Anyone got experience with bone scans?

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Cinders

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As the title says really, vet can do no more for my lame horse we either leave her on field rest for at least a year or get her bone scanned. My vet is saying send her to Newmarket but as my horse isn't insured parents don't want to pay £1500 on what they think is a bog standard horse. But we're thinking newmarket is going to be pretty pricey anyway because of their status so were wondering if there was any where cheaper.

Has anyone else had a bone scan done and do prices vary between places? how much did it cost? I'm in the process of contacting the university of Cambridge veterinary hospital as they do equine referrals but does anyone know any where else i could try thats not a million miles away? (we're based in lincolnshire).
 
Sorry to hear about your situation. Bell Equine in Kent to bone scans (scintigraphy). I think mine was under 1k but the scans only reveal hot spots or potential problem areas. They then have to nerve blocks and x-ray to see what the problem actually is. So, you have to be prepared for the cost of this as well. The other option would be to ask for a referral to another specialist vet to see if they can identify the problem without a bone scan?
 
yes, prices vary. i had 2 done years ago elsewhere, but my vets have a bone scanner now, Fellowes Farm Equine Clinic at Abbots Ripton, Huntingdon, might be worth calling them to find out what they would charge, tel no. is 0148 777 3333, they are absolutely excellent.
 
My boy had scans about 6 weeks ago, I've just grabbed the invoice and the scan, sedation and 3 day stay was £913. He then had xrays and cortisone injections into sacroilliac and hocks and overall totalled £1387. He had these done at an equine hospital in Newbury.
 
Merlin had one done at O'Gormans in Newbury and it cost about £850.

It didnt show anything that the vet didnt already suspect so in that way was a waste of money... however I always thought he had something awful wrong with him that the vet had missed, so it proved me wrong and gave me peace of mind!!!
 
Prices vary hugely, mine cost £800, but make sure you are quoted including the livery fees and VAT. As other people have said you may have to pay extra for further investigations if the scintigraphy picks something up, but they are very useful diagnostic tools.
 
One of our horses recently had his second gamma scan (first was about 2 years ago). Think cost was about £1500 (but haven't had the bill yet) and didn't help in a diagnosis at all (nor did the first one). He's still lame & they can't find out why.
 
hmmm...thanks for all your replies, it seems a rather big financial committment. I'd love to find out what the problem was and originally i thought if she had the scan we'd know but it looks like it's not always useful and might not help at all even if it does it seems certain that she'd need more tests after that.

Once i've had some quotes from a few other places i guess we'll be more in a position to back a decision.
 
Newmarket would be one of the cheapest places as they are one of the larger hospitals around!

No matter what you are going to do it will cost-leaving in a field for a year and not riding is still going to cost and no guarantee of a sound horse at the end of it, similarly bone scan and still no guarantee of a sound horse especially if they find more problems!

I hope you can get your horse sound though such a shame you don't have insurance as at least they pay half!
 
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I hope you can get your horse sound though such a shame you don't have insurance as at least they pay half!

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Only half??? mine paid it all!

My mare had hers at the RVC in Potters bar and total bill including 4 day stay, workup, xrays and drugs came to under £1.5K... you need to trust the vet to treat your mare as an individual... my vet said most of them go on to nerve block but beacsue my mare wasn't lame enough, there wasn't any point so we skipped that step and went to xrays of the 'hotspots' identified and thus the problem was diagnosed...

She only had a half body bone scan which went from her withers to tail... don't think we missed anything in her head and neck that was making her lame behind???!!!
 
I'd suggesting talking to the vets and explaining you don't have insurance. I know our vets have two price lists - one for insurance and one for non. I only found this out when insurance ran out on treatment for collateral ligament damage. My final shock wave treatment was half the price of the first two because the vets knew that we were paying not the insurance company.
 
*gulps*

Just off phone to my vet who wants me to take Flynn for scintigraphy at Rossdales. I said "About a grand then?" and he said "No, it'll be nearer two by the time they've done the follow ups". I feel ill! He is insured but after the disaster with my other "insured" horse, April, I'm terrified they'll let me commit and have the work done and then decide he's not covered. I can't afford that! Vet says, "He'll probably have to have six months off whatever, so you could just give him the six months and see if he comes right and then have the scintigraphy if he doesn't - or you could save yourself six months of wondering and be able to start any treatment early".

Oh God I hate these decisions

*wails*
 
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