Boggle- USA bound!

Again, not the same, but initially, there was no diagnosis for Chip. He got put on a high dose of steroids and sent home.

Dates are a little hazy now but he was on steroids from June to September. He didn't have any bad side effects (although he's changed colour because of them, has muscular development and his mane grew 😏).

I was worried about the same things thst you are and <touch wood> he's fine.

Just hopefully to give you some reassurance that while they do have risks, steroids can also work absolute wonders.

Thinking of you both xx
 
Michen said:
I don’t know now I’m thinking we just dose him up with steroids and I take him home and if it doesn’t work at least he’s in a happy comfortable place rather than hospital.

F*** there is no right answer. My friend vet (not treating vet) reckons CT is in the region of 15k.
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That is what I did with Jay Man when he became a wobbler. The X rays were not bad. He had steroids, he survived those with no ill effects. He did improve. I had another 2 years with him, some of which was hacking, some of which was retired.

PTS would not have been the wrong thing but the steroids did help.
 
I'm so sorry, M, I've been there with an ataxic horse but at least I had x rays of a crumbling neck vertebra and narrow nerve channel to make my mind up for me.
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Just checking in. Thinking of you and Bog and hoping you get some concrete news soon. Horses are just heartbreaking money pits but my God we love them. Hugs xxx
 
Like others, as much as I would want to know a diagnosis, I would probably go for the steroids and see option in your shoes too. It's worth a try and at least it minimises what he has to go through for diagnostics.

Thinking of you Michen, this is so bummin unfair xx
 
Oh dear. I have been following this thread since the beginning and can’t believe that after a couple of days away i see this is happening. I am close to tears just reading it. How awful for you Michen and Boggle. Just do what you feel is best for Boggle, don’t be swayed by what others may think if you do or don’t throw even more money at trying to find out what is wrong. Just look at your horse and try and make a decision sooner than later.

Huge hugs.
 
Sending you and Bog hugs 🤗 my boy suddenly went severely ataxic 3 years ago he was too bad to travel anywhere he deteriorated badly and on a friday vets told me he had less than a week to live I was about to arrange pts but over the weekend he didn’t get worse by the Monday slightly better as we pumped him with a high dose of steroids and he stabilised gradually over the coming days and weeks, it took weeks for the SAAP tests to show inflammation going down from severe to moderate to clear and he stayed on the high steroids for around 2 months. After that I rode him for another year then he had a minor incident which vet said was neurological related so he has been happily retired since and no more episodes to date currently. Fingers crossed the steroids work for Bog 🙏
 
Ambers Echo said:
You need to be guided by vets but generally speaking I wouldn’t put a horse through that for diagnostics. Only for life saving treatment. So I think I’d go for the steroids and home where he feels safe option x
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I'm here too, M.

I'd also put a hard-faced business woman's hat on and make sure I didn't fall for the sunk cost fallacy, that having spent so much on beating the pneumonia, that money is somehow wasted if you don't now spend every last penny on fighting this.

What change in treatment will a diagnosis reasonably give you?
 
ycbm said:
What change in treatment will a diagnosis reasonably give you?
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When my dog had probable throat cancer it was suggested I take her a CT scan to find out for definite what was going on. I asked what difference it would make to her treatment and was told none. I didn't do it. She did have throat cancer and there was no possible treatment, it would have been stress for her and money down the drain for me. Instead she had another happy few months with me until I had to let her go.
Personally I think your idea of bringing him home on steroids and giving him time where he is happy is what I would do.
 
i'm so sorry M, this is absolutely heart breaking! There is no right answer of where to go next, but we all know that whatever route you decide to go down its with Boggles best interest at heart!
No one can deny how much you love that horse and he is the luckiest horse to have landed with you, I'll be thinking of you and him xx
 
Michen I am so, so sorry - you both deserve better than this. Sending all my love. FWIW laminitis after steroids may not be a problem - some horses (mine included!) just don't seem predisposed to it, despite appearing to have multiple risk factors. So please don't panic too much about that. Steroids are incredible things, in your shoes I'd go for them.
 
This is heartbreaking. Just because we have all the medical technology now doesn't mean that the best thing to do is to throw everything at it in the first instance. I would want a personal conversation with CSU and get a first hand analysis from them of just what a scan could reveal (or not) in his case. Sorry to be ghoulish, but I am reminded of the recent posts on here about how problems at C6/7 cannot be diagnosed and are only found post mortem because of the way they are hidden from every sort of scan.

What have you got to lose by taking him home and trying the steroid route first? Whenever vertebrae are involved I hear my spinal consultant's words ringing in my ear - "we'll start simple and work up from there". For Bog - if it made him comfortable and the side effects/risks were not too great - that would be my initial choice to give myself some breathing and thinking time.

You need to worry about you in all of this, too so don't rush your decisions.
 
Thinking of you at this time. Whatever you think none of this is your fault, he could have twisted in the paddock, got up awkwardly from a roll.

Reading the facts, whatever Bog has done is still in an acute phase, like an injury, inflammation will occur, so like any injury rest and anti-inflammatories are the initial treatment, then review, take a step back and give yourself thinking time.
i agree with the consensus what would a ct show that could be treated, just because they can investigate doesn't always mean they should.
Sending healing vibes.
 
I'm so sorry to read this so unbelievably unfair for you both you really don't deserve this.

I think i would go with the steroids the laminitis is not a massive risk generally, whenever mine have had them I just keep them off the grass for 5 days with soaked hay and minimal feed.

So sorry xxx
 
So awful Michen, I'm heartbroken for you and dear Bog. Stab in the dark here is it worth getting a chiro to adjust him , risky without a diagnosis. Do they think its an acute injury to the neck in which case rest and steroids might be best.
Have they indicated what they think is the cause? If the bloods are not showing infection, have they done lumber puncture to rule out encephalitis? Viral cause? EPM?
Please dont blame yourself!! Bog has had the best you can provide and enjoyed every bit of your adventures.
 
Oh Michen I'm so sorry to be reading these updates, I was so hoping it was going to have been good news you'd got. Bog made a miracle recovery before and I so hope he does again.

Thinking of you both today and hoping that somehow he starts to improve.
 
This is just awful for you.

I have to say I'd probably go conservatively, have the steroids and pray. Vets like black and white answers but if its going to be that obvious then you'll know soon enough even without the imaging.

**hugs** for you and Boggle. I'm keeping everything crossed your little fighter will be back with his sparky attitude soon.
 
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