Dropped my pony off for scope

[Ali27]

In 2014, I had my suspicions that my 14.2 good doer, stress head, super whizzy pony might have ulcers but vets refused to scope her! They did do succeed test and she tested positive in test A and B but was only treated with Succeed! She has had performance issues on and off over the past years. Took her cross country schooling last week at local course where she will usually fly 90/100 and it was a struggle to get her over the 70! Lots of rearing which is not like her! So took the plunge and took her to vets tonight to be scoped! Tomorrow, I will know once and for all!

 

[be positive]

I don't understand when vets refuse to do diagnostics requested by a client, unless it is invasive or totally unnecessary they should go ahead just in case they have missed something, the last time a vet refused to xray when asked nicely at least twice then finally went ahead when I demanded I was proved correct and she was totally incorrect in her diagnosis, this had a tremendous impact on the horse, his owner and long term recovery, it also resulted in me moving to another practice as I could no longer trust that vet or allow her on my yard.

Slightly off topic but it does make me cross that your pony may have been suffering from ulcers for years and they have been unsupportive during that time, obviously finding ulcers and having to treat them is not ideal but the scope will give you an answer and allow you to have further tests if she does not have them until you get to the bottom of her issues.

 

[Abi90]

You will know either way and hopefully can move forward. I’ve had a bit of an annoying experience with vets of late and have considered changing practise because of similar things

 

[racebuddy]

It’s annoying I work in a vet practice and see things from every angle , however my horse was off colour lethargic and not eating had competed fine and worked fine no concerns , vets treated as a colic and wanted to scope him syartugjt away that week for ulcers , i was reluctant as felt it was one fallout and not showing any symptoms of ulcers and to see how he responded to the initial treatment plus horse was due to go for surgery and already had a lot of surgery done and felt he had been through enough , fast forward another week horse depressed and crucially not picking up abdomen pain and off food , bloods ran and started on and as infection poss vitally type symptoms , pain got worse and rang vets and requested full federal to equine hospital , they refused as I didn’t want to scope when they had asked me to another vet came out refered as emergency as so painful and had two works ups done at equine hospital before the could get a diagnosis fingers crowded for tomoz xx

 

[Birker2020]

I don't understand when vets refuse to do diagnostics requested by a client, unless it is invasive or totally unnecessary they should go ahead just in case they have missed something, the last time a vet refused to xray when asked nicely at least twice then finally went ahead when I demanded I was proved correct and she was totally incorrect in her diagnosis, this had a tremendous impact on the horse, his owner and long term recovery, it also resulted in me moving to another practice as I could no longer trust that vet or allow her on my yard.

Slightly off topic but it does make me cross that your pony may have been suffering from ulcers for years and they have been unsupportive during that time, obviously finding ulcers and having to treat them is not ideal but the scope will give you an answer and allow you to have further tests if she does not have them until you get to the bottom of her issues.

Here is a classic example of what you are talking about BP.

I know of a horse who was always getting repeated episodes of mild colic, in the end the vet from her practice suggested ulcers. As it so happened another vet (the senior partner from the same practice) was walking around trying to recruit peoples horses for a free scoping and gastroguard clinical trial. Person asked if her horse could go on this clinical trial and was basically laughed at by the vet and yard owner and told 'your horse is fat, believe me it does not have ulcers!' ha ha , laugh, laugh. She promptly replied to the vet 'well that's funny because the vet from your practice who is currently stood with my horse who has colic thinks he does'.

Roll on 10 years, her horse is still getting the odd gassy colic and the latest vet (different from previous two vets but at same practice) suggested the horse might have ulcers. Now however, she is not financially in a position to pay for the scoping that 10 years ago was free, nor can she pay £400 per week for six weeks for Gastroguard (which was either free or her horse would have been in the placebo group) as the horse isn't insured anymore.

Times change and so does research and new findings. What you did ten years ago for laminits you don't do now, navicular horses are no longer put down as the norm and not ulcer horses are classed as 'thin', some can also be fat!!