by Angie Pollock

Created on: September 11, 2009

Azoturia in horses (sometimes referred to as tying-up syndrome), is an inflammation that can lead to damage of the horse's skeletal muscles. In years past, this disorder was called Monday morning sickness because it frequently affected horses that were fed the same each day but were given the weekends to rest and then worked hard again on Monday. Azoturia can also affect horses that are out of shape or overweight and fed more than their bodies require then abruptly are required to work. Tying-up has the same symptoms but is generally the term used when the symptoms are mild.

Signs

This disease is more often seen in young horses and those of muscular builds such as drafts and even Quarter Horses. The signs generally appear following a hard workout or endurance ride. The horse can experience moderate to severe pain which is often misdiagnosed as colic. It is important that if you are unsure of your horse's condition, you should not walk your horse until a veterinarian has confirmed the illness. Walking a horse with muscular problems can cause permanent damage.

As the pain sets in, a horse may begin to become sluggish during their work and may even refuse to move. The horse may sweat even when resting and the heart and pulse rate will elevate. The hindquarters will appear stiff as the horse moves. The rear muscles are often firm to the touch and the horse may show discomfort when touched in that area. In some cases, the muscles may spasm or tremor.

Horses experiencing this illness have been known to go to the ground and be unable to get back up. In extreme cases of azoturia, the horse's urine may be discolored from a brown color to dark red. There have been cases where the urine was almost black in color. The discoloration is caused by the damaged muscle tissue breaking down waste which is then expelled through the urine. In rare cases, this process has led to kidney damage and occasionally death. In mild cases of tying-up, these symptoms will not be as debilitating and the urine will not be discolored.

Treatments

During treatment, the horse should not be fed any grain and allowed only limited amounts of hay and plenty of fresh water. Depending upon the severity of the symptoms, a horse can recover with simple rest and nursing care which can take a few days to several weeks. The feed can slowly be introduced and increased as the horse begins to show signs of recovery. When the horse has shown a dramatic sign of improvement, hand-walking can be initiated and eventually

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