Hypp?

A friend of mine has a mare who would/does "twitch" all over her body. We had no idea what it was, but today I saw a video of a horse having a HYPP attack, it was pretty much exactly the same thing my friends QH has.

Is this pretty much what it is? Or is there something else it could be?

Does it hurt the horse?

I know when this has happened to her horse in the past she will continue doing what she was doing (ie. Tacking up, riding, bathing, brushing, etc.).

What should be done?

The mare can ONLY have HYPP if she is [QH] Impressive bred. He is the only known source of HYPP. Basically, the body creates too much potassium, which results in a seizure. It can get serious, the muscles of the heart, lungs, and/or brain may be affected and it can kill a horse. That being said, some HYPP N/H [one HYPP gene, one normal] can go their whole lives without an attack. Others can go most of their life and then BAM, heart seizes.

If you still think HYPP is a possibility, GET HER TESTED. HYPP can be semi-manageable through feeding [making sure you aren't feeding potassium] but it can still be a problem. And if she is positive, DO NOT let your friend breed her. It is a genetic condition that has a 50% chance of being passed to her offspring.

Well, I'm not sure who's on her papers, but the lady who bred/raised her had impressive lines on pretty much all her horses. Except they are tested and can't pass it on...But I'm unsure if this QH was tested.

She's 26 now and never had a foal, so she probably wont test her.

Her mom apparently died of a heart problem...They said heart attack, but don't horses have really strong heart?

The video just got me curious if hypp was the problem...

I very strongly recommend you get her tested. Having an HYPP positive horse is very dangerous. 1,000 + pounds falling random on top of you and thrashing around is not a good thing, especially when riding out alone.

Horses very rarely have heart attacks. An HYPP attack would be much more likely. Much much much more likely.

I would still press on your friend to get her tested, especially if she is still riding this horse. If your friend is unknowingly pumping her full of potassium-rich food when her body is already making too much, it really is asking for trouble. What would she do if her horse had a seizure during a ride?

I realize it's not your horse or your decision, but for the safety of the horse and your friend, I'd still try. At least get her to ask how much the test would cost her. Or if she knows her lineage, you can check the HYPP status of the horses she came from. If they don't have it, she can't have it. =]

Just want to clarify something in case some one reads this and does not realize what riccil0ve is saying.

A horse does not have to be a QH to have HYPP. They just have to have the Impressive lines in their history. Many breeds allow cross breeding to registered QHs so a person with a registered paint or appy can have Impressive lines.

I will talk to her about it, but I doubt she will do anything about it... It's way too long of a story to get into right now

Thanks:)

Thanks for adding that. I just wanted to clarify it was the QH named Impressive, not an Arab or Shetland, or whatever else could have that name. =]

I understood what you said just fine. I was just concerned that someone who did not know about HYPP might read it and think that because they have a paint or an appy, or even a grade horse, that the topic does not apply to them.

The horse is 26 years old so there could be any number of things going on. HYPP can be tested easily for about $40-50. It only takes about a week to get the results. If she were to test the disease can be managed with nutrition and some medications. The first thing for your friend to do would be to check her papers. If Impressive is in her bloodlines but it feeds down to NN horses, then she doesn't have it. If it feeds down to NH or untested horses, then it's worth getting the test.

There are some diseases that can be mistaken for HYPP (when the desease first reared it's ugly head these horses were misdiagnosed for the following)

Tying Up Syndrome
Seizures
Cardiac problems
When a horse is having an attach of HYPP, he usually remains very alert - this helps us to distinguish HYPP from a seizure, in which the horse is not aware of who or where he is.