kissing spines and university. PLEASE HELP!!!!

[Beauts]

my horse often bucks and rears with me, but is wonderfull when handling on the ground. last summer she was diagnosed with navicular disease, but had a treatment to stop her from going onto bute and it has almost stopped her lameness, however recently she has been diagnosed with kissing spines, the vet has put her on bute and we r to go back in a month to see how she is getting on. i used to do dressage and showing with her, but now i am unable to put her on the bit, or keep her in canter longer than one circuit of the school. i am goin away to uni in september. does anyone have any suggestions as to what i should do with my horse for four years, considering her problems. please help!!!

 

[spaniel]

You arent going to like this but.....unless you can leave her at home with a responsible carer it may be kinder to either have her pts or to arrange for her to go to a retirement home/charity. I have heard too many horror stories of horses going on loan or as companions to recommend this for your mare.

With the navicular AND the KS she will always be just a pet and I certainly wouldnt consider her a candidate for broodmare.

Sorry.

 

[rrose]

my mums mare had kissing spines when she was 8, we had her pts as it was not fair. she enjoyed her work but it was too painful... we tried retirment centres but there is long waiting lists. the only other option is for the operation but then they are on box rest for 3-6months which is a hell of along time. we too considered broodmare but the vet said there no point as this may link to the foal. i hope you come up with a solution good luck.

 

[Grumpy Herbert]

I think the kindest thing would be to retire her or, sadly, have her pts. Loaning can be a minefield and if she had problems I think people would soon get fed up - it's different when they're your own. You could try the rescue places, but looking at the posts above, it sounds like this wouldn't be too easy to do. I really feel for you, as it's a horrible position to find yourself in.

 

[Beauts]

thank you for everyones suggestions. from the stories you've told me i also think that the kindest and most resonsible option would be to have her pts.

when i last went to the vets, he mentioned something about an injection that could be given which lasts about three months. does anyone know anything about this and how effective it is as i am thinking of using it to see me through the summer?

thanks for everyones help x x

 

[seabiscuit]

God some of these vets really p**ss me off. Sorry but I have had a horse with kissing spine and also know lots of other horses with kissing spine and the way that your vet has treated your horse is NOT the way to go about sorting your mare out.
Please ask your vet to refer you to a top vet practise. Are you nearer to Yorkshire or Newmarket? Both places have very good vet practises there.
Bute is not going to sort out a kissing spine.Nor is this injection that your vet is talking about which is just cortisone and is only a temporary pain reliever but also permantly damages ligaments in the process so its not a good idea.

My horse had KissingSpine surgery last year, and is successfully on his way to eventing again. It has not been an easy ride because he also has hock spavin, but like yours he was as stiff as a piece of wood. Now he is very soft and supple and has muscled up loads from almost being a write off- you would now never know that he has had any problems.

So yes,really an operation is the best option for treating KS,which removes the rubbing bone in the back, sounds a dire operation but its very straightforward. Also a good physio and well fitting saddle ( must be a saddle with serge panels) will also help no end.

 

[spaniel]

A positive post Forrest which is great. To be honest i hadnt really mentioned the surgery option purely because the after care and rehab can be so time consuming and there is no guarantee at the end of it.

The difficulty here lies in the OP going off to Uni and therefore needing to leave all this in the hands of a third party.

 

[louise1967]

my horse was diagnosed with kissing spine in 2000 after me thinking that she was cold backed for 2 yrs, it got much worse and she was diagnosed with kissing spine after being x-rayed. my vet never mentioned an operation but i was told to send her off to a back specialist who put her on a special fitness programme which meant the muscles in her back pushed her spine back up and stop the bones touching, this included lots of lunging in an outline and hours of excersise for her. Anyway she came back after 1 month a new horse, I done the badminton ride on her and she was perfect, the only downside was she had to be lunged 3 times per week for an hour in an outline and ridden always in an outline reguarly. she would then for the rest of her riding days have to do this having no time off from this strict schedual or i could retire her as a companion horse.

 

[BethH]

Some times correct work can sort the problems out but mine needed the op. He is doing really well and it saved his life which we are incredibly grateful for, but he is part of our family and more than just a horse for me to ride, so I wanted him out of pain first and foremost and am thrilled he has come back in to work.

If you go down the surgery route, the rehab regime is as important as the op and you must have the time or help to manage it effectively. Mine had 6 weeks box rest and walking in hand daily, followed by 6 weeks in the field in a pen but doing ground work (in my case long reining) and then I got back on him after 14 weeks and re-backed him. It is a long and tiring road but well worth it if you want to try and save your mare. I suggest you get x-rays and have them sent to Svend Kold at Willersley Equine Clinic in Gloucestershire. IMO he is the best in the country and will be honest with you about your horses future.

Don't go down the PTS option until you have investigated your choices so that when you make the decision you feel comfortable about it. Please PM me if you need any advice or help.

 

[seabiscuit]

Fair point Spaniel but the OP here has not been correctly briefed on how to sort out her horses problems. Sorting out a kissing spine with bute ?? Ok we dont know the full story here about the horse but there is so many ways to improve a horse with this condition- even if you do not go down the operation route-shockwave therapy, H wave, remedial shoeing, physiotherapy etc etc you could go on forever.
My point is that if she could get a second opinion and then therefore knows the full picture about how to treat a horse with such symptons then she can make her own mind up on how to sort out the horse and then decide what route to take regardless of wether she is going to uni or not. But at least then she would be totally aware of all her options....

 

[spaniel]

Entirely agree on the second opinion Forrest. Bute seems a very 'unusual' thing to suggest.

I see that Svends name has already been mentioned throught the thread and couldnt agree more that he would be the man to contact.

 

[Sparkly]

I was told many horses have KS and owners are unaware until an additional strain is placed on the back e.g. a limb problem

This was the case with my big lad - he tore a tendon in a hindleg and went for lameness invesiigations at an equine hospital as he also developed a lump on his back and discomfort

They diagnosed KS and said it was very common but affects horses very differently. Since the leg recovered my horse has no problem with his back at all

I would get a 2nd opinion from another vet
How was the KS diagnosed?

 

[Beauts]

i agree that a second opinion maybe worth getting from whatyou've told me. im not sure what the additional strain could be, the navicular? i'm fairly sure its KS, she had all the symtoms....bunny hopping with the back legs, not wanting to go forward in canter, not wanting to go into an outline etc, and i was shown the x-ray, you could clearly see the closenes of the vertabrae. although i appreciate the suggestion of the operation and other alternatives suggested and if my situation was different i would definitly try those routes but as things stand i wouldnt be able to do it myself and dont know anyone willing or capable of doing it for me especially as recovery takes a long time

 

[louise1967]

Hi me again, just to let you know my horses treatment was done by Liz Launder at her back clinic in Gloucester, the NFU paid for it as I was insured with them at the time, she was there for a month then came back better than new. I know i had to keep her very fit but i would recommend it over the op which has a very long recovery time or having her put down.
Do you not have insurence???

 

[Petrie]

I think you have to think of your individual situation, it's not just a question of the horse. Getting the horse referred to a proper hospital like Rossdales or Liphook is really expensive, running into thousands before any treatment is given, or operations done.

Then there's the rehab. You've got to be there day in day out to monitor the horse's progress, then you've got to lunge and ride it correctly, regularly. This is not a problem where 'rest' or 'doctor green' is going to get it better. You can't turn it away for 4 years and go off to uni.

And if you're off to uni, then who's going to do it? And who's going to pay for it?

If you're parents are willing, then you could have the horse sent to a really good livery yard where they will do all the rehab for you, but it will cost them.

If it were me, I would do the operation and rehab if I thought there was a chance my horse could have a useful life at the end of it, but I'm in a position where I can do it all myself, and I can afford it. I'm 34 and married, not about to go to uni (again!)

I know it sounds harsh, but if you can't commit to rahabilitating the mare professionally (either yourself or in a really good yard) then the kindest thing is PTS.

Really sorry for you, it's a difficult situation.

 

[spaniel]

Thats great that it worked for you Dusty but KS isnt a simple condition where each horse has the same problem. It could be two vertebrae that only touch once in a blue moon or any number of vertebrae could be banging together all the time no matter what shape the horse adopts.

 

[louise1967]

MY horse actually had her spine touching in two places at all times, the vet told me it was serious before she had the x-ray and when I seen it I understood why even having a rug on was causing her to fall to the floor in the last few weeks, I should have never let it go on that long, what started out as beeing cold backed got worse. But the back lady done the perfect job.

 

[spaniel]

Thats so good to hear. Its a long hard slog and I admire anyone who can put in the time and effort to rehab a KS horse either with or without surgery.

 

[Beauts]

Thank you for everyones input, i really appreciate everyones opinions and points of view. i do have insurance, and i am also with NFU, i have been suggested by my instructor to claim loss of use. from what everyone's said, esp petrie, i know i cant invest the time needed for rehab. leaving me witth the companion option and the pts option..... i will look into the companion option as i desperatly dont want to pts

thanks again for everyones advice