Twiglet
Well-Known Member
Buzz had a visit from the vet today, who has been off for two weeks, and she's found a substantial deterioration in his jaw, which is in constant spasm.
He now has no chewing ability, so food is basically sucked in and 'gummed' before being swallowed. He can only open his mouth around 4cm. He's lost all condition on the left side of his head, and the cheek has sunk in.
Neither the cancer vets nor the practice vet have ever seen this sort of spasm as a result of cancer or radiotherapy, and can find no medical cause for it.
The only treatment option at this stage is to have the jaw injected with methocarbamol (sp?) which is a muscle relaxant, and see if that can release any of the spasm. He's in pretty constant pain, which oral bute doesn't touch, but is relieved slightly with IV painkillers. His jugular has already collapsed as a result of catheters, so having to be careful with how injections are done.
The methocarbomal treatment is twice a day, every day for five days, via a needle directly into his face, and the cost is likely to be in the high hundreds (the insurance ran out weeks ago).
I'm really not sure where to go from here. He's been fighting this thing for three months, which I know isn't that long in the grand scheme of things, but it's a very long time for a horse who loves eating, and hasn't been able to eat properly in that time. I always said I would keep fighting and treating him while he had a quality of life, but I don't know at which stage I have to consider what that quality is.
At least one vet has said that as he can't eat, and is in pain, as far as they're concerned he should be put down, but the regular team (the cancer guys, and the practice vet) are still prepared to throw the kitchen sink at it in terms of treatment. I'm just not sure how long I can continue to consign a horse who has been so *******ing tough about the whole thing to yet more pain and horrendous treatments.
If the muscle relaxant works or makes any difference, I'm considering another option - a friend has offered the use of her field for him. It's got great grass, good shelter, and he'd have a companion. I'd have to find a groom who can stop by and check him in the mornings, and I'd try to get there myself 5-6 times a week (it's much further than the yard). I'd ask the vet to stop by weekly and inject painkillers, but otherwise he'd be on a diet of just grass.
Previously I didn't want to consider it, as he just wasn't strong enough to live out, but now it's getting warmer, and the grass is improving, I'm wondering whether to let nature take its course, and see if it does a better job than everything else we've tried.
The downside of it is that at the moment he has a team of really awesome, caring grooms and yard owner monitoring him on a near constant basis - they're going out after evening stables to top up his slop forage, and testing his bite and his weight. They have a good working relationship with the vet, and they really care about Buzz and how he is, which as far as I'm concerned is worth its weight in gold.
I don't expect anyone to have an answer, but just wanted to get it all down and see if there's anything I haven't thought of. It's just breaking my heart to feel like I can't do anything to help him.
He now has no chewing ability, so food is basically sucked in and 'gummed' before being swallowed. He can only open his mouth around 4cm. He's lost all condition on the left side of his head, and the cheek has sunk in.
Neither the cancer vets nor the practice vet have ever seen this sort of spasm as a result of cancer or radiotherapy, and can find no medical cause for it.
The only treatment option at this stage is to have the jaw injected with methocarbamol (sp?) which is a muscle relaxant, and see if that can release any of the spasm. He's in pretty constant pain, which oral bute doesn't touch, but is relieved slightly with IV painkillers. His jugular has already collapsed as a result of catheters, so having to be careful with how injections are done.
The methocarbomal treatment is twice a day, every day for five days, via a needle directly into his face, and the cost is likely to be in the high hundreds (the insurance ran out weeks ago).
I'm really not sure where to go from here. He's been fighting this thing for three months, which I know isn't that long in the grand scheme of things, but it's a very long time for a horse who loves eating, and hasn't been able to eat properly in that time. I always said I would keep fighting and treating him while he had a quality of life, but I don't know at which stage I have to consider what that quality is.
At least one vet has said that as he can't eat, and is in pain, as far as they're concerned he should be put down, but the regular team (the cancer guys, and the practice vet) are still prepared to throw the kitchen sink at it in terms of treatment. I'm just not sure how long I can continue to consign a horse who has been so *******ing tough about the whole thing to yet more pain and horrendous treatments.
If the muscle relaxant works or makes any difference, I'm considering another option - a friend has offered the use of her field for him. It's got great grass, good shelter, and he'd have a companion. I'd have to find a groom who can stop by and check him in the mornings, and I'd try to get there myself 5-6 times a week (it's much further than the yard). I'd ask the vet to stop by weekly and inject painkillers, but otherwise he'd be on a diet of just grass.
Previously I didn't want to consider it, as he just wasn't strong enough to live out, but now it's getting warmer, and the grass is improving, I'm wondering whether to let nature take its course, and see if it does a better job than everything else we've tried.
The downside of it is that at the moment he has a team of really awesome, caring grooms and yard owner monitoring him on a near constant basis - they're going out after evening stables to top up his slop forage, and testing his bite and his weight. They have a good working relationship with the vet, and they really care about Buzz and how he is, which as far as I'm concerned is worth its weight in gold.
I don't expect anyone to have an answer, but just wanted to get it all down and see if there's anything I haven't thought of. It's just breaking my heart to feel like I can't do anything to help him.