in the Farmer's Guardian a year or so ago, about a horse who had epilepsy, and this particular horse was being treated with anti-convulsants similar to those which are given to humans, and very successfully I might add
.Your friend should ask her vet about it,he may have assumed that as her horse is getting on that it might not be worth it.But if as you say,the horse is otherwise fit, and your friend can afford it,(I can tell you that the human equivalent of the drug is not particularly expensive, but I wouldn't know about the dosage required by a horse per Kilo of bodyweight).I don't know whether your friend's horse is still being ridden, but I'm sure your vet, if he hasn't done so already, would caution her about this, because medication or not, he will still be susceptible and someone could get badly hurt, especially if he rolled and went rigid on them.
I would recommend that your friend talks sewriously with her vet, and then have a good think about the financial implications, and whether or not she wants this for her horse.It really is a matter of the frequency and nature of the seizures and exectly HOW fit the horse is otherwise.I hope this helps!

[Aly]

Thanks, the horse is fully retired now, but had two fits prior to retirement. He has since had 3 more fits since that she knows of.
I will get her to ask the vet about medications, but I believe the vet thinks such things is a waste of time considering the age and retirement of the horse. Perhaps I can convince her to get a second opinion. My friend and I want to give the horse the best chance of a long, healthy and happy retirement. Thanks for your advice I will pass it on.

[Aly]

Sorry I should have added it has now been about 5 known fits in the last two years. Cheers!