De-Nerving - What to do?

C

Chloeherbert

New User
Joined
9 December 2010
Messages
1
Visit site
I have a 5 year old Irish sport horse who has a hole in his deep digital flexor in his right fore and a tear in his left, I have recently found this out.
In August he pulled a shoe off and went lame. The vets and farrier both thought that it was just foot soreness but with no improvement after 6 weeks of no work, I decided to get the vets to investigate (nerve blocking feet and x-rays).
Nerve blocking showed that it was definatly in the foot but x rays
showed nothing, The vets suggested to get an MRI. The scan showed he has a hole in the deep digital flexor in his right foot, and there is a split in his left. There are three options that the vets have given him:
1. Medication- 20% of a success rate (vets think it is a poor option)
2. De-nerving the feet- 75% of a success rate
3.Put him to sleep
This has finished his eventing career. I know many people disagree with the de-nerving operation and bringing them back into work. But if i do take this option I wondered if anyone would be interested in taking him on and doing dressage and hacking or a little bit of jumping? He has a big character and its heart breaking to put down a horse who is so happy. I want to do what is best for him whether that is putting him to sleep or the operation. He isn't sane enough to just be a companion or just graze in the field he gets bored very easily. Sadly this isn't my hobby and I wouldn't be able to just keep him as a pet. I really would like to hear your views about what you would do and whether anyone would be interested in taking a horse with a case like this. Please can anyone help with my dilemma?
 
Iam not against de-nerving, but it is not always that successful,it doesnt last forever and he is only 5, do lots of research before you make a decision, in alot of cases the nerves can rejoin, also once de-nerved he will have not feeling in his feet so you will have to be extra vigilant as looking in his feet for stones/sharpe objects etc. Now Iam going to be my usual blunt, opinionated self, as he is only 5 and de nerving a)not that successful b) doesnt last forever dont palm him off to some one else to deal with his problems as a light hack/dressage I would do the kindest thing and put him to sleep.
You would never live with yourself if he ended up getting passed from pillar to post, worse case scenario he ended his days at Spindles farm or on a meat lorry to Europe, I know it will be upsetting but pts is final.
 
I have to agree with Steelydan on this one, i think if he was mine i would prob PTS especially if i could not guarantee his wellbeing for the rest of his days.

Hugs to you though, bloody horrible decision to make :(
 
Personally I think that de-nerving should be banned, I don't agree with taking the feeling away just to make them rideable, but hey thats just me.

There is a 4th option - I believe (and correct me if i'm wrong peeps) that Rockley farm (and other barefoot people) have rehabbed horses with similar injuries back to soundness.
It'd be worth a phone call/email to them and often the insurance company will pay.

At least them you'd have explored all the options before deciding to PTS.
 
Difficult one this....
Will the tears heal over time? Most information suggests this is the case. He will never event but he may have a dressage/hacking/hunting career if after 12 months he has healed.
The difficulty with de nerving (an immotive subject I know) is that SERIOUS damage can be sustained without the horse knowing and there is a strong possibility of collapse in the horse.
My vet always says there is pain for a reason, in de nerving there is no pain.
Why not ask the forum another question - did your horse survive this injury and how long did it take - you can then make a better informed decision.
Best of luck
Bryndu
 
If I had the time, space and money I would take him off you.!!! My mare had a tear in her DDFT in her left fore within her hoof and it was found by MRI like you. Izzy was seen by Peter at Hird & Partners in Halifax and he is a cracking vet. Went through it all very thoroughly with me and we had a plan to follow. Hers was a bad tear and the treatment was as follows,

Wedge shoes with double wedges to start with for a month, lowered down to single wedge for another month, then after that just down to the wedges shoes themselves. For the first month she was confined totally to her stable. I cant remember the exact timing of when the hand walking began, think it was when we were down to the wedge shoes only. We had to handwalk her for 5mins 3 times daily, gradually increasing the time. Peter came out to see her and we then moved onto hand walking out on the roads to get her foot used to the different terrain. She was on box rest for around 14 months, part of the reason was due to another condition found, a bone chip which was removed and thought to be the reason for the lameness. The last 3 months were ridden work but still confined to stable, that was hairy at times as she got fitter! She had the navicular bursa medicated in Jan this year as it was inflamed, this was found on the MRI scan. The injection lasted 2 months and I noticed she wasnt weight bearing properly on the affected leg. She had it re-medicated and was turned out on 9th May when our summer turnout began. Thankfully she has stayed sound since then, has competed in dressage (only Walk and Trot) and not many weeks ago we had out first gallop.

Its a long and hard slog to get them right. She is in her last set of egg bar shoes then its back to ordinary shoes in Jan. De-nerving was mentioned at one point but it hasnt come to that with us. Its damned hard work to get them right but well worth it. Not much more to add, except that she is 15 so older than your horse, and does like her stable. I know of Rockley FArm from reading on here about it. Peter was spot on with his diagnosis and treatment for my horse, an expert in my eyes. It worked for us and from the start of the injury being found, its taken 15 months to now, to get her right. I will always be careful with her. We do lots of roadwork, thats been the key with Izzy.

Good luck with whatever you decide and if you want any further help just PM me.
 
It's a very difficult position to be in but if you cannot rehab her yourself I would seriously consider having her PTS.
I've had one with collateral ligament and suspensory damage and was in a similar position. Initially he was medicated and re-habbed to hack/light dressage but after a year of this level of work he went lame again. I made the decision to keep him as a field ornament as he was field sound. I came down one morning in July of this year to find him unhappy to weight bare on his 'good' foot. The vets came out and both they and I felt we had to call it a day. We suspect he ruptured the DDFT in his good foot by compensating for his other injuries.
In short, unless you can guarantee this mare a home for life where you can call it a day if it does not work out then I think the best option would be to pts. Even when horses recover from these injuries there is a significant chance of them breaking down again. She could be passed from pillar to post and at 5yrs old that is a long uncertain future.
 
Chloe please, please do some research on a barefoot rehab and consider the option that your vet seems to be completely ignorant about.

I would urge you to give him 3 months at Rockley or at home with a good barefoot trimmer (can be a farrier) before you decide which way to go. It is possible that you will be completely surprised by what can be achieved by allowing the horse to grow the foot he wants for himself in these cases. You would certainly know within 12 weeks whether there is any point in continuing the treatment or not.

If you feel that you cannot go this route yourself, PM me, I may be able to take him on if you can wait until the worst of the winter is beyond us.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top