Question Details
Horse With Bladder Channel Atrophy
by mikemesley - December 13, 2009
I saw a 3 year old TBred racing horse that has been worked into the ground by a previous owner/trainer. Not much else is known about his Hx except he swells on lateral aspect of hind fetlocks and canon after heavy work.

Seen by me yesterday - significant atrophy and/or tightness in muscles almost all the way along Bladder channel. Muscle is still there, just tighter and more sunken. Particularly poor development in "poverty groove" - in caudal rump between semimemb/tend and gluteals I think.
Probably wiry pulse- maybe floating even. Haven't got my horse tongue checks down pat yet.
Acupuncture of BL40, BL64, BL28, BL23 and massage along the channel all seemed to help.

Seemed to be a Tai yang pathogen invasion - likely Wind in a TBred horse. Have you had any success with formulas to assist in dealing with this - I imagine Gui Zhi Tang might be classically indicated? What doses might you begin a horse like this on.
my main concern was with the atrophy, has there begun an associated Wei syndrome issue which needs to be dealt with separately or in a different way?
Chiropractic issues you may have seen for a horse like this too?

Thanks
Mike
Replies
by naturevet
December 14, 2009
Hi Mike,

I like your thinking and would probably start with Gui Zhi Tang myself, assuming the animal wasn't otherwise excessively 'hot'.

A chiropractic evaluation would seem almost essential. Fixations are almost invariable in Wind invasions.

Good luck,

Steve
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