Birker2020
Well-Known Member
I said goodbye to my beautiful horse Lari on Friday. One of the hardest goodbyes ever.
He kept going lame, it was very intermittent - he would be abscess lame at 8am but barely noticeable four or five hours later. The duration went from weeks to days in between. He had been on one bute a day at that point before switching to two a day. He would be foot pointy but the vet assured me it wasn't an abscess or laminitis, he was never resistant to hoof testers, never presented as either and his cushings test came back negative. It was always felt it could have been soft tissue damage in his foot but we felt we needed to rule out coffin joint arthritis first.
We decided (me and vet) to medicate his coffin joint and he had a third nerve block before having the procedure which blocked positive to the foot again. We were even more certain it was his coffin joint after the synovial fluid tap poured out. Sadly, after 9 days he went lame again. With heavy heart it was decided to give him one last shot and medicate his navicular bursa as his symptoms presented very closely with inflammation of the bursa. So he went to the clinic on Wednesday 8th October and had four days box rest with the last two on controlled hand grazing before going into a postage stamped paddock which I increased slowly. On Tuesday night I thought I saw him point his toe but decided I'd imagined it. I guess at that point I already knew.
Wednesday morning exactly a week after his navicular injection he was very foot pointy and sore. I turned him out as I felt he was better moving and by the time the bute had kicked in he was barely noticeably lame. I went home in floods of tears knowing it was the end of the road and having that conversation with my partner. We decided to see how he was on the afternoon but I'd never seen him so sore so I made the call. Again an hour after his buted tea he was comfortable.
I was having my sacroiliac medicated at hospital next morning so we tore up to the yard later that day. Staff had kept him in he was that lame. We gave him a further two bute that afternoon and two the following morning. He had a lovely warm bran mash with lots of treats on the Friday morning and I was relieved to see him come out the stable sound, but I knew it wasn't sustainable and the bute was masking, it was 4 bute in 24hrs. The vet was due at 10am so I took him for a hand graze which he loved and stuffed his face with grass before passing peacefully a short time later. As he was about to go down for the final time I spoke to him and he flicked his ears towards my voice so he knew I was there and was with him at his final breath.
I'd owned him for 4 yrs and two days and loved him during all the time unconditionally. I'm absolutely heartbroken, it feels like life will never be the same again and I don't know what to do to fill the time. I'm glad we did all we could, I know that we tried everything we could for him and the money is immaterial at the end of the day.
I'm posting this not for sympathy but for closure and to let those who lent me unwavering support throughout know the sad outcome. Thank you for all your love.
I've decided I'm having a few months off the forum as its not doing my MH any good.
I will be back one day hopefully with news of another friend to love when the time is right and I'm having my stable held until that time. I have now lost 3 stone and six pounds and feel better for it. Thankfully I'm not working at the moment so can have some time out.
Anne
He kept going lame, it was very intermittent - he would be abscess lame at 8am but barely noticeable four or five hours later. The duration went from weeks to days in between. He had been on one bute a day at that point before switching to two a day. He would be foot pointy but the vet assured me it wasn't an abscess or laminitis, he was never resistant to hoof testers, never presented as either and his cushings test came back negative. It was always felt it could have been soft tissue damage in his foot but we felt we needed to rule out coffin joint arthritis first.
We decided (me and vet) to medicate his coffin joint and he had a third nerve block before having the procedure which blocked positive to the foot again. We were even more certain it was his coffin joint after the synovial fluid tap poured out. Sadly, after 9 days he went lame again. With heavy heart it was decided to give him one last shot and medicate his navicular bursa as his symptoms presented very closely with inflammation of the bursa. So he went to the clinic on Wednesday 8th October and had four days box rest with the last two on controlled hand grazing before going into a postage stamped paddock which I increased slowly. On Tuesday night I thought I saw him point his toe but decided I'd imagined it. I guess at that point I already knew.
Wednesday morning exactly a week after his navicular injection he was very foot pointy and sore. I turned him out as I felt he was better moving and by the time the bute had kicked in he was barely noticeably lame. I went home in floods of tears knowing it was the end of the road and having that conversation with my partner. We decided to see how he was on the afternoon but I'd never seen him so sore so I made the call. Again an hour after his buted tea he was comfortable.
I was having my sacroiliac medicated at hospital next morning so we tore up to the yard later that day. Staff had kept him in he was that lame. We gave him a further two bute that afternoon and two the following morning. He had a lovely warm bran mash with lots of treats on the Friday morning and I was relieved to see him come out the stable sound, but I knew it wasn't sustainable and the bute was masking, it was 4 bute in 24hrs. The vet was due at 10am so I took him for a hand graze which he loved and stuffed his face with grass before passing peacefully a short time later. As he was about to go down for the final time I spoke to him and he flicked his ears towards my voice so he knew I was there and was with him at his final breath.
I'd owned him for 4 yrs and two days and loved him during all the time unconditionally. I'm absolutely heartbroken, it feels like life will never be the same again and I don't know what to do to fill the time. I'm glad we did all we could, I know that we tried everything we could for him and the money is immaterial at the end of the day.
I'm posting this not for sympathy but for closure and to let those who lent me unwavering support throughout know the sad outcome. Thank you for all your love.
I've decided I'm having a few months off the forum as its not doing my MH any good.
I will be back one day hopefully with news of another friend to love when the time is right and I'm having my stable held until that time. I have now lost 3 stone and six pounds and feel better for it. Thankfully I'm not working at the moment so can have some time out.
Anne
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wishing you all the best on your forum sabbatical, and sending lots of luck for your horse search when it resumes
So sorry for your loss
