How long to keep going when treatment isn't working?

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grouchymare

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Hi, could really do with some opinions here as tying myself in knots about my mare. She is a 12 yr old 16.2 TB who has had a nightmare year. # splint bone Aug 08 which was operated on Jan 09 (after box rest & pressure bandaging didn't work ) then went lame behind in May & had keyhole surgery on DDFT tear & annular ligament.
To cut a long story short, after box rest & controlled exercise as per vets instructions she is now almost as lame as before op & very dull & quiet so vet last week recommended turning her away until January as he doesn't feel she can cope with any more box rest. Normally you would worry about them going wild when turned out but she is just "bimbling about" the field & doesn't want to trot even when coming for food!
Its breaking my heart to see my spooky scatty TB like this & I wonder if I'm persevering for my sake or hers?
 
Oh hun what a horrible situation to be in.. *hugs*
She doesn't sound like she's enjoying life much at the moment so why don't you talk to your vet and say that you're concerned about her quality of life etc... see what advice they have to give and then take it from there. But at the end of the day you know your horse best...
Good luck with it all x
 
Thankyou both for your kind replies. Discussed with vet last week whether to carry on or not but felt I couldn't give up after putting her through so much already. Now seeing her so low I just don't know what to do and wonder if it would be kinder not to go through the winter. If only they could talk!!!
 
Only you know your mare and what is best for her. Is she going to live out over the winter? Will she cope with that? Does she have field companions that she is settled with? Will they be with her if she lives out? All things to consider if you decide to leave her over the winter. How confident are you that the vet would tell you if s/he thought that you have done all that can be done?
I have been there and done that, with cats and dogs as well as horses, it is very easy to think 'well I've spent so much money/come this far, lets see if......'. And I'm afraid in many cases I've wished afterwards that I'd called it a day sooner, even though I've been following vets' advice. Although in the odd case the animal has come right or at least improved enough to have a good quality of life.
I think quality of life in the short-term has to be taken into account as well as for the long-term. The animal is only aware of the here and now and can't think 'This discomfort/pain will be worth it for the future outcome'.
Sorry, I don't suppose this rambling has helped at all. But I wish you and your mare all the best.
 
She will live out for now as she is quite woolly & rugged. She is turned out with a fieldmate who she adores which is a huge improvement after so much time on her own in the box. I agree with you re quality of life (having watched both my parents going through hell with unsuccessful chemo I always said that we wouldn't do that to an animal & I know they both wanted it to end much quicker). I think my vet is saying what he thinks I want to hear as he doesn't know the answers either but I would prefer an honest opinion.
 
There is an very old saying Doctor Green, seems a lot of The vets and ourselves have forgotten that. Turn her away for 6 months or more if you can afford it.Time as they say will tell.
 
In the same situation as you many years ago with a beloved horse injured - hers was beyond repair in the end.

I found that the vets 'pussy footed' around as to whether the situation had now become dire.

In the end I got a 2nd opinion from another practice, about whether my mare was in a lot of pain , as the initial vets said she might be, medium grade, a few days a week, which of course I wasn't happy with.

The 2nd practice said they thought she was suffering, and after 18 months of treatment, we'd all given it our best shot.

So I did what I probably should've done long before. I was heartbroken. But for her, there was no possibility of improvement.

It's very difficult to advise you what you should do, so I'd say it depends on what the long term prognosis is, whether your horse is in pain now and whether that can be managed, and whether you trust your vets.

Good luck x
 
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