Is it ‘time’?

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chestnuttyy

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I feel awful writing this, but I’m unbelievably confused.

My horse has had ongoing lameness issues for 4.5years. Nearly 2 years ago he had a neurectomy on his hind suspensories with success. He was rehabbed slowly and work increased gradually. However, once we got up to around an hour of schooling (with extensive warm up and stretching) he ‘broke’ again. Sore behind the Saddle, lame in front, disunited, hollowing.

He had a few weeks off then just hacking, under the advice of my vet. He then went even more lame in front. He’s now on a bute a day and has bar shoes on, which I think has helped a bit. Yet to finalise potential next steps but vet is considering steroid injections in coffin joints and SI, with the view to try and work him to build up appropriate muscle (he holds himself very badly).

In the meantime he is increasingly grumpy, and I don’t know if this is because he is in discomfort or whether he’s being a grump.

I know I’ll get a million different answers to this question, but do I continue trying to fix him or call it a day and PTS? Field ornament is not an option. For background, he’s 13 with low mileage on the clock.
 
No idea; only you know.
I just want to say how sorry I am that you're having to consider this.
Could you try to get some idea from your vet about the chances of success if the steroid injections are done? Of course there are no guarantees to anything, but sometimes it helps to know that everything has been tried.
Hugs to you xxx
 
Are you insured? It occurs to me the vet is only proposing this because you're not paying. As I read it he's on Bute, still lame and grumpy, which could be pain or ulcers. It does sound like the end of the line, sorry. I'm in a similar situation now and know how difficult it is to make the decision and draw a line, it sucks. It sounds like you know what the right decision is though.
 
I am not sure I would be going along with steroid injections without having a diagnosis as while they may give a good result in the short term you may find they do no more than give you more time rehabbing but no "cure" there is every chance that whatever is going on now was part of the issue that was diagnosed as suspensory damage and while the op was a success the root cause has been deteriorating over the past 2 years or so, he sounds as if he is not happy and that you could have false hopes of ever fully fixing him, I am not saying give up but if he is not insured I would be thinking very carefully before committing too much financially and emotionally to something that may be beyond fixing.
If he is insured or money is not an issue then I would probably go for an MRI on the front feet before starting any further treatment so you really know what is going on and have a clearer picture of the best way forward, if his tendons/ ligaments are badly damaged they may be beyond treatment.
 
I was in a very similar situation back in November and I put my horse down. He was 13.

Most people on here were fantastic and supported my decision. I’ll never forget each and every one of them and their kind words. A few didn’t agree, but that’s what emotive topics like these do.

In your shoes, I would call it a day x
 
HillcrossMay said:
Never give up! See if the injections work, if not you could always keep/sell him as a companion for another horse.
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So disagree with this. The OP has already said 'field ornament' is not an option. The world is already flooded with 'companions' that are not needed. I know of at least two that were loaned as companions, disappeared presumably doped and then sold as riding horses.

Make the responsible decision - at least you know your horse will not fall into bad hands.
 
Like others have said it’s difficult to know but it sounds like you could be at the end of the road. I was in your shoes in November with my 7 year old who’d had bilateral hind suspensory op the year before. He briefly came sound enough to have a lovely summer competing etc then went very lame. My vet said there was no more that could be done other than reinjecting SI which he thought would be a waste of time. So I got a second opinion (vital I think if you’re at that stage) who did try reinjecting the SI but it didn’t work. So (long story short) I very sadly had him PTS. Heartbreaking though it was I’d given him every chance, including turning away for 6 months, so now I’ve got over the immediate upset of losing him I feel it was the absolute right decision. I really feel for you but it sounds like you’ve done everything but as my vet said, Mother Nature sometimes isn’t on your side.
 
Only you know the horse well enough to decide but if he’s not normally a grumpy horse, it sounds as if he is in pain. I think I would pts unless the vet can diagnose the problem, he has been through a lot.
I am sorry, it is never an easy decision and is particularly difficult when they are relatively young
 
HillcrossMay said:
Never give up! See if the injections work, if not you could always keep/sell him as a companion for another horse.
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Yikes to this ^^
OP has already said a field ornament is not an option and who wants to buy or sell a lame horse, sorry if I misunderstood your post
 
Pearlsasinger said:
Only you know the horse well enough to decide but if he’s not normally a grumpy horse, it sounds as if he is in pain. I think I would pts unless the vet can diagnose the problem, he has been through a lot.
I am sorry, it is never an easy decision and is particularly difficult when they are relatively young
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I agree with this ^^
Have a good talk with your vet, weigh up the pro's and con's and then have a good talk with yourself about what you feel is the right thing to do. You know your horse better than anyone and whatever you decide will be the right decision
 
Thanks everyone. I really appreciate the comments. I should have added a few things:

My original vet was of the opinion he should never school again. But might stay sound enough to hack. Her advice was to have a few weeks of fun hacking and see how he was. At this point he went v lame in front.

Injecting and bar shoes is the opinion of another vet. I wanted a second pair of eyes on him. This vet is of the opinion that he might come right, if we can get him comfortable enough to work. I just feel so deflated that I don’t know if I can go through it all again.

Re insurance, I’m covered for the front feet but that’s about it. Everything else is now excluded.

Re him being a companion, it’s absolutely not an option. He suffers severe separation anxiety and can be a PITA on the ground. The ONLY thing I would consider is a loan home as a hack, but that’s if he was sound enough to hack. Under no circumstances would I sell/ give him away
 
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I would fully support your decision if it came to PTS it seems to me there are quite a few life at any cost people about, so you might get a little flack, but people who truly love animals will support your decision either way as you are the one who can see the horse in front of you. Anyone who disagrees with PTS an animal of any sort until it dies or is in serious pain are just cruel, unthinking, selfish or deluded. It is a horrible decision to have to make but those who have livestock will at some point have dead stock and it is kinder if you can relieve some of their suffering for them
 
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What a horrible situation for you. You will know what is right, and it can be worth discussing this decision openly with your vet. I know that helped me.
Horses are very stoic and will hide pain, so by the time you can see it, it is usually severe. I was devastated at the time, but now have no regrets and know that I did the right thing to end her pain. Best wishes with whatever you decide.
 
Firstly, what an incredibly difficult situation for you. After reading your comments about your boy, I think you are being so incredibly sensible if you make the decision to PTS. You know your horse better than anyone and you should not feel guilty about making the right decision for him. xx
 
I’m so sorry to hear your sad news. I have been in the same place, as I’m sure have many of the others on this forum. What I did was to examine all the options to their logical conclusion, asking mysel ‘ok, so what happens then?’ at each stage. Eg, turn him away, what happens then? Injections, what happens then? Doing this, in my case, all options pointed to a severely reduced quality of life and PTS became the only humane option in his case.
Don’t be afraid to include your own financial situation in this option appraisal. Horses are extremely expensive and, unless you have access to resources like land and unlimited budget, you will burn through a lot of money very quickly. You can’t do right by anything if you are financially ruined. This advice was given to me by my own vet and I think it is very sound.
By PTS, you are not ‘giving up’ as one poster has suggested. You are making a very difficult and responsible decision to safeguard your horse’s future.
Thinking of you x
 
It’s a tough one and only you know tbe a answer. I’d want to know I’d done all I could but that’s not to say that you should keep going with expensive treatments if you can be at peace with your decision. Your horse doesn’t care either way. The day my childhood pony was PTS she was actually fine and it would have been easy to say “not today”. I had made the decision with a clear head and knew it would only be putting off the inevitable which wouldn’t have helped her. I think you just have to have faith In yourself that you’ll know what needs to be done x
 
I’ve slept on it and have decided to try the steroid injections as a last and final attempt to get a sound horse. If he comes sound enough just to hack, then I will look for a loan home for him. If by some miracle he remains sound enough to be an all rounder then he will stay with me.
If his QOL is not positive, then I will call it a day.

Thank you again everyone, it really helps to see other people’s views
 
That sounds like a good plan. You have an end point in mind now and that will make the decision easier if it comes to that. I’m hoping tbe injections work and it doesn’t come to that x
 
chestnuttyy said:
I’ve slept on it and have decided to try the steroid injections as a last and final attempt to get a sound horse. If he comes sound enough just to hack, then I will look for a loan home for him. If by some miracle he remains sound enough to be an all rounder then he will stay with me.
If his QOL is not positive, then I will call it a day.

Thank you again everyone, it really helps to see other people’s views
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Good plan. Fingers crossed.
 
in my own experience you have to do whats best for you and your horse.
I had a 30 year old pts in dec and have had people slating me behind my back for it.
If I respected their opinion or was insecure it might have upset me a lot.
Make your descision and the only person you have to justify it too is yourself.
 
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