Kissing spines operation

[jenh166]

One of my horses has just been diagnosed with grade 3 out of 4 kissing spine pretty much affecting every vertebra from withers to sacroiliac joint...vet has given prognosis as guarded for returnung to full athletic ability (novice eventing - plan to go intermediate this yr..), and operation prob not worth trying as damage is so extensive.
But...was wondering if anyone knows what regime is with regard to rehabilitation timescale etc after op, as I fear even if insurance company insist on trying op before paying out for loss of use, the horse may not cope with it (he boxwalks and I really doubt he'd survive box rest without going insane...!)
Thank you!

 

[seabiscuit]

Hi Bean- think I know you from Woodhams?! If you remember, Owen ( the chestnut with 3 white socks!) had the KS operation at Willesley equine in Gloucs. We were told by every other vet in the south that the operation was not worth doing!
I'd advise you to get a referral to Svend Kold at Willesley- he is the leading expert in the world for dealing with and treating Kissing spine. Other vet practises just dont compare, quite frankley, as they all like to say, the operation is not worth doing! But it is worth it, and at the end of the day, you have nothing to loose, cos no other treatment works!
Svend is an expert with the KS operation and will usually advise surgery for nearly all cases., usually they come through the operation very well as the whole surgery is now very straightforward for them ( he's being doing this op for over 20 years now) and they return to competition. Svend says he's done top class comp horses and theyve returned to top level after surgery.

Re- your horse not coping with box rest. They do loads of exercise after the op to keep the back elastic and supple. One week post op they are doing 2 x 10 min walking a day building up to an hours walking a day over the next 4 weeks. ( either in hand or on the horsewalker- but straight lines are better) So 4 weeks post op- an hours walking a day. weeks 5 and 6- an hour and a half. Weeks 6 to 12- start intensive lunging program in the Pessoa- over poles to get the horse using his back and rounding, and engaging over poles, walk, trot, canter, plus still doing the hours walking a day. So 3 months after the operation you should have a very fit and supple horse and then you just get on them and ride (in theory! )

They key is lots of exercise post op- I think the reason why other vet practises are so anti the KS operation is because they stick them in the box for 3 months straight after, with very very limited exercise, and of course the back looses all elasticity and will never regain its normal strength and function. Hence why Willseley reccomend lots of exercise as that is the only regime that produces the results and the horse should be as good as new. Svend ( the surgeon) also has a different way of cutting things in the back ( cant say what the tecnicalities of it is!

) then how other vet practises would do them.

Owen was a different horse after the surgery- muscled up loads, won elementary dressage, and always jumped clear showjumping but was still too much of a chicken on XC to get his eventing career of the ground, so I sold him to a pure dressage home. He passed a 5 stage vetting with flying colours and the physio said that his back and his muscles were better than 'normal' horses!

 

[jenh166]

Hey, yeah I do know you!!
Hmm interesting, I may ask into it further! Thank you.

 

[HollyP]

I would definately advise surgery, my mare was a terrible weaver before hand so i was concerned about being stabled...however she didnt weave at all, she coped EXTREMELY well

good luck!

ditto Svend...lovely man