Kissing Spine Operation Recovery

jess_asterix

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Hello, just wondering if any of you have any tips or tricks that work well for kissing spine op recovery.

Obviously the vet will be sending me home with a plan tomorrow but just wondered if anyone had anything that they felt made a real difference.

Thank you :) x
 

cptrayes

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http://youtu.be/K-YaXJiZWlE


Mine had five done. I kept him in a 90ft barn until I'd taken out the staples, then I turned him out. It wasn't the recommended rehab, but I thought it was right for him. The stiffness went in couple of weeks, and he developed a massive overtrack, and surprisingly also lost a front leg limb flight deviation that must have been linked to his sore back. I lunged him like this, then rode at six weeks as recommended.

He continued to be afraid of pain for a while, but by about twelve weeks he was very sweetly walk trot and canter in the arena.

No long term report I'm afraid, because he gave himself two unrelated head fractures and had to be put down because they left him with trigeminal neuralgia.






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cptrayes

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I recommend you look up the pdf file for rehab on the Cotts website. They pioneered the op, do them as day cases, and their rehab instructions are to get the horse out walking in hand immediately. Compared to theirs, my rehab instructions were ridiculously restrictive.
 

HayleyUK

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My advice would be to follow your vets advice to the letter and if you are worried or have concerns; discuss with them.
In my mind, it makes no sense to go through a series of investigations and procedures to then disregard rehab advice - Physio is also useful; I did a lot of pole work and work to encourage stretching over the back.
 

Primitive Pony

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As above, but if you haven't joined it already, Horses with Kissing Spines group on facebook - moral support and shared experience, v useful from that point of view.
 

jess_asterix

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Of course I will be following vets advice but just helpful to get other people's experiences too. Have a very good physio who I use so will be working with her too. Have joined the facebook group, thanks :)
 

cptrayes

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Mmmmmmm. There's vet's advice and vet's advice. My vet's advice was that I should put twelve stone of weight of tack and rider on the horse's back and be cantering the horse before he considered he would be fit for unrestricted turnout. I'd sooner poke hot needles in my eyes than canter a horse with twelve stone on its back which isn't believed well enough to be turned out in a field.
 

HayleyUK

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Of course I will be following vets advice but just helpful to get other people's experiences too. Have a very good physio who I use so will be working with her too. Have joined the facebook group, thanks :)

Totally agree - it wasn't a criticsm. Its always good to look at other's expeirences and discuss with your vet/seek professional advice to see if it might work for you. I've definitely done that with both of my issues recently.

Mmmmmmm. There's vet's advice and vet's advice. My vet's advice was that I should put twelve stone of weight of tack and rider on the horse's back and be cantering the horse before he considered he would be fit for unrestricted turnout. I'd sooner poke hot needles in my eyes than canter a horse with twelve stone on its back which isn't believed well enough to be turned out in a field.

Isn't that just a case of poor vet advice in the first place? Its just not sensible; and in your situation - i'd have been discussing why the vet felt that was appropriate and working through it rather than disregarding and taking the 'I know best' approach. To use my case as an example; i had an extensive rehab and physio programme including box rest, restricted turn out, controlled exercise in hand and rehab physio before I was even allowed on board; after I was allowed on board - it was a case of slow and steady hacking in straight lines for weeks in walk and trot before I was allowed to canter.
 

cptrayes

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Isn't that just a case of poor vet advice in the first place? Its just not sensible; and in your situation - i'd have been discussing why the vet felt that was appropriate and working through it rather than disregarding and taking the 'I know best' approach. .

Unfortunately it is impossible to discuss anything with a surgeon who does not have an email address and will not give you his mobile number and is not resident at the hospital, but travels and has gone.

And thankfully, the man who pioneered the operation, who has done more of it than anyone, who taught the surgeon who did mine, provides full rehab instructions on his website.

So I felt perfectly happy to trust my own judgement as to what would be right for my horse.
 

HayleyUK

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Again, not a criticism so not sure why you're jumping to be so defensive.

Out of interest; were you referred by a vet or was it a self referral case?
 

cptrayes

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Again, not a criticism so not sure why you're jumping to be so defensive.

Out of interest; were you referred by a vet or was it a self referral case?

I'm not being defensive, I am simply responding to your 'i know best' comment and explaining what the situation was.

The horse had x rays by my vet, and that's the surgeon the vets I was with used. I'm not sure what you mean about self referral.
 

GlamourDol

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We've had one at work have the op. He is a sharp, young dressage horse so some of the rehab advice was out of the question for us. It was just too risky. Went are 9 months on now and the horse is better than ever but has had other things done. Under no circumstances would I be sendijng anything to hartpury's rehab programme. By all means pm me If you want any more info.
 

coloured_c0b

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following with interest OP i'd been interested to hear your experience of the operation, my boy has just had his back injected and waiting to see if this improves before making this decision to operate.
 

jess_asterix

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We have started hand walking this morning. Luckily she is a gem on the ground so don't think this will be an issue. The box rest will be more the problem so she has a friend left in with her.

Injections were an option for us but as she isn't insured I decided to just go for the operation as didn't want to pay for injections for them potentially not to work.
 

cptrayes

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We have started hand walking this morning. Luckily she is a gem on the ground so don't think this will be an issue. The box rest will be more the problem so she has a friend left in with her.

Injections were an option for us but as she isn't insured I decided to just go for the operation as didn't want to pay for injections for them potentially not to work.


I paid three hundred for the injections and they were fab ............... for three weeks :D
 

Bubbles

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Things that I felt made a real difference: regular physio, lunging in an equiami, raised pole work. I did use myoplast but can't say I noticed a huge difference, but I was very cautious about how hard I worked my horse.
One huge thing that helped, keeping his back warm. Good luck :)
 
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