Sempre

Unfortunately, during a routine dental exam while Sempre was sedated, we noticed extreme listing to her left side. We were having to hold her up, because she wasn’t catching herself when she got off balance.This compounded the sneaking suspicion we had already been having: that Sempre might have some neurological deficits that affected the use of her hindquarters. We never see her lie down and rarely see her roll, and she never has shavings in her tail in the morning— indicating that she doesn’t lie down in her stall when we’re not looking. Sores on Sempre’s knees and the front of her fetlocks also told us that she resisted laying down, probably because she was worried that she wouldn’t be able to get back up. Horses who won’t lay down will fall asleep standing up, then stumble to their knees which creates the sores.

 

Sempre’s balance and coordination has continued to decline rapidly. Our vet performed a neurological exam and confirmed that she had severe neurological symptoms. The grading scale goes from 1 to 3, and Sempre was a 3. With such a rapid onset and worsening of these symptoms as well as Sempre’s age and other health concerns, it wouldn’t have been fair to put her through diagnostics and treatment.

 

Together with Gerda of Gerda’s Equine Rescue we have decided that euthanasia is the most humane option for Sempre at this time. This decision never comes lightly, and we always remind ourselves that it is better a week early than a minute too late, especially when it comes to a large animals like a horse and the catastrophic injuries they can endure when they lack the strength to stand and move safely.