Wobbler disease or wobbler's syndrome is a broad category of cervical disorders in the horse, including the conditions listed above, as well as
equine wobbles anemia and
cervical vertebral myelopathy, spinal cord compression (sometimes referred to colloquially among horse owners as "
cervical arthritis" due to the arthritis that accumulates in facets). Within the horse community, any neurological problem that causes limb
proprioception issues or decreased performance in the horse that is suspected to be rooted in the neck is considered a type of wobbler disease. Most forms of wobbler disease have a root cause in cervical vertebral myelopathy (CVM), which causes inflammation and arthritis in the joint and is painful to affected horses. At this time it is believed to possibly be a
congenital condition. Mounting evidence is growing that points to CVM and other cervical and vertebral disorders (like Kissing Spine) as hereditary and found in populations of specific families. Other forms, such as cervical arthritis and equine wobbles anemia, are concentrated in certain breeds and demonstrate possible hereditary factors. Horses with wobbler disease often exhibit
ataxia (implying dysfunction of parts of the nervous system), show weakness in the hindquarters, or may knuckle over in their
fetlocks, particularly in the rear. They also may show overall stiffness especially in the neck and back and may not move fluidly. A common ataxic symptom is the horse will list to one side behind. They also may demonstrate uneven strides with one leg intermittently shorter in step. Horses with wobbler disease or cervical anomalies can demonstrate difficult to diagnose lamenesses that come and go, and often are not resolved by veterinary blocks to the limbs. With advanced stages of the disease, affected horses are prone to falling due to extreme listing behind and often demonstrate difficulty getting up from lying down, or reluctance to lie down at all. While some cases are successfully treated with nutritional and medical management, surgery is also used. One method is the use of
titanium baskets, placed to fuse the vertebrae, thereby preventing compression of the spinal cord. Some horses are able to return to work, with a few able to reach competitive levels. No complete cure for the condition is known. Famous horses known to have completed basket surgery include
Seattle Slew. Seattle Slew underwent two basket surgeries and has sired multiple offspring that have cervical arthritis. He is one of many Thoroughbred stallions to have undergone basket surgery and still be used for stud. Because wobbler disease is the best known of the neurological conditions that affect horses, other, unrelated conditions, such as
kissing spine,
equine protozoal myeloencephalitis and
cerebellar abiotrophy, are sometimes misdiagnosed as wobbler disease, though the causes and symptoms differ.
Clinical presentation Including the symptoms listed above, clinical presentations of "wobblers" can also include neck pain and stiffness, difficulty tracking up or gait abnormalities, decreased performance, intermittent or swapping lameness particularly in diagonal pairs, forelimb lameness, abnormal head and neck posture, defensiveness or change in behavior, and abnormal sweat patterns.
Diagnosis Wobbler disease is definitively diagnosed by x-ray,
nuclear scintigraphy or bone scan. X-rays will show channel widening or filling the easiest and are often most cost-effective to horse owners. X-rays will also show any structural anomaly, arthritis, facet remodeling, or bone spurs present. Preliminary diagnosis can be made by ultrasound but x-rays are needed to measure the true depth of facet involvement. For extent of damage to associated structures, veterinarians may opt to have the horse undergo a bone scan or nuclear scintigraphy.
Commonly affected horse breeds •
Warmblood •
Standardbred •
American Quarter Horse •
American Paint Horse •
Thoroughbred ==References==