Kissing Spine

[charliejet]

Hi, I have a 7 year old ex racer that I bought and wasn’t told he has previously diagnosed KS. I didn’t give him back when I found out as it wasn’t a good place. He is the most loving horse but very screwed up mentally. There is no way he will do box rest and rehab but I wondered if anyone has ever had one operated on and then turned them away? I know rehab following surgery is so important but I feel he just needs the problem fixed and then turned away until next year to chill out and realise he doesn’t hurt ?
Don’t want to waste money and time but want to give him a chance. Any thoughts? Thanks.

 

[AmyMay]

I can’t imagine any type of spinal surgery not requiring an initial period of box rest.

 

[Bellaboo18]

The thing is you say you feel the horse needs to chill but the reason he cant chill at the moment is due to the pain hes in.
Really you need a full workup done, then you can decide with your vets help what you're willing to put him through.
If he has kissing spine, is this secondary to something else...has he got ulcers due to the pain...etc.

 

[be positive]

My understanding is that the op alone will not fix the problem without the rehab so doing an op then turning away is fairly pointless as he will continue to carry himself in the way he is because the muscles are already built up, as already said it can be secondary to other issues but without a full workup it is a guess.

What would be worth considering, depending on how bad the xrays are and how uncomfortable he is, would be a really good rehab with a decent physio involved, not a dubiously qualified body worker, to see if he can be improved without surgery. I know of one physio who does this, alongside vets, and it can be successful, one of my liveries had a carefully targeted rehab and her back improved although it was secondary to mild hock arthritis and the hocks were injected, she quickly got back into full work and is going better than ever, it is worth looking into as not every horse needs surgery and the rehab is a priority, he could be worked from grass which would be beneficial in many ways.

 

[charliejet]

Thanks for the replies. He is going for a full work up first to see if he is suitable for surgery. I have one of his previous x-rays which is bad but I need a full set and a work up for secondaries before making a decision. Absolutely heart broken at this horse, he is my dream horse, moves beautifully but he is in pain and it’s either KS surgery or PTS I think ? I have a good experience with Rehab and have an amazing chartered Vet physio on board already.

 

[ycbm]

I had a horse who had 5 ligament snips who I wasn't prepared to box rest as he would self harm in a stable by smacking his head. He went into a big barn for couple of weeks, then into the field with a quiet companion. He was reviewed at 6 weeks and the vets were very happy with him. He returned to work and was doing walk trot and canter when he smashed his head twice more in two separate events leaving him in uncontrollable nerve pain when he was PTS. Nothing to do with the spine op, he had smacked his head all his life, it was bizarre.

I recommend you follow your vet's advice, though.

 

[charliejet]

I had a horse who had 5 ligament snips who I wasn't prepared to box rest as he would self harm in a stable by smacking his head. He went into a big barn for couple of weeks, then into the field with a quiet companion. He was reviewed at 6 weeks and the vets were very happy with him. He returned to work and was doing walk trot and canter when he smashed his head twice more in two separate events leaving him in uncontrollable nerve pain when he was PTS. Nothing to do with the spine op, he had smacked his head all his life, it was bizarre.

I recommend you follow your vet's advice, though.

Having had a horse who had severe neurological issues and was pts from what we suspect was a head injury I know how awful that must have been ?
Absolutely, I will follow my Vets advice, we have already discussed the fact that he won’t box rest when he had a hoof injury but got through that, so she knows the situation.

 

[Teaboy]

A lot can be done for many with a good vet, rehab plan and physio without surgery

 

[Green Bean]

My mare was diagnosed with 2 KS processes - on vets advice, she had an injection into the area under sedation, then on Danilon for 10 days with the very real need to work her long and low and using her hind end for a while before riding again was even considered. This was to develop her core so she would lift in the middle and so reducing pressure on the processes. Based on this treatment, I cannot understand why horses with KS are turned away for a period, then are expected to come back into work. If rest was all it took for KS, there would be a lot of horses sunning themselves for a year. Correct exercise is the minimum action for KS, then surgery if this is the best option based on the level of activity you want from your horse