Lameness

OK, it does make more sense now that you are so worried. I do think that if you can afford it, a good work up by a different vet including scans and x-rays would be worth it. I know that your current vet said that it wasn't in the hoof, but I've seen so many lamenesses that 'weren't in the hoof' turn out to be hoof issues (eg hoof balance, 'navicular' or a plain old abscess).

If you have a diagnosis, then you know what you are dealing with. As mentioned in one of the posts above, field rest is sometimes a very good option, although I would personally always turn out in a herd and on a big hilly field if possible. I have seen several horses come sound after a year of field rest (I know it sounds like an age but IME it flies by), when medical treatments have failed.
 
Faracat said:
OK, it does make more sense now that you are so worried. I do think that if you can afford it, a good work up by a different vet including scans and x-rays would be worth it. I know that your current vet said that it wasn't in the hoof, but I've seen so many lamenesses that 'weren't in the hoof' turn out to be hoof issues (eg hoof balance, 'navicular' or a plain old abscess).

If you have a diagnosis, then you know what you are dealing with. As mentioned in one of the posts above, field rest is sometimes a very good option, although I would personally always turn out in a herd and on a big hilly field if possible. I have seen several horses come sound after a year of field rest (I know it sounds like an age but IME it flies by), when medical treatments have failed.
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Thankyou, I will get test done ASAP and see where it goes from there x
 
Horsequestions1 said:
Thankyou, I will get test done ASAP and see where it goes from there x
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Probably a long, long way off for you and your horse, but if you decide horse will probably be pts would you consider a blood bank OP?
In a nutshell there is somewhere in Buckinghamshire that you can send your horse to. The horses live out April - Oct and then come in from Nov to March and live indoor in huge barns, and have ad lib hay. They live in large herds, and every now and then each horse in brought in to give blood (like humans do) takes about 20 mins, they have a token feed and they live in their herds as naturally as horses can live. Its better than a retirement home as they are actually giving blood for other horses to use for operations, so it makes it really worthwhile. You sign the horse over to them for life. The stipulations were, at one time, that the horse had to be middleweight and I think it was over 15.2hh but not certain if this is still the case. I know of four or five horses belonging to friends/acquaintances that have gone there, all of them have been young horses and given a chance of a decent life.

Seems such a shame that if your horse is able to live drug free, it cannot go to one of these blood banks. At his age he has a lot of life left to live if he has the chance to do so.

Lets hope it doesn't come to that. Next time you go to the vets take an adult with you to the vets so they can answer questions, etc and will be able to process the information better, as you seem a little vague on what's actually wrong with your horse.
 
applecart14 said:
Probably a long, long way off for you and your horse, but if you decide horse will probably be pts would you consider a blood bank OP?
In a nutshell there is somewhere in Buckinghamshire that you can send your horse to. The horses live out April - Oct and then come in from Nov to March and live indoor in huge barns, and have ad lib hay. They live in large herds, and every now and then each horse in brought in to give blood (like humans do) takes about 20 mins, they have a token feed and they live in their herds as naturally as horses can live. Its better than a retirement home as they are actually giving blood for other horses to use for operations, so it makes it really worthwhile. You sign the horse over to them for life. The stipulations were, at one time, that the horse had to be middleweight and I think it was over 15.2hh but not certain if this is still the case. I know of four or five horses belonging to friends/acquaintances that have gone there, all of them have been young horses and given a chance of a decent life.

Seems such a shame that if your horse is able to live drug free, it cannot go to one of these blood banks. At his age he has a lot of life left to live if he has the chance to do so.

Lets hope it doesn't come to that. Next time you go to the vets take an adult with you to the vets so they can answer questions, etc and will be able to process the information better, as you seem a little vague on what's actually wrong with your horse.
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They dont use the blood for transfusions at blood banks its used for experiments, if a horse needs a blood donor they will use a horse from the same yard or nearby, so they are experiment labs nothing else, not sure I would want my horse to end its days in an experiment facility!
 
Pinkvboots said:
They dont use the blood for transfusions at blood banks its used for experiments, if a horse needs a blood donor they will use a horse from the same yard or nearby, so they are experiment labs nothing else, not sure I would want my horse to end its days in an experiment facility!
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No disrespect but that shows how ignorant you are then, (ignorant as not knowing the facts, not ignorant as thick or meant nasty) as it is nothing like an experiment lab and I think you are incorrect on what you say 100%. Blood banks are for horse tranfusions and not for experiments! Urban myth I'm afraid.

WAGTAIL PLEASE HELP ON THIS POINT!! :(
 
applecart14 said:
No disrespect but that shows how ignorant you are then, (ignorant as not knowing the facts, not ignorant as thick or meant nasty) as it is nothing like an experiment lab and I think you are incorrect on what you say 100%. Blood banks are for horse tranfusions and not for experiments! Urban myth I'm afraid.

WAGTAIL PLEASE HELP ON THIS POINT!! :(
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Excuse me but I am not ignorant I looked into this in some detail because I wondered how on earth an organization or a company would need so many horses for blood transfusions or donors! If you go onto the websites of the blood banks they clearly state it is not used for this purpose and quite a few people have said the same on here, urban myth it is not!
 
I use horse blood in a lot of experiments and am very much in a lab...... the horses aren't on site, it comes posted in bottles, either defibrinated or lysed :p
 
applecart14 said:
No disrespect but that shows how ignorant you are then, (ignorant as not knowing the facts, not ignorant as thick or meant nasty) as it is nothing like an experiment lab and I think you are incorrect on what you say 100%. Blood banks are for horse tranfusions and not for experiments! Urban myth I'm afraid.

WAGTAIL PLEASE HELP ON THIS POINT!! :(
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Blood from equine bloodbanks is definitely used for experimental purposes, not for equine blood transfusions, the horses are not experimented on just the blood products taken from healthy horses, if blood is required for transfusions the vets usually have access to a local horse or keep one for that purpose.

I have considered one for mine and Wagtail was very helpful giving me information, most of it is available if you look.
 
And yes I have also helped drain my vets horse for someone else's :p, bigger vet schools always keep a few (and dogs) afaik we tend not to ferry blood and plasma around for transfusion so am not sure where your info comes from applecart.
 
Pinkvboots said:
Thank you both for that information :)
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Its okay happy to help dispel the myths surrounding blood banks. Your horse wouldn't be going into an experimental facility. Its a lovely place for horses to end their days. Its a shame more people don't look into it, I know of two occasions in the past 12 months that young horses were presented to a vet to be PTS. On one occasion the vet refused and recommended the horse was rehomed. on the other occasion the vet went ahead. Such a shame as both these horses could have gone to a blood bank.
 
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My horse was in one of the best vets in the country last week for a full work up after us getting eliminated at the weekend out eventing.

A full work up included:
Flexion tests on all 4, lunged on hard and soft and watched when ridden, nerve blocks up one whole leg until came sound at suspensory. Nerve blocks to hind leg. X Rays of all 4 feet, ultra sound of one leg, first of shockwave therapy to injured leg, full blood work tested, sedation for shockwave therapy. All of this meant we were in the vets for about 4 hours with me riding him after every nerve block.

The end result was full diagnosis and plan of action! This is going through my insurance and as we all know vets charge more when it's an insurance job than when it isn't (even though they wouldn't tell us this) and all of this came to £750. I am shocked at the amount you seem to have paid without a diagnosis or full plan of action. I would be taking the horse into the closest equine hospital and asking for a full work up until they found what the problem was.
 
applecart14 said:
Its okay happy to help dispel the myths surrounding blood banks. Your horse wouldn't be going into an experimental facility. Its a lovely place for horses to end their days. Its a shame more people don't look into it, I know of two occasions in the past 12 months that young horses were presented to a vet to be PTS. On one occasion the vet refused and recommended the horse was rehomed. on the other occasion the vet went ahead. Such a shame as both these horses could have gone to a blood bank.
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I was thanking the other two posters after you, your information was not correct which they both confirmed!

Please dont tell me how great the blood bank is it will never be an option for any of my horses I would rather have them pts than hand them over to such a place, my horses my choice and its certainly not a shame if other people choose to do the same.
 
... I actually. honesty cant not believe the 'vet' has managed to get 1500 of you! If you haven't actually had anything along the lines of xrays then how the hell do you get a £250 vet bill for the vet ding ****** all!? Flexion tests are part of the consultation. So you would have the call out fee and the consultation.. generally comes to £ 75-110 quid. But not £250! How many times do they want to see your horse in a month! When my boy went lame for 6 weeks a few years ago. my vet came out... 3 times I believe first a work up at our yard including nerve blocks, my horse then had box rest for a month to see if that helped. It didn't and my horse was still slightly lame . Light work was recommended , after 2 weeks there was no change so we took him up to the practice.
My bill for the full thing came to around £350.

If your horse is 3/10 lame you will see that he is lame, you wont need to ride him to check.
 
Jim bob said:
... I actually. honesty cant not believe the 'vet' has managed to get 1500 of you! If you haven't actually had anything along the lines of xrays then how the hell do you get a £250 vet bill for the vet ding ****** all!? Flexion tests are part of the consultation. So you would have the call out fee and the consultation.. generally comes to £ 75-110 quid. But not £250! How many times do they want to see your horse in a month! If your horse is 3/10 lame you will see that he is lame, you wont need to ride him to check.
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Agree with the above. I think the OP needs a responsible adult with her next time so they can assist her with any issues, and ask the vet how the bill is made out and what the costs are exactly for. I think she is a little unclear and very vague, but this might be due to her age and lack of experience which it sounds like the vet is taking advantage of!
 
applecart14 said:
Agree with the above. I think the OP needs a responsible adult with her next time so they can assist her with any issues, and ask the vet how the bill is made out and what the costs are exactly for. I think she is a little unclear and very vague, but this might be due to her age and lack of experience which it sounds like the vet is taking advantage of!
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If it was me. I would either be phoning the vets and either find out how and earth my bill got to that price, or I imagine a lot of vets put on the bill what each item was or was done and how much that is. If the above doesn't work or give you a answer I would be demanding I spoke to the practice manager or the head or the vets. Vets don't rake up a bill of that amount from simple flexion tests and call out. If they did. I would either change vets or report them. For them to get that amount of money from pretty much nothing is disgusting!
 
Hi OP. I echo what everyone has said about the extortionate vet fees. Also a months box rest without having even a vague diagnosis seems extreme. For example there are certain conditions such as arthritis where box rest may not be helpful and the horse would be better off moving around. You can't possibly make any reasoned decisions about this horse's future without having more facts...and to get those I suspect you need a different vet. Until you have more definite answers you are selling yourself and the horse short.
 
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