how long would you wait before referring for full investigations

debsflo

debsflo

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horse went lame a month ago had a week off ,saw mctimony as thought pulled something ,week later saw equine vet for lameness work up ,no idea really recommended 2 weeks rest one of those on bute . finished that and no real change 1/10 on straight line poss 3-4/10 on a circle but definatley not happy .plan now is for referral to neh or rossdales for full investigations .i have followed vets advice but now worried ive left it too long or not long enough . she is insured so not worried about that but sooooo frustrated we dont know what it is .hopefully will go next week when daughter is available to ride her if needed.
 
I wouldn't worry that you have left it too long. You don't say that she has got any worse so I doubt the box rest would have harmed her and if it is soft tissue damage it was probably better that her movement was restricted.

It is very frustrating when a lameness workup doesn't provide a definite diagnosis.

Did the lameness workup include x-rays/scans and have her feet been thoroughly checked to rule them out as the cause of lameness. How old is your mare?
 
shes 14 ,vet convinced hock or higher, xrays clear . she is no worse possibly a little better but has never been lame in the 2 years weve had her .was positive to a flexion test which is why vet thinks hock or stifle.
 
see i wish i'd had a refferal sooner. i'm 10 months down, 2 thirds of my insurance down and no diagnosis. seeing my vets on tuesday- i am going to demand a refferal.
 
read your history ,sounds a total nightmare. has your horse ever been to one of the big diagnostic hospitals ie rossdales ,aht or similar as im sure they are used to complicated cases. if not could your vet liase with them or refer and explain whats already been done and found and how much money is left so they can prioritise what is done ,,,, good luck though ,i think not knowing is soo hard,
 
debsflo said:
read your history ,sounds a total nightmare. has your horse ever been to one of the big diagnostic hospitals ie rossdales ,aht or similar as im sure they are used to complicated cases. if not could your vet liase with them or refer and explain whats already been done and found and how much money is left so they can prioritise what is done ,,,, good luck though ,i think not knowing is soo hard,[/QUOTE

no he hasn't been to one of the major ones, more of a regional one if that makes sense. to be honest as time has gone on i just wish i'd asked for a refferal earlier. i'm actually quite annoyed really. my vets reffered me to this regional hospital and to be honest between them i am no further forward. if you feel its going to be complex i would push for a refferal sooner rather than later. i'm considering changing practices as well after all this
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you need to read your insurance CAREFULLY! Some have a limit time wise for referals or ongoing claims. Read all the small print or call them to explain and check that you are still covered for referal.
 
Mine was left too long in my opinion before being referred and in hindsight I wish we'd not let the vets waste so much time. If we had got the prognosis we eventually got a month earlier and took the correct actions 2 or 3 weeks after the injury occured our horse could potentially have been well again in 6 weeks and not the 9 months it has taken. Since our issues, I'd always ask for a referral if it was anything out of the ordinary to do with the legs and anything that required xrays.
Whether you have left it too late or not will be up to the hospital to say and it's too late to worry about now, just feel better knowing that you're in the best hands now. We went to the hospital thinking they were going to say it was the end of the road for our mare and now she is back in work so hopefully it will be the same for you. Good luck.
 
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