Kissing Spine - options? is there any hope?

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Chestnutter

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So to cut a long story short, my 15yo TB has just been diagnosed with mild KS. He's clearly in a fair amount of pain, he's lost so much personality over the last year and has got progressively worse in many aspects - he's always had a sensitive back but over the past year has become more sensitive to groom, tack up, and is extremely cold-backed when you first get on. Takes a very long time to warm up, and also found he has an old hip injury from his racing years as he's extremely short in the off-hind (although he does loosen up after a while, and this has always been the case).
He's very stiff in cold and damp weather. Over the past month he's gone downhill massively and had started to suddenly shoot backwards for no reason at really random points, and then he totally fell over in the yard after just getting on and couldn't get back up and just totally gave up which was heartbreaking - we've not ridden him since. He's since had the vet out a few times, and been x-rayed hence diagnosis.
So basically, I wanted to know what the potential options could be or what others have done in this position. He's only 15 but has aged really badly recently and is becoming high maintainance! He's only in light work - ridden pretty much every day but nothing too strenuous, just decent hacks and light schooling - so he's fit and healthy, but we don't do too much with him because he's just not up to it like he used to be, plus many other reasons that just make him more of a pleasure horse than anything else. I'm not in a financial situation to get surgery, although i've considered it and due to his use and activity level, i'm really not sure it would be worth it anyway - he's not 100% anyway and it's a huge commitment just for a happy little hacker.
My vet mentioned an injection but i'm not sure about how effective this is or how often it would need to be re-done?
I don't really want to retire him into a herd - he previously spent 3 winters out in a large herd and although he was rugged up and kept warm, it didn't suit him at all and he was disgustingly thin despite ample haylage and good grass considering, and he just looked awful and miserable. So the thought of him already being an old boy and uncomfortable and putting him back out to be "happy" just doesn't work for me, or him i should think!
Financially it would be hard to keep him in without having any use. But he's my first horse and an absolute dream come true for me and I love the bones of him. To be honest no outcome is ideal here. Either way, one of us is losing out. Ideally I just want him to comfortable and happy, i've made peace with the fact I probably won't be able to ride him again, but if that means him being comfortable and happy then i'm ok with that. Just wondered what other people did when their horse was diagnosed?
Sorry for the long one!
 
I think you are sadly going to be facing a very tough decision before the winter, he is in pain now, the KS is probably more of a degenerative arthritic condition than just impinging spinal processes that could be successfully operated on anyway, injections may help but you would still have to be very careful with what you do with him, he would require a full rehab and physio programme which considering he has a problem in his hip may prove difficult if not impossible to do well, if he is not going to be pain free and happy living out I would ask the vet if he could spend some time on pain relief so you can both enjoy a few weeks and say goodbye while he still looks well and has the sun on his back.
Sorry if that is not what you want to read but I think you will struggle to do much more for him, he will not be losing out as he has had a good life with you.
 
i have an exracer with ks and i dread the day i have to make the same decision. but if his quality of life wasn't great and he wasn't happy in a field then i'd pts as it would be the kindest option. My one had the injections and they have worked well, along with tons of physio, but hes a younger horse and your horses hip injury might hamper that.

If i was in your shoes i'd ask the vet what chance the injections might have, just in case you ever regretted not trying them. But pts really sounds like the kindest option for him in this situation.
 
Hi hun, firstly I'm so sorry to hear about your situation, it's awful.

My now 14-year old mare was diagnosed with KS (and not mild either...) in spring 2012. She had started refusing jumps and rearing, which is totally unlike her... The vet ended up giving her 5 injections in her back. The initial prognosis was that she for sure won't jump ever again, and would probably be a happy hacker. I was fine with that seeing as after 10 years she'd become part of the family. After the injections we did a lot of lunging (mostly with the pessoa), some light schooling and the physio came out once a month. She started getting a lot better very quickly and while i still wasn't jumping her, she was showing motivation and strength so we went on to win Elementary dressage. After clearing with the vet and physio she is now back to jumping 1.45m.

Obviously this is just one case. But my advice is to try the injections and see how they go. Obvs you should trust your vet and listen to your horse, but never in a million years did I think my mare would be as happy and going as well as she is now after the injections - and I only had them done once. I might need to get them done again, but for now she's good. Good luck! xxx
 
Sorry, double post - but just wanted to add that turnout and regular exercise is essential for KS horses. If my mare doesn't have turnout for a day she's significantly more uncomfortable!
 
Thanks guys

No not insured, but even so, I would have to consider the surgery a lot anyway. If he was younger and had more of a future ahead of him I would consider it more because I wouldn't want to deprive him of an active and healthy life, but I don't really know how well he'd react to such major surgery. Both of our situations mean he'll never be out competing or anything so he's just my pet and we do have so much fun together but in a relaxed kinda way! He's already done so much for me and his previous owner so I don't know how much I really want to put him through it when he's already given so much.
Thanks peanut0611, he gets turned out every day in winter and lives out in summer ( comes in for a few hours a day and on really hot days). At the moment it's not safe to ride him as his reactions were so explosive and dangerous. He's just out "resting" until we come up with a plan of action, which is killing me seeing him looking so bored.

Peanut, how much did the injections cost you?
Thanks for all the replies though, obviously the worst-case-scenario is playing on my mind 24/7 at the mo, nice to have other opinions X
 
my injections came to around 450 i think. My lad was 7 when he got them. I too didn't have the cash for surgery, so injections were my only option. I had been in a yard with good turnout, but he really only got the proper benefit of the injections when he was out 24/7 grazing and moving round all day. he was a bit lost the first month or so and i had geared myself up to pts if he struggled over winter, but he adapted well after a while and is now out barefoot and rugless and absolutely loves it.

You mentioned your horse struggled over winter before but would there be a chance that he was in pain? I have another horse who really struggled to keep weight on and vet said it was pain related due to a back issue. he said some horses just can't keep weight on if theres a pain issue. I had pumped feed into my other horse, but it was only when he got his treatment that he got back to a normal weight.
 
We are 12 weeks post op KS surgery had T14,15,16 done as they were overlapping,with boney changes. Lig snip not possible as no gaps between. We had steroid inj to begin with but didn't work, what it did do was release the spasm in her back for her to show up lame in left hind 3 to 4 tenths. SI pain, Osteo in hocks and SL damage , hocks and SL inj and a slightly different rehab post surgery to include SL. Vet check last week passed us completely sound :). It's been hard work to get to this point but so worth it . Is he suitable for the lig snip as it's much cheaper and the rehab is much quicker than the tradition. PM me if you want or look on FB user group Horses With kissing spine brill page loads of info ,stories ( good and bad results ) but no judgement or bitching xx
 
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We have a horse who had this. Vet advised as to turn out 24/7. You say yours wont cope with this, so move him out of a stable into a barn. He has to be able to constantly move about. Forget working on circles/turns, all work must be gentle, with plenty of low / low work, do not work up together forcing flexion through the back. Soft, gentle and patient working helps. Your boy must be in serious pain if he can't even take being touched. This will get worse in cold wet weather, so have a serious think. You will not have the active working horse you hoped to get.
 
My boy had very severe KS and the injections made no difference. He had the op to remove 5 spines and whilst this made him much more comfortable in himself, he still had the explosive reactions to being girthed. I tried every treatment going but after 4 years was no further forwards. He got really bad in the winter so that he had to have 2 - 3 bute a day if he was to be stabled for even the shortest amounts of time, yet if he was out 24/7 he was fine without bute. Sadly, due to being on heavy clay here, the wet winter we had last year meant that I could not maintain him out 24/7. I was therefore faced with PTS before next winter. Luckily I was able to secure him a place at the blood bank where he could have 24/7 turnout all summer and in the winter they are in big barns with huge outdoor enclosures so can always move around but can choose to go inside too if they want to. When I last rang to find out how he was doing, I was told he was loving it and was an absolute delight to deal with. So I'm very happy. He is only 12 so I would have hated to have him PTS. They keep them well into their twenties and even thirties there. I don't think he will make it that long as I am sure his problems will eventually catch up with him, but for now he is happy and comfortable.

If your boy's KS is mild then I think it would be worth going for the ligament snip operation, particularly if he responds well to injections as this is usually a good indicator that the operation will work.
 
Nice to know your boy is happy now despite everything! :)
Do you have a rough idea of how much the lig snip can cost? Money is the root of all evil!!
 
If your horse has issues with the sacroiliac as well, then TBH I would just let them enjoy the rest of the summer and PTS. I was in a similar position about 2 years ago with a 13 yr old ex-racer who had three impinging processes removed as well as a double neurectomy and injection into sacroiliac. He was on box rest for 9 months (wound on back did not heal well) and then it was a nightmare bringing him back into work. He was in a complete state - no topline so I had to lunge but this is bad for the ligaments/joints so I was in a catch 22 situation.

It has been 2 yrs now and we never did more than trot work for a couple of weeks when he was kicked in the shoulder and off for about a month. All of the rehab work wasted and we had to start all over again (you really need to manage SI issues on a daily basis) and so we started again and then we had problems with shoes so had another month off and again had to re-start and then he went lame behind again because the SI injection wore off. Finally we started again last month - I have now progressed to 10 mins under saddle in walk.

He feels very weak across the back (only been lunging for 3 weeks before I got on - normally I did 6 weeks of lunging) and he is still not 100% but never will be because of the SI (decided no more injections he is now 15 and has had a hard life). I would ideally retire him but he is such a fruit loop if not in work - even lunging every other day takes the edge off but I don't want to keep lunging him as I worry about his joints. So ideally if he could be a light hack a couple of times a week, then at least we could keep some sort of topline to hold the front and back ends together and he wont try to walk everywhere on 2 legs. Otherwise, I will let him have a nice summer and then he will be PTS as although he would be ok to live out, you would never catch him or lead him anywhere without heavy sedation and I would worry if there was an emergency/vet required/anyone needed to handle him without me being there.
 
My TB was dianosed with KS (T12-L3), overlapping in places and pretty sore in early summer 2012, the vet felt it was too severe for the standard surgery. He had several steroid injections followed by a fairly intensive physio and rehab period but I was back on and hunted him for a few days towards the end of the seaon. I felt he was getting sore again so the vet re-examined and he was recommended for the ligament op, which he had done (standing) June last year. It knocked him for six really, much more than I thought it would but following further rehab and physio he got the all clear to start ridden work in mid August. He got the all clear to go hunting at the end of October and from mid November until the end of the season he did 16 days. I was very careful with him, short days and no jumping to start with but by the end he was flying and as relaxed and happy as he's ever been. At his check up in Jan the physio was really pleased with him and effectively discharged him, although she still sees him, mostly for my peace of mind.

I'm working on getting him fit again and hope that we can manage another season. The vet who operated said that the length of time it will be effective is an unknown so I'm expecting the worst eventually but if I can get another couple of seasons with him then it's better than nothing. The vet said that retirement in his case is not an option - lack of exercise is the biggest enemy and that he's not to remain out of work for more than 2 weeks at a time - so if it goes again PTS is probably my only route which I'm dreading. I can recommend 3 Counties Equine (Tewkesbury) if you're in the area, it may be worth just finding out how much it costs. Mine was on insurance, but I reckon the surgery itself was around £2.5k, not including the physio sessions etc. Not cheap, but it may be an option.
 
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