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Show Anxiety In A Horse

by bfellisdvm - May 24, 2023 View Case Report

Ed is. 15 Yr off the track TB gelding with a really wonderful disposition. Literally could put a 10 Yr old kid in him without worry. But he can move with the best of his class in USEF (I don’t remember what class, but has gone up in class each year since I started seeing Ed for VSMT/AP in 2018. So pretty solid dude. EXCEPT…when he gets around other horses preparing to compete..the more horses, the less room to move freely, the more Ed will lose his shit. The rider does not appear to be the problem, he is 5’9” and about 160 pounds, lean and very calm. No issue with saddling, will pin ears when girth is tightened but no more than any other horse and that event doesn’t seem to set Ed off. I anthropomorphize that the stress of competition around other horses takes him back to the starting gate as a TB race horse..probably why he didn’t have a great racing career.
I treated Ed last year for Shao Yang disharmony-pulse appeared to soften with GB 21 (an easy GB point to get while feeling pulse, but know wondering if it is a “major “ point like 34 or 41. ? Anyway, no significant improvement with XCH w/ QJ at 4 gms bid of Natural Path formula. He has a loose capital physis fracture of L3 it has always been mobile and he consistently has Ah Shi points in that region (BL 23-25, R>L. They don’t reliably clear with treatment, though always improve and videos of his jumping do not lend to pathology of that area. So I’ve been treating the Shao Yang and Dai Mai for the last few years thinking that the tightening of the belt was not allowing Yang to descend and it was stuck in his head..or out of his head. I have not used CHJLGMLT.
3 weeks ago we injected his hocks with HA only in the hopes it would help performance and to rifle out pain as a factor of performance anxiety. He did really well and has great strength behind, but no better with head/anxiety. On exam, he still has a very full toned pulse. Left is stronger than Right. There was no change with GB 34 ( I decided to use that one as most reliable Shao Yang indicator) not with sedation or tonification However , BL 40 when sedated created a very nice moderate pulse. So then I start thinking Tai Yang pathology.. he does have a tendency towards hives that respond extraordinarily well to hydroxizine. So I then treated SI3 (sedate) ,
BL 1 if I tonified the pulse became stronger, sedation brought back to moderate. I then sedated BL65 and GV3. I tonified ST 37 and LI11 to complete treatment. GB 34 bled when needle withdrew (all needles were bilateral except for Shao Yang and Yang Ming. I did opposite sides for those points.
So Wei Qi and Blood deficient? Since he responds so well to antihistamines and has fear/anxiety? Any thoughts on herbs or other great Acupuncture point combos to try to strengthen Heart or PC?

Thanks again!!

Brett

by naturevet

May 27, 2023

Hi Brett!

The only way I can see the Tai Yang and his emotional state linked is if his back is more painful than we realize. Animals may not exhibit pain when moving or performing, because they know exactly how to compensate for the injury. In close quarters with high strung animals, though, there is the opportunity for sudden jostling and associated discomfort. I agree that it sounds a bit of a stretch, until you described the response of the pulse to the points. That clear response makes me think you should start with a Wind expeller that will eliminate the Tai Yang excess while fortifying the Liver and Kidney, to reduce fearfulness and anxiety. A formula that springs to mind for that is Du Huo Ji Sheng Tang, so I would probably try that first. It is a good equine back pain formula.

Let me know what happens if you try that. It doesn't have to be the only thing you do, but it seems a good place to start

Steve

by bfellis

May 28, 2023

And the Wind expelling effects may also help with hives? Sounds like a good place to start! I will have him pick it up Tuesday. And the back pain theory makes sense. I have never been able to effectively clear the Ah Shi points at L3-L5. Not like in most sore back horses b

Cheers,

Brett

by bfellis

May 28, 2023

Also, I’m still struggling to understand when to tonify and when to sedate. Like with BL 1, sedation kept a moderate pulse whereas tonification increased tone and width. When I think about the action of the point, how do I rationalize tonification or sedation or even method. I know this will come with the herbal course this summer, just still a point of not really knowing what to do except if I’m internalizing Yang I sedate the Shao Yang and Yang Ming and tonify Tai Yang. Opposite to release Yang.

Brett

by naturevet

May 28, 2023

Hi Brett!

With Wind invasions, they count as a Tai Yang excess, which means that sedation of BL and SI points is most likely to help. So, what you found fits with the notion that we need to expel a Wind from the Bladder channels. Make sense?

Steve

by bfellisdvm

May 28, 2023

Yes :)

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