I'm finally doing it... I'm taking her to the vet

Ellietotz

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And I am so nervous.
I know I am a worrier and overthinker but I've always thought deep down something wasn't right. I looked back through all of my old threads of how my mare has been, even before the ulcers were found and before she ever went to the loan home before I owned her that I put the ulcers down to.
There are lots of questions about her history that I can't ever get a clear answer to and seeing as she was turned out for half a decade for being 'unrideable' after a couple of incidents including a trailer accident which I've spoken about in other threads, I can't help but think, why? I put a lot of it down to psychological issues and had lots of physio, lots of time getting the right saddle fit for her etc. Then the ulcers were found and treated but still something doesn't seem quite right. She is happy being ridden, no issues there other than sharp spooking which is solved now (it was me all along), she is happy out eating but she is not happy with other horses being near her, she gets extremely angry and she hates being told what to do. She moves odd as well in the sense that her canter has the shortest strides, she doesn't use her back end properly to really drive the canter underneath and forward, it's very 'pingy'. It doesn't stop her wanting to be absolutely full of it and want to gallop about out riding though but it just looks stiff in a way. I constantly watch how other horses move, how they have that spring in their hocks and pastern as they walk. My mare doesn't have that spring, her pasterns barely move when the foot lands. The breeder said she has always moved like that.
Anyway, I always feel like there could be something else going on and I will never know unless I just get her checked.

The hard bit is getting her there after the travelling accident. She will load with force and she will kick seven bells out of the lorry/trailer whatever she is in the whole way there, she will rear and basically just go mental. I am dreading it. She is going to be so upset and stressed. She is being sedated first and she is going to be there for pretty much the day to undergo a full work up, including any heat scanning, x-rays, ultrasounds, ridden assessments needed. Then hopefully, I will have my answers to all the questions I've constantly asked myself.

I have also had confirmed results today that her ovaries are fine, normal hormone levels, liver is fine and the full blood profile is standard so this is the last thing, hopefully.

Positive vibes please :(
 

Goldenstar

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To Travel her ,oral sedation is an option I have traveled a colicing horse like this .
Traveling loose in a lorry is another thing to consider .
 

tristar

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i would travel her with another horse or pony,

understand how you feel, its a daunting prospect when its not straightforward
 

Mrs. Jingle

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I hope you get some answers for your own sake, but sometimes we do have to accept definitive answers just cant be found, despite all the advances of modern veterinary science and a hefty insurance back up.

I am more or less at this point with my own horse - plenty of results bearing out that she is 100 per cent in some areas but isn't quite as she should be in other results compared to other horses, but absolutely no notion of why and some of the best vet knowledge in the Uk and Ireland are as flumoxed as me after almost reaching the limit of my insurance too!


My vet and I are now just accepting the results we have, using what tools and medication we have at our disposal to help her live her life as happily and healthily as we can mange and for the foreseeable future, the huge bonus is I can still ride her. Sometimes we just have to accept and deal with the horse in front of us.

I really hope you do get some answers, so much easier to deal with and make plans for the best if you do, but don't despair if there isnt a clear cut answer, sometimes there just isn't.
 

tda

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Hope at all goes ok, if you have a friend to go with you, and take a pad and pen to write down what is said, after the first half hour at the vets my brain turns to mush 😐
 

Ellietotz

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I shall be thinking of you tomorrow. I hope someone is going with you to look after you, just as you are looking after your mare. Good luck!

Thank you. It's next week so I have a few days to wind myself up about it! Someone will be staying with me so I hopefully won't need to have a meltdown!
 

Leo Walker

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Fingers crossed for something easy and treatable and for a stress free journey. I would definitely sedate her. Get the vets input on it. She wont be the first bad traveler they have met.
 

Pearlsasinger

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I'm still hating myself for putting her through it all :(


You are doing the best for her that you can when you take into account all the advice that you have been given by professionals and others (including on here:cool:). You have done all the tests that you can without taking her to the vet, so you haven't really got much of an alternative, really.
 

Ceriann

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Can you send her new companion with her? One of mine had to have her neddy friend with her when she went in (and stayed overnight). Vet says were great about it and were clearly used to the request.

Hope you get some clear answers - it may seem a lot to put her through but it’s for her benefit (you know that - she doesn’t). It will hopefully give you some solutions and the experience of the day will have been so worth it. Very best of luck with it all.
 

TotalMadgeness

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Its not easy is it. Mine had the pingy canter (which I have to say is pretty painful on my back!), complete lack of springiness over his back and in his hind pasterns and it turned out to be bone spavin in both hocks. Horse treated and he's starting to go (dare I say it) beautifully. Had my first lesson on him yesterday (first since his treatment) and instructor was utterly amazed. Still a long journey to go but I'm rather hopeful! This is a 9yo horse which has never been right since I got him and I've spent a blimming fortune on physio, chiro, saddles, bits & bridles... So good on you for taking the next step and I do hope she loads/travels OK. Best of luck!
 

Ellietotz

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Right... so we are home. Yesterday was very long and exhausting.

On the plus side, she traveled okay. She called and stomped a bit during the journey and it took a few goes to get her on but she didn't go mental which is a good start. She did arrive sweaty and shaky but I stood with her in the stable while she settled down. She wouldn't let me walk away, every time I tried to go in for a hot chocolate or something to warm up, she started getting upset and the moment I turned back round to walk back, she started doing little grunts so I felt too guilty to leave her, it was cute though.
She then had a walk and trot up, lunge in walk/trot/canter on both reins and a ridden assessment. She displayed the same bunny hop type movement that I had questioned before and they agreed she didn't move correctly on the back end. She was then x-rayed on the spine and full length of the hind legs. The vet suspected an SI issue but said this was more difficult to diagnose by x-rays so he didn't do it.
The hind legs are all fine on the x-ray and her back was fine although there was one part that was quite close together but not enough for them to suspect an issue. They believe that as she is 13, it's likely that it's been like this for years but it would be looked into next if it's not SI.
So what they have done is inject the SI with steroids and they are going to do a ridden analysis in a weeks time to see if there has been any improvement. If there is, then that will be her diagnosis following a long rehab program. :(
If not, it's back to the drawing board.
They said that it's likely to be that, not only from the signs but her conformation. She is bum high, straight legged and quite long which could easily be putting strain on the joint which is also what is causing her to move quite short and stiff with little flex in her pastern etc.
They have also recommended to start on Regumate which currently she won't bloomin' eat in her feed. They've done this as it may be contributing although there wasn't a hormone level or ovary issue but the moods don't help and neither does being in season throughout the year, including now. It's £183 every 4 months which I suppose in comparison to what I have spent on supplements is nothing!
They also want to inject her with Modecate, but only once, to keep her relaxed in order to kick start the rehab without her having the anxiety of pain when going into canter but I'm just not sure about that as it's not tested on horses officially and is used for schizophrenia in humans from what I could find when researching.

So I currently don't feel like there is an end in sight. Will just have to see. :(
 

sport horse

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1L REgumate can be bought online for about £103 at the moment. Maybe it is worth paying your vet for a prescription and buying it yourself?
 
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