just a little worried

madhector

madhector

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www.darlingdressage.co.uk
I am worried about Hector, he just isnt right, after last nights fun and games he doesnt look right behind (he damaged both hind suspenseries and tendon last year) and he is still sore on his off fore (he had an abcess and then farrier had to some how get a shoe on him, and had to put the nails quite high and said he would be sore for a few days, but not a week!) He just generally looks broken, he also seems to have a sore eye, which I have put some drops in, as he is prone to getting a blocked tear duct,

Vet is coming on friday and he is on his last warning as far as injuries go, vet said if he had any more problems with the hind legs it would be kinder to end it now. (he also has a dogdy pelvis which doesnt help matters) I would keep fighting to keep him going till the end, but everyone else says it isnt worth it
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He always seems to come back after each issue and looks as well as ever, but how long do you keep putting off the inevitable?


Sorry for a very pointless post, just needed to have a ramble really and try and sort my thoughts out
 
Poor you and poor horse. The cruncher must be when the quality of his life is poor. We have a responsibility to animals in our care to do the very best for them. It's not easy but then, nothing worthwhile ever is, is it? I'll be thinking of you both
 
Oh bum bum bum
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I am going to be hard nosed and say do NOT let your heart rule you head honey, if he is crook, he is crook
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I do hope he isn't and he is just being a berk - xxxxxxxxxxxx
 
Sorry to hear about your troubles.
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Why does the vet think it would be kinder to end it? Is this because of his tendon troubles? Any chance they will resolve in the long term?
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I ask because my horse was diagnosed with bone spavin as a 4/5 yr old very shortly after I bought him. Then he had sacroiliac probs secondary to that. The vets said if he ever turned out to be a hack it would be a bonus.
Well He has been sound for yrs now, competing dressage and showing......It took a lot of management and patience to get to this point but he proved the experts wrong. I would get other opinions as well as from the vets. If you get a good physio they can be very helpful.
Many people wondered why I put the time, patience and money in. They are eating their words now.
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lovely story, so pleased your horse got there in the end.

Hector is 17 and has had so many problems that I have battled through, and we know that even as he was a couple of weeks ago there was no way he would do more than hack again.

But he is so special to me, words dont express how I feel about this horse
 
It depends on:
-How comfortable he is - Is the level of pain/difficulty too much?
-How much time and money you are willing to throw at it, potentially with a less than good result.
-Do you have other horses that you can compete and leave him to a life of hacking/retirement?
Personally if I could keep him I would, but you have to be sure that he is not suffering unduly ....
But don't just give up because other people tell you too.....do what you feel is right....
 
yes I have Jerry, and as long as Hector is well enough to be turned out will and isnt in pain then will leave him to it, but I dont think I could box rest him again, just isnt fair on him, so that will proberly be the deciding factor.

Is hard to know what to do, as I know I will not make a rational decision when it comes to him, hence I need an outsiders thoughts on the situation who isnt emotionally attached to the horse
 
OK I don't know your horse's medical history. But I do know that my horse was meant to be on box rest for 6-9 months when he had the sacro iliac problem. With a temperament like his that was never going to work. If he was in too long he started box walking which was no help at all. I just turned him away for the whole 9 months. He was happy in himself, kept his joints and muscles loose without all the crazy behaviour I would have got if I tried to keep him in. I guess what I am saying is I would question the box rest.....vets do tend to throw this one into many equations....but I would question if it needs to be that way. No good to have a horse that is physically OK if mentally it is not.
 
Yes, definitely do that. If you are happy to retire him there maybe no reason why he can't have a good quality of life. Good luck. Will be interested to hear how it works out.
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I have just returned from a very pleasant hack on my 24 year old mare who fractured a bone in her hock several years ago and arthritis subsequently set in and she went very badly lame. It is amazing what carefull management can do. She is now sound, happy and healthy and loves being hacked out.
 
"But he is so special to me, words dont express how I feel about this horse"

I have a horse like that now aged 12. Bought him as a 3 year old, not noticing that he had a bent left foreleg. (What kind of idiot am I?) Aged 10 brought the onset of arthritis.

Backed him at 4 and rode him for 6years. Then had to curtail the ridden work last year as he suffered a phayryngeal injury which took 9 months to resolve.

Now, he is the happiest horse I know. His throat is fixed, his arthritis is controlled by joint supplements and half to one sachet of Danilon per day. He spends his time in the field bossing my idiot TB around and comes in twice a day for a bit of hay and a snooze breakfast/dinner, hob-nobbing with his fans, watching the women, grooming, etc. He knows he is top horse even though he will probably never ben ridden again.

If you can offer Hector a pain-free existence with plenty of attention, who knows how long he will last? It's inevitable that every person and every horse will die at some point. But hopefully, not until their quality of life has run out. Sometimes vets only think about horses from a ridden/financial/insurance point of view, but there is often plenty of quality to life left even if these are left out of the equation.
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If you can offer Hector quality, plenty of attention and TLC, then let him join the elite ranks of Rueysclub!
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Quick Reply...

Sorry but I have to say arthritis (which my old boy has had for years, happily) is VERY far removed from what Madhector's Hector is looking at dealing with - box rest, AGAIN, and then OK for how long, future of possible reoccuring box rest which he hates... I know life is full of lovely stories, but heart ruling head is NOT always the best route to take. Of course it will be fine and dandy if he can be turned out and that is that, but with his history it will not be as simple as that.

I TOTALLY understand why people post their success stories on threads like this, but arthritis and tendon injury and a dodge pelvis - IF all diagnosed - a happy life does not make
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(PS sorry if the above does not makemuch sense, am watching a mouse skit about!)
 
Sorry, but I was just focusing on Madhector's obvious love for her horse. Box rest doen't necessarily have to be "box rest". It can be restricted paddock rest, depending on the temperament of the horse.

Sorry, don't know Hector's full background, but just trying to play Devil's Advocate. Many people have to have their horse put down way before their time due to economic, geographic, practical and peer pressure issues, which are not always those which are easy to live with after the event.
 
"I would keep fighting to keep him going till the end, but everyone else says it isnt worth it He always seems to come back after each issue"

Who cares what everybody else thinks?

My shoulder is giving me incredible gip at the moment. I dislocated both of them more than ten years ago due to my idiot TB's behaviour, but not once have I considered putting myself down. Not in all seriousness, anyway.

It's inevitable that I will snuff it in the end, as will we all, but I shouldn't for any moment think that my eventual demise will be down to one of my shoulders.

When they give me gip, as they do from time to time, usually due to the same idiot TB's antics, e.g. detaching himself from the barn wall complete with plank of wood, metal tie up, lead rope, tie up string and headcollar, and having to extract him from a swinging plank with the minimum of delay, I often feel the urge to take a couple of painkillers to get me through the day, but I still enjoy my vices, my food and the general hurly burly which is part and parcel of everyday life.

When I am no longer in a position to enjoy any or all of these then I may consider taking the whole packet.....
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Not getting at you, Madhector, but just trying to point out that if there is any chance of getting him better with the minimum of psychological distress to Hector, then it is better than standing at the end of a leadrope while he is put down, just because everybody else thinks it isn't worth it.

Sorry Weezy, but my horses are more like pets than financial considerations.
 
I am really sorry. I think if I was you I would take each day as it comes right now. Wait and see what the vet says before you make any decisions.

I am very much in Weezy's camp though - I would rather have a horse go flying with the wind a little too early, rather than a little too late.
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Never ever an easy decision but one no-one else can really help you with. Best of luck.

Tia x
 
sorry, when I said "everyone thinks", I meant a lot of people, who I have alot of respect for as far as horses go, think it would be the best option, not just random people, so yes I do care what they think, as they have Hector's interests at heart

I would love him to be retired to a field, that is all I am trying to do at the moment, but he just wont stay sound enough. I dont mind if I never ride him again, just want him happy
 
Thanks Tia, taking each day as it comes seems to be the only way with Hector,

will have a chat with my vet on friday and see what she thinks, she knows what he has been through and how much he could cope with so pretty sure she will help be make the best decision
 
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