Faithfulanima
New User
Hi all, I have a "what would you do" question.
To give you a bit of history, my 7 yo OTTB was diagnosed with kissing spines when he was 5, involving four spinous processes, along with arthritis in both of his hocks. In the time I’ve had him, he has coliced five times. Once the first winter I had him with an impaction colic (requiring a week of hospitalization and resulting in grade 4 gastric and hindgut ulcers), three more minor colics last winter (mix of gas colic, possible start of a small impaction colic, and ulcers), and again last week (likely induced by grade 3-4 ulcers again). This most recent colic was a shock as he had not been worked really for the two weeks prior, and he was not showing his typical warning signs that tell us that he is dealing with ulcers.
I feel as though I have done everything I can along with our vets, saddle fitter, body worker, trainer, nutritionist, and yard owner to keep him sound, pain-free, and ulcer free. He has yet to have any major colics between the months of April-October aside from some manageable cases of ulcers, which suggests to me that he is still living in some level of discomfort even in the warmer months and really struggles in the colder months. He is not a stressy horse, he is not your typical hot or high strung OTTB. We have spent most of our three years together doing groundwork and he is quite mentally sound. He has freedom, 24/7 access to forage, and friends. As far as the life of domestic horses go, he lives a life full of love and leisure. I’ve consulted with my vet as well my family and friends after his most recent colic, and unfortunately the possibility of euthanizing him this fall is on the table. I have a lot of anxiety about putting him through another winter, risking increased pain and another colic. Regardless, I have decided that he's being laid to rest if he has another life threatening colic. He’s had steroid injections, he gets Adequan twice a year, he gets omeprazole as well as sucralfate/misoprostol as needed for his reocurrent ulcers several times a year, he gets pain management when he needs it, he gets body work as often as I can afford it. He's on MSM, hyaloronic acid, digestive supplements, very minimal to no concentrated feeds. It’s at the point where it feels like I have spent everything I can financially, emotionally, and physically, and nothing has been enough. I think we’re just masking symptoms enough to keep him sound.
It's especially hard because when he's doing well, he is a sound and a lovely mover. He is beautiful and well muscled. He has kept me safe and truly treats me like I'm "his person." But even when he is doing well, he does not like being brushed or saddled, and often resists being mounted. Retiring him from riding and turning him out to pasture could be reasonable; however, this would not cure his chronic issues/pain and I unfortunately cannot afford to keep such a high maintance horse. He is a very sweet, kind, sensitive boy, and I am struggling with what would be most fair to him. I love him dearly, and he is so young.
To give you a bit of history, my 7 yo OTTB was diagnosed with kissing spines when he was 5, involving four spinous processes, along with arthritis in both of his hocks. In the time I’ve had him, he has coliced five times. Once the first winter I had him with an impaction colic (requiring a week of hospitalization and resulting in grade 4 gastric and hindgut ulcers), three more minor colics last winter (mix of gas colic, possible start of a small impaction colic, and ulcers), and again last week (likely induced by grade 3-4 ulcers again). This most recent colic was a shock as he had not been worked really for the two weeks prior, and he was not showing his typical warning signs that tell us that he is dealing with ulcers.
I feel as though I have done everything I can along with our vets, saddle fitter, body worker, trainer, nutritionist, and yard owner to keep him sound, pain-free, and ulcer free. He has yet to have any major colics between the months of April-October aside from some manageable cases of ulcers, which suggests to me that he is still living in some level of discomfort even in the warmer months and really struggles in the colder months. He is not a stressy horse, he is not your typical hot or high strung OTTB. We have spent most of our three years together doing groundwork and he is quite mentally sound. He has freedom, 24/7 access to forage, and friends. As far as the life of domestic horses go, he lives a life full of love and leisure. I’ve consulted with my vet as well my family and friends after his most recent colic, and unfortunately the possibility of euthanizing him this fall is on the table. I have a lot of anxiety about putting him through another winter, risking increased pain and another colic. Regardless, I have decided that he's being laid to rest if he has another life threatening colic. He’s had steroid injections, he gets Adequan twice a year, he gets omeprazole as well as sucralfate/misoprostol as needed for his reocurrent ulcers several times a year, he gets pain management when he needs it, he gets body work as often as I can afford it. He's on MSM, hyaloronic acid, digestive supplements, very minimal to no concentrated feeds. It’s at the point where it feels like I have spent everything I can financially, emotionally, and physically, and nothing has been enough. I think we’re just masking symptoms enough to keep him sound.
It's especially hard because when he's doing well, he is a sound and a lovely mover. He is beautiful and well muscled. He has kept me safe and truly treats me like I'm "his person." But even when he is doing well, he does not like being brushed or saddled, and often resists being mounted. Retiring him from riding and turning him out to pasture could be reasonable; however, this would not cure his chronic issues/pain and I unfortunately cannot afford to keep such a high maintance horse. He is a very sweet, kind, sensitive boy, and I am struggling with what would be most fair to him. I love him dearly, and he is so young.
