a sad update on my TB woes

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little_rou

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Don't know if any of you will remember this thread?

http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=392638&highlight=little_rou

I posted some time back talking about the problems I was having with my ex racer.

Well, I promised an updated, and here it is, unfortunately it turned out to be something far more serious than I imagined, and after consulting with vet and physio, we decided to go up to fellows farm for a full lameness work up and xrays - which showed he had a kissing spine.

Looks like poor boy has been suffering for a while as the bones where quite badly worn away, they found 10 points on his spine that where kissing, his spine was actually overlapping in places.

As it was a bad case (vet said if 0 was perfect and 10 was awful we where about a 9) it was recommended that we go straight to surgery or PTS, as it was felt cortisone (sp?) and pain killers etc wouldn't have a great enough effect long term in this case.

After lots of discussions with his owner (he was on loan to me) and the professionals who had been involved and helped along the way, including my instructor, We made the very very hard decision to PTS - weighing up all the other problems that he had, and the severity of the treatment and rehab etc. we felt that it wasn't best for him to persevere.

So its all over :(

I have wanted to write this update for some time but just haven't been able to find the strength and words to do so.

Thank you soo much to all the people who contacted me and offered help, support and guidance, and all of those who posted in response to my original thread, your support and advice was invaluable.
 
(((((((((((((hugs)))))))))))))) I'm so sorry for your loss. It sounds like you did the best thing for him. I'm shore he is greatful to you for putting him first.
 
so sorry to hear you've had to make that decision, it's never easy. you gave him every chance to find out what was wrong and you have put him out of his pain, it was good that you had the support from his owners/vets and your instructor.

thoughts are with you (((hugs)))
 
Really really sorry to hear, at least he had your upmost love and support to the very end. A hard decision but no doubt the best option for him. Lots of Love at this sad time. xx
 
So sorry to hear your news. But it sounds like you made a brave decision and put the horse first. Massive hugs and well done for not ignoring the signs, and doing something about it.
 
I sincerely hope I made the right decision, he meant sooo much to me. at the time I was sure it was the right thing to do, for him and now the what ifs and maybes are keeping me awake everynight.

This is him when we got him:

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?op=1&view=global&subj=643614650&pid=7336481&id=591791310#!/photo.php?pid=3002710&id=643614650&ref=fbx_album&fbid=243980554650

This is the wonderful, beautiful horse that he became:

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?op=1&view=global&subj=643614650&pid=7336481&id=591791310#!/photo.php?op=1&view=global&subj=643614650&pid=5150763&id=697213673&prev=1&fbid=442615578673

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?op=1&view=global&subj=643614650&pid=7336481&id=591791310#!/photo.php?op=1&view=global&subj=643614650&pid=7336479&id=591791310&prev=1&fbid=473150661310

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?op=1&view=global&subj=643614650&pid=7336481&id=591791310#!/photo.php?pid=3880093&id=643614650&ref=fbx_album

My beautiful beautiful boy, I will miss you always x
 
Please do not have doubts (difficult I know) but I believe when you love a horse and come to this decision it really is the only right thing left to do. It is never ever easy but I have never known anyone who really cared get it wrong. (((hugs))).
 
I'm very sorry for your loss but I'm absolutely sure that you did the right thing. Sounds like he was in great pain, the poor lad and you've done something very brave and noble for him.

Hugs xxx
 
yes, his behaviour was getting more and more extreme - it was only a matter of time before it got out of hand, and someone got really hurt.

It all feels like such a waste,another beautiful horse taken too soon :(

Mac was a special boy, and meant soo much to all of us. It was a priviledge to have met him and been able to share our few short months together. He will not be forgotten.

I hope all that see this post will remember it. I have learnt the hard way that sometimes a horse is just being silly, by most of the time its trying to tell us something - the hard part is knowing what that is, but we must always try to understand
 
Hi Lollii

well yes and no.

He had 2 visits from her over the course of 10 days before he was referred.

On her initial visit, she mentioned 3 or 4 times a kissing spine, but when I quizzed her she said she really couldnt be sure without an xray/scan.

On her second visit she was concerned that he didnt seem to be responding well to her manipulation. He was very sore and tense in his back, pelvis and hocks - we know now that was because he was compensating for pain else where (although his pelvis area wasnt scanned or xrayed, so could have been some other problem there too)

At the second visit she felt that he should be referred so that we could get a better idea of what was going on deeper down.

I think from talking to the vet and physio its hard for to give a definite kissing spine diagnosis without a xray to back it up. but I may be wrong?
 
interestingly enough my friend had a difficult TB who was also diagnosed with a kissing spine, she uses a different back lady - but her lady also thought pelvis related.

I dont know if its a common way for the pain to mainfest, I really dont know enough about this kind of thing to even speculate.

What I do know is that I have complete faith in my physio and the vet and feel sure that they followed the correct route to diagnosis.
 
I am very sorry to hear of your loss. It just makes me appreciate so much how wonderful and genuine my mare is. She is 5 weeks post KS op ( Fellowes Farm Equine) She had 7 impinging vertabrae and 4 removed. My mare never once put me on the floor or objected to having a saddle or me on her. She did struggle with schooling big time and I just used to think she was being ' difficult'

In your case you did the right thing. Especially with the extreme reactions he exhibited. I sincerely hope you are able to have another horse to regain your confidence but for the time being ((((((((((((( Hugs )))))))))))) xx
 
Tictac - was it David who you dealt with at Fellowes Farm? he told me about a successful recent case involving a horse called tictac?

maybe just a massive coincidence, and before you call the lawyers he just just it as an example and didn't divulged anything confidential or unprofessional! don't want to get the poor man into trouble :)

I think my Mac was a real genuine boy, I think he suffered alot before he finally made it clear that it hurt too much. I think he never wanted to hurt me - he could have easily had me off no trouble - I think he was telling me and I wasn't hearing it - so he was shouting a bit louder each time if you know what I mean.

If it was you David was taking about I think you were lucky and your case wasn't as severe or advanced.

I have been lucky enough to have been allowed to ride a lovely shire mare, who is helping me to rebuild my confidence, and move on a bit at a time

I hope you continue to have a successful recovery, and lots of love to your mare xx
 
For what it's worth I think you made a very brave decision, sometimes people just keep blindly treating their animals when it's really not in their best interests.

RIP Mac and hugs to yo.

JDx
 
I'm so sorry for your loss :(

It seems that there are quite a few of us on this forum who have ex-racers who have recently been diagnosed with KS. My horse (who is now only 9 yrs old) even passed a 5 stage vetting 18 months ago, but after his behaviour got worse and I had xrays, we discovered KS, Navicular, PSD and lots of arthritic changes to his joints, and I've decided to retire my lad whilst the insurance pays for his drugs, and he will no longer be ridden.

You did the right thing x
 
Thank you - I hope your all right, having had a fatal colic, a Keratoma and a kissing spine, I have lost 2 horses and retired another 1, all in 3 years, not sure how much more I can stomach to be honest :(

Thankyou for all the PMs and supportive comments x
 
little_rou said:
Thank you - I hope your all right, having had a fatal colic, a Keratoma and a kissing spine, I have lost 2 horses and retired another 1, all in 3 years, not sure how much more I can stomach to be honest :(

Thankyou for all the PMs and supportive comments x
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Oh hun. Have another hug. It's horses... I lost my first horse (had waited over thirty years for her), had only had her a year; found out my next one was wonky ten days after getting her; D1's pony was never sick nor sorrry, he's now broken; and D2 has been put off horses by LL being a g!t.

We do it for that moment when it all clicks.
 
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