Colic surgery.. would you put yours through it?

ycbm said:
What I think most people need is the number still alive at each stage, how many further colic episodes they have had, what wound complications there have been, and the information for the dead ones of whether they died of something colic related or something completely different.

That would be pretty easy, and I think that a place like Liverpool, operating on 250 every year, should be doing it. But all they seem to publish is the numbers going home, and they seem to be using that to persuade some people to operate under what I consider to be false pretences, given the longer term survival rates.

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The NHS do exactly the same with their data about successful operations, they only mean those who survive the operation with all the bits where they should be and come round from the GA..
 
There are good studies for lots of major procedures. And at least we can be confident that the organisation recommending procedures to be carried out doesn't have a commercial interest in putting patients under the knife like the horse hospitals do.

In general, I find doctors much more interested in long term outcomes than vets, perhaps due to the average length of life of the animal they are treating.

I personally think that if a commercial organisation knows that it's going to be sending an owner a bill of many thousands of pounds, that they ought to be able to give the owner the complication rates and death rates from colic or complications in the following few years.


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No.
I speak as an owner who nearly lost my mare to colic just a few weeks ago. I would never put a horse through it.
The chances of recovery for that particular horse might be ok but I think the chance of re-colicing in the first few years post surgery are very high (think around 80% - not totally sure on the exact stats and apologies if it's been said on this thread already I haven't caught up yet). Not to mention the rehab process and months of box rest post surgery.
I love my horses. They are my world. And it is for that exact reason why I wouldn't put them through this surgery.
 
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I think its sensible to think about these question generally before a situation arises, and before we find ourselves in a position to make a huge decision at an emotional time, often under time pressure. However, while I think its a good idea to have some type of policy in mind, I also think its important to remain open minded enough to take on the specific information at the time without clouding thinking with preset rules. I would worry that if I had a too prescribed course of action already planned, it might influence my thinking and push me towards an option I might later regret. So in my mind it would be, ' its one of these so I have to do this' . I have seen a couple of cases, one very recently, with friends that I know where they have done this and its been really sad afterwards when they regretted their choices and its given me the opportunity to learn from their experiences.

I would still be very unlikely to consider a colic surgery for any of my horses, but also I would never say never.
 
I would say no, and pretty confident I would say never.
I have seen friends' horses post surgery. Not one has come back to compete at the same level they were at before, and have certainly not gone any higher.
Two have died - one from complications from the second colic surgery, the other from a broken leg in the recovery box.

Just because we can, doesn't mean we should
 
I put my mare through a colic operation over 20 years ago, she was early teens then. Survived the op and did return to work but a previous fetlock injury did mean she retired about 18 months afterwards. She lived for years post op and it was the fetlock injury that meant she was put down in her early 20s. She did continue to colic occasionally but thankfully always came right with buscopan and pain relief.

So it worked out for her and I would support anyone decided to go ahead with the op, for me I'd only do it again if I had a young perfectly healthy horse with a good temperament. I do admit Brooke was never quite herself again post op, she was happy and content, but something was just a little different. But I think that an can happen with any major operation and in humans to, so I'm not sure if its a bad thing.
 
For unproven horses or anything getting on a bit or with other health issues then no.

For a youngish, healthy good performance horse I would at least put them on the table for a look and take the decision from there whether to continue or let them go.
 
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