G.A's experiences please.

My old boy had surgery at a vets in York for OCD in his fetlocks and he was fine...hope yours is ok. Lots of vibes coming your way.
 
My boy had two G.A.'s in a year (that was a bad year :() but coped fine with both of them. One tip I would suggest is getting some physio for him afterwards, they tend to be stiff and sore because of being pulled around / hoisted etc.
Good luck if you do decide to go through with the surgery.
 
Totally agree with BB about a physio, many people dont consider this. My mare had an op for a tendon injury and was home the next day, cost wise.. i cant remember exact cost, but the actual cost of the GA is a tiny amount compared to the extas/after care etc.
 
Sunny had his eye removed at aged 19 and he was fine. Bouncing around like a spring chicken as he was led back to his box from the recovery room. Pleased to be out of pain at last I think. Good luck x
 
My friend's top team chaser had an infected bone (from a shoe stud wound) operated on a year or two back. He was very lame after the op and there was concern about it being post operative nerve damage, but luckily it came right after a couple of days and he has been fine ever since, back to team chasing again.
 
My horse aged 14 had three GA's in 3 weeks and although the last one took him longer to come round from he was fine each time. This was back in 1997 when things weren't so advanced as they are now. My friends horse had is bone chip removed whilst heavily sedated (from above knee) whilst standing. He was two/three at the time.
 
Things I hadn't been warned about -

your horse may come back with hair loss above and below his eyes. Don't panic, they taped his eyes shut while he was under.

he may have bald patches on the outside of each hock, from the hoist straps. Mine grew back but one is scruffy and they took quite a while.

Try to take him out in hand and let him pick at a piece of grass that is full of different plants and weeds. Mine went mad for plaintain, that he would not normally touch. Then dandelion. He was clearly de-toxifying himself by picking the right plants to eat.

He was depressed for a few days, don't worry if he seems a bit down. Anaesthetics affect humans the same way.

Good luck.
 
I was told that my horse had a bone chip on his hock from a kick that took ages to heal, then obviously hadn't really healed and burst out again. Was told it was probably a bone chip and would never heal with surgery. Horse is very elderly, surgery not a viable option.

Turned out it wasn't a bone chip, just a stubborn infection. All healed and ok, no surgery!
 
As usual, lots more help and info than I expected and all of it positive
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Quite a few things also which wouldn't have occurred to me - like hoist damage. Why wouldn't they drop him and operate right there? For a start!

I'm liking the story about the bone chip which wasn't - it's already happened to this self-harming nightmare animal, except it was me convinced of a chip and the vets who weren't remotely worried. X-rays seemed to prove them correct but he still abscessed and I had to deal with a pus explosion. He is a wimp and the wound is getting there (not being helped by him keep knocking it open) and today, both legs are stone cold - almost icy to the touch and the pulse has faded to a faint blip. He's off AB's so expect a flare up any minute, then it's off for x-rays and I'll take it from there. He is sound on the concrete which is his field, and the arena and our drive and is not on any pain meds. What chances it is just his famously idiosyncratic healing pattern? For a TB his bone heals incredibly well and he has completely reabsorbed two huge splints with no help from even bute or hosing. He has come completely sound after bilateral spavin and strangles gave him a runny nose for three days and nothing else!
 
one of mine had emergancy op about 9 years ago all went very smoothly with no complications and have known quite a few others that have other verious ops (should point out at this point i work with horses and have worked on large yards with lots of horses!) without any complications. However please be aware of the risks. 1 in 100 die of a complication compared to 1 in 1000 for dogs and cats and 1 in 10,000 for people. this is in fit and heathly animals with no other health problems. As I have said I have known many more horses that have recovered without any issue but have known some that have not one was two days later (related to anesetic) other was in recovery and I VERY nearly lost mine last year in surgary. A lot of people dont see the risk yes its small but it is there. your vet will go though them with you but be awear things do happen. I really hope I have not scared you just wanted you to know the risks. hope all works out well.
 
I've had two of mine put under GA - both came round quickly and were fine afterwards.
There is a risk though, for each individual - it's best to ask your vet to estimate the risk for your animal, so you can make a realistic decision.
Good luck with it
S :D
 
I was horrendously nervous about it, but Be bounced back from a GA, absolutely fine :) I would never have guess she'd been under tbh :)

I did once lose one post GA, :( BUT[b/], that was shown in a PM to have been due to a weak heart valve, and it would have caught up with him relatively soon, so it was blessing in a way that due to him needing urgent surgery no one was riding him at the time.
 
My mare had one a year ago and was fine from it. She had it on a Thursday and was still a little woozy on the Saturday, just quiet and not her usual self. Agree about the Physio, I had one for her as she had box rest for quite some time afterwards. She was very stiff and they are hoisted around.
 
both of mine have had surgery. one was 4yrs ago aged 20 and the other was 5wks ago aged 8. no probs with the op or recovery. both for ligament problems.
 
My 18-year old mare had surgery for septic pedal osteitis earlier in the year, under a general. The anaesthetic didn't seem to affect her but she did become insulin resistant as a result of the surgery and got laminitis. She was still in horsepital when it happened so was treated very quickly. Apparantly this can happen in humans too after surgery... I'd never heard of it before.
She is fine now, out with her pals and back to her old grumpy self, but we are still waiting for the large hole in her foot to grow out!
Do make sure your insurance company know about the general, mine wanted me to ring to tell them when she was going under.
 
I worked at a huge equine hospital as a theatre nurse and we carried out hundreds of GA surgeries every year. The few that had problems afterwards were very sick to start with or had massive surgery, I don't recall any problems after surgery like you are describing. Obviously there is a risk but not one that is worth worrying about at this stage.

With regards to the hoist they are generally anaesthetised in a padded room but then they are moved to the operating table in the clean theatre which gives them proper support and has the necessary monitoring equipment.
 
star said:
both of mine have had surgery. one was 4yrs ago aged 20 and the other was 5wks ago aged 8. no probs with the op or recovery. both for ligament problems.
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Oh hello! I was wondering how the little ginger hunting machine was? Were you a wreck while they were having surgery? Or there, even! Will both of them be OK? Mine doesn't deserve to be, really, as he is an absolute twit and can't help himself but do the most ridiculously stupid things you'd struggle to dream up, even if you were very imaginative and having a productive day. Nothing he does surprises me any more. I am bombproof.
 
Happy Horse said:
I worked at a huge equine hospital as a theatre nurse and we carried out hundreds of GA surgeries every year. The few that had problems afterwards were very sick to start with or had massive surgery, I don't recall any problems after surgery like you are describing. Obviously there is a risk but not one that is worth worrying about at this stage.

With regards to the hoist they are generally anaesthetised in a padded room but then they are moved to the operating table in the clean theatre which gives them proper support and has the necessary monitoring equipment.
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Thanks for that - I'm pretty sure you came in on my very first posts on here (and in veterinary, too) about guttural pouch empyema, and flushing them out...

He's generally a robust animal and of excellent constitution, not counting his brain which is definitely deficient.

All these words are of great help and I'm feeling happier about the prospect now. I don't need to tell the insurance company - just my OH as he's the only underwriter!
 
brighteyes said:
Oh hello! I was wondering how the little ginger hunting machine was? Were you a wreck while they were having surgery? Or there, even! Will both of them be OK? Mine doesn't deserve to be, really, as he is an absolute twit and can't help himself but do the most ridiculously stupid things you'd struggle to dream up, even if you were very imaginative and having a productive day. Nothing he does surprises me any more. I am bombproof.
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hi - i was kept very busy at work operating myself while both of them had their surgery. took my mind off it a bit, but i do confess to breaking down in tears when i finally heard my old boy was ok after his as i was so worried about putting a 20yr old through surgery. his was 4yrs ago and despite the prescribed recovery program he re=injured it 6mths later and took another 2-3yrs to come about as sound as he'll ever be. he's 99% sound now - would take someone pretty hot to spot he's not quite right. he drags his hind toes a bit but he is 24 now and he's not on any supplements or drugs. the little orange hunting pony is a bit buggered. his prognosis is guarded. i'm not allowed to even trot him up until next yr. :( he is definitely missing brain cells and they were worried about him in recovery as thought he might lose the plot, but apparantly he just staggered to his feet incredibly early, stood there with his legs spread wide, swayed and wobbled but stayed on his feet and had a completely uneventful recovery. i was convinced he'd panic and be bouncing off the padded walls.
 
My last horse had a GA for knee surgery. He was totally fine with no ill effects, although I would recommend not going to see them the day of the surgery as he was groggy and confused looking and it upset me. The vets advised me not to go and wish I'd listened lol but other than that all was well x
 
saddlesore said:
although I would recommend not going to see them the day of the surgery as he was groggy and confused looking and it upset me. The vets advised me not to go and wish I'd listened lol but other than that all was well x
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i would def agree with that. mine still looked shocking the day after so i cant imagine what he looked like on the day of the op. well, i can imagine as i've seen dozens if not hundreds of horses post-op but doesn't mean i want to see mine like that!
 
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