My horse is sick and no-one can figure it out!!! Please help!

[Michellabella]

It all started in may, noticed Levi couldn't eat... looked in his mouth to find all gum tissue around his insisors eaten away to the bone.  Ulcers all over mouth and tongue.  Vet thinks it was some sort of spider/snake bite.  Had him on Benamine and that cleared up his gum issues.  Gums grew back 85-90% so far.  He still seems to have a soar mouth and cannot seem to open his jaw very wide.  

Levi will not graze, will not eat hay.  But will eat grain mixture of ration balancer, beet pulp, grain and hay cubes.  We are feeding hay cubes free to him now, and that seems to be working.  Not too sure why he won't graze.  He has lost a substantial amount of weight.  He looks emaciated.  any advice on how me might be able to help him? winter is coming and I am afraid he is gonna freeze in the cold being so skinny.  

[Jim Humphries, B.S., D.V.M.]

I agree with using Equine Senior until you can get him over this inflammatory event.  It is an excellent complete feed that would not irritate or cause him to open his mouth very far.  Corn oil is also good for calories from fat.  

I also think a sedation and mouth exam is in order.  

Since this was first posted, do you have any more information / lab work?  Is your veterinarian treating for anything specific, or still having good success with general treatments?  

[Robert Judd, D.V.M., DABVP]

There are a couple of other possibilities on your horse.  Number one is a reaction to something in the hay or pasture such as a weed that is irritating the gingiva or a type of grass like spear grass.  Since your horse is 85% better on Banamine only, I would think this may be possible.  Consider trying a new hay.  Also, there is an unusual condition that involves inflammation of the cementum of the teeth that affects the incisors.  It causes inflammation of the outside of the teeth and gums but usually does not clear up with banamine but usually required steroids and sometimes extraction of teeth.  However, usually the x-rays of these teeth are abnormal.  As far as opening the mouth, this could be pain or inflammation in the muscles of the jaw.  I would consider sedation and finding out if the can open the jaw or just does not want to do so.  If it is impossible to open the jaw, consider a muscle problem that is usually immune mediated but rare.  

All that said, I suspect your horse reacted to something in the hay or pasture and the mouth is still sore.  As far as loosing weight and not eating hay, consider feeding a complete feed like equine senior so he will not need hay until the soreness decreases.  Also, your vet can biopsy the inflamed tissue to maybe get a better idea of the cause.  If he still needs to gain weight, ask your vet about adding corn oil to the ration to increase calories.