April 2002

Neurological Symptoms Can Be Misleading

A two-year battle to find the cause of a mare’s weak hind end and inflamed fetlock has a bittersweet ending.

Two years ago, a simple case of what was believed to be dew poisoning on my horse’s hind legs left behind a bizarre small spot on the back of the fetlock. The spot simply wouldn’t heal.

The hair fell out in that area, and there was heat and swelling. The spot started out the size of a nickel and gradually grew until, two years later, it was the size of a golf ball and inflamed. Little did I know then, this may have been a bite from a tick carrying Lyme disease that eventually forced me to retire my beloved mare. (Note: Skin reactions/rashes are often noted in people who…