Kissing Spines again....

Halfpass

Halfpass

Well-Known Member
Joined
1 May 2005
Messages
3,527
Location
East Sussex
Visit site
My OH (grey_gelding) posted on here a while ago about our horse Spike that has been diagnosed with KS. We have been throught the first stages of steroids and local anaesthtic into that area where we saw him move 100 times better and not attempt to buck or throw us off. We thought next step would be the op. Our vet spoke to someone at the royal vet college (Justin I think) and he is not happy to go straight ahead with the op. He wants my OH to get back on this weekend, with the risk of being bucked off or bolted with, to see how the problem is now some 10 weeks after the steroids (which I have been told only last 4!!) If this show signs of pain then we are to go back and have more steroids and ride him for the 4 weeks again to see if we get any changes. He will then need syntygraphy then possibly the op. Is this normal procedure?
We are at our wits end as we thought it was all diagnosed and now we are being told that it might not be the cause of him bucking / bolting etc. We had hoped to get the op done ASAP we have owned him since May and have probably only ridden him a hanful of times.
 
That seems like a complete waste of time, pain, and money to me!
How does that solve anything?
The cortisone injections have clearly shown that the horse was in pain from his back. Cortisone is only a temporary pain reliever you can't keep on giving a horse cortisone for the rest of its life as it makes the bones snaps.
I would insist that the operation is done ASAP but find out what the aftercare program is at this particular hospital. If they stick the horse in its box for 3 months post op then have the operation done somewhere else.
They must do an intensive lunging program in the pessoa 6 weeks after the operation to teach the horse to use its back again otherwise the whole thing is a failure.
 
I wouldn't rush into the op - it's very invasive and traumatic and requires extensive after care. The steroids are not just a quick fix , they work to reduce inflammation and pain during which time you should be able to re-educate your horse to use its back correctly. Its importanet that you maximise the 4 week period after the injection by getting the horse to work in a deep round frame. As the steroids wear off if the correct musculature is now being developed many horses continue to work correctly. I would follow your vets advice, which he will base largely on the extent of impingement as evidenced in the x rays, and also on the intial response to the injection.
 
If you saw a massive improvement after the steroid injections then I'd definitely be looking to consider the operation. My boy had injections into his KS and I saw no change what so ever. I've just had scans done and it showed uptake in his sacroiliac and hocks (which was expected) but I've decided not to go for the KS op due to the minor change following steroid injections.

I had no success with being referred to Willesley but I know a number of people on here have and have had their horses operated on there with great success.

It's so stressful deciding on what treatment route to take, I feel a lot better about everything now I've decided what I'm doing!
 
totally agree, go straight for the scans and then op, my horse had the steriod injection and was great for 4wks on the lunge and moved great,
i had one clinic that didnt want to do the op, then i was recommended willersley by people on this site and i had him refered there.
he's now had his op 2wks ago and is home now on box rest for 6wks with walk out in hand or horse walker if you have one, then after that turn out in small paddock, and into the pessoa for 6wks building the work up slowly,
ive just started the work with my horse and he is feeling on top of the world since his op.
dont bother with any more injections get straight to the point
 
Think I would ask Royal vet collage why they are suggesting this course of action, there must be a reason and then get a 2nd opinion from Svend Kold at Willersley, you can have the x-rays sent too him for his opinion and then make an informed decision. IMO, Svend is the best in the country at this op (he did my ned 18mths ago) and he will be honest with you.

The palliative route can work for some horses, but not for mine and the pressure of having to keep them fit and muscled in the right places was a constant source of worry for me as my ned is not build naturally to work long and low. Trying to get him to use his back legs and back correctly is incredibly hard unless you are an excellent rider, but I also wish this had been an option for him, the steroids only lasted a few weeks on him and he had to be box rested for 2 wks after them so it didn't give much time to muscle him up. The op has the best chance of success if the horse is young and has nothing else wrong with it, but is not for everyone.

Remember this is your horse, so the way forward is your choice, I saw my horse 3hrs after surgery and he looked great, but equally Kanter has a fair point that in an ideal world your horse will learn to move correctly and it might save the need for surgery, I am not convinced that if a horse has been moving incorrectly all of it's life that it can change it's way of going in 4wks, mine certainly couldn't and we are still working hard to make him move properly now (he has a bit of an attitude about working effectively at times!) although he is now ridden 5-6 days a week and is a much happier horse who is starting to jump and has done pre-lim dressage at a few shows so we are delighted with his progess. I have no regrets about surgery but you should look at all the pro's and con's as it is a big decision. If you need to ask me anything, feel free to pm me.
 
I agree with kanter, work the horse long and low and as much work as possible with the steroids and hopefully his back muscles will develop in the pain free environment to enable him to support himself again. once the steroids wear off the muscles will hopefully be more developed to to his job. try it and see, usually does the trick, would only ever go forwards with op as a very last resort. - my friend had the op and it didn't work (by sven kold) and had to have her horse shot.....
 
[ QUOTE ]
If you saw a massive improvement after the steroid injections then I'd definitely be looking to consider the operation. My boy had injections into his KS and I saw no change what so ever. I've just had scans done and it showed uptake in his sacroiliac and hocks (which was expected) but I've decided not to go for the KS op due to the minor change following steroid injections.

I had no success with being referred to Willesley but I know a number of people on here have and have had their horses operated on there with great success.

It's so stressful deciding on what treatment route to take, I feel a lot better about everything now I've decided what I'm doing!

[/ QUOTE ]

Hi Bozzy

I have been reading all your posts, I have my vet coming out tuesday as have been having seroius issues with my mare. My back lady has suggested bone scans and my gut feeling is to go with it as my mare is not right.
How much are the scans out off curosity?
A few people have suggested it might be KS, i am not sure but know there is definately something wrong she is only seven.

How did you come across your horse had KS? Did you have problems when riding?

Hope you dont mind me asking all these questions.

Ju
 
I think you have to go with what you think is best for your horse. Mine had the op done by Svend Kold last June and yes it is very invasive, but I had no other option it was a last resort; that or PTS - steriods and long low work didn't help her her spine was almost fused. She has made a complete recovery and is a very happy horse indeed.

You need to ask lots of questions and also consider how far down the road you want to go with steriods etc. You also need to find out just how severe the KS is. I would do all of this bearing in mind that if all else fails the op is expensive and the insurance gets eaten up really quickly on things like this.

Good luck with what you decide, but I don't regret for one moment taking Honey down the op route after all she's still with me.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top