Possible Tie-Up/Muscle Pull: Help!

[Roberta Jo Lieberman <woik@home.com>]

Need your input, campers.
My friend Kathy and her horse Dan headed for Death Valley yesterday,
leaving me and little April and her buddy Cheyenne behind. I came out to
the barn today to check on the horses and go for an easy ride around the
neighborhood. Horses seemed fine, hadn't been out of their pens (this is
California-style horsekeeping). I brought April out, checked her over,
groomed, picked out feet, did leg circles, tacked up. Nothing unusual.
Decided to longe her a bit in the arena before riding. She strode out
fine, long nice walk. Picked up a trot, calm and still moving freely.
She moved into a canter, still fine. Then she began to back off, varying
her speeds, wanted to stop...I approached her and her left stifle began
to spasm. Aborted workout, brought her up to investigate. Did some
TTouch, lifts, but by the time I got her untacked she was breaking out
in clammy sweat and now was having trouble moving left fore AND left
hind. Unsteady on her feet. Got her back into her pen, thinking a tie-up
was coming. Back was getting hard. She was distressed...went to back of
pen, pawing (she does this when she is worried), putting foreleg over
low pipe, then retracting. Not eating. Not a happy camper -- eyes told
the story. Sweating all over... I was afraid to leave her alone but
grabbed a stethoscope...heard tons of gut sounds, could barely pick up
heart beat, it sounded somewhat elevated and swooshy. She pooped -- did
that rule out colic? She wasn't acting colicky...still thinking tie-up.
I spent the next 30 minutes trying to reach a veterinarian (it was 4:30
p.m. and "after hours"). No luck -- and by then she had stabilized...had
settled down, now eating hay, eyes looked better. 
I called the woman who fed in the morning to see how much grain she had
been given. April is a very easy keeper and ravenous eater -- we give
her half ration when she is not worked. She does not get tons of
concentrate. She'd had what she was supposed to have...but the woman
noticed that when she took off the blanket, one of the metal thingies
had been severely twisted. This mare tends to cast herself a lot, and we
speculated that she may have gone down in the night and pulled something.
After that I finally was patched through to the vet on call. After
sharing the  story, she thought it could wait until morning...I went
back out to check her...she was eating quietly, left inner thigh very
tight and she does not want to bring left hind forward. She will pivot
360 degrees in her stall without moving that foot. I finally was able to
coax her forward a step or two for a carrot...she kind of drags the
foot. Her back muscles are softer than earlier -- not rigid. She will
let me pick up all four legs and stretch and circle them, although left
hind is still spasmy. Gave Rescue Remedy, did TTouch extensively over
entire body, and worked in some holistic salve. 
I am having a vet out first thing tomorrow morning.
What do you think is going on? 
What blood work should be done?
What conventional/complementary therapies should be given? 
Thanks for your input!
Bobbie and April -- we shoulda gone to Death Valley, mom!


=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net.    
Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/RideCamp   
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=