My horsey is broken - suggestions please.

[scotsmare]

We've had issues with backing my 4yr old girly for the last couple of months and it looks like it's been money down the drain

She has had irregular seasons and constantly seems tight across where her ovaries sit, so we thought it was a hormonal problem. She had an Oestroban injection to see if that helped but it didn't.

Today, I had vet out to scan her ovaries to see if there was a problem there and the upshot is that there isn't. They were perfectly normal for a mid cycle mare. However, just in case there was something hormonal going on then we've done a full set of bloods.....

Vet is now thinking that there is pain in her back of some sort - with a possibility of it being kissing spines. He has started her on pain relief today to see if that makes a difference to her, if it does then she needs to go for further investigation (she'll need to go either way I think). Vet hospital with right equipment is 150 miles away so it's a big decision!

Obviously, we've stopped all work til we get an explanation - no point paying for a test pilot when all we're doing is hurting ponio!

I should also say that she's never been lame.....

Any other suggestions as to what might be causing it? Am at end of tether and don't quite know which way to turn ATM.

 

[Nailed]

(((hugs)) hope it works out ok hun. Looks like we are all having a crap week ((hugs))

Lou x

 

[wildpoppywild]

i dunno what could be wrong but i totally sympathise cause my horseys broke too

 

[Fransurrey]

Hope she's ok. If it's where the ovaries are, I'd have thought more a pelvic problem, rather than kissing spines, but I'm not a vet! It couldn't be the saddle with pressure points at the rear, causing her to dip her back and therefore pain in the lower spine? Thinking aloud, really...

 

[Flame_]

Are you sure it couldn't be that the methods they use for breaking in might not suit her?

Maybe try another professional.

 

[scotsmare]

Fran - am going to get another vet to come and do a lameness work up to investigate it further.

Flame - I've watched what they've done pretty much every step of the way and it's nothing that anyone else wouldn't do

 

[Flame_]

Also, you might already know that bi-lateral hindleg lameness can show itself up as back pain. I would have thought the vet would have suggested it as a possibility if it was though.

 

[scotsmare]

Vet was caught out I think - he came expecting to find ovarian cysts and we sedated her to get the scanning done so couldn't do any lameness stuff afterwards.

 

[f_s_]

(((hugs)))) to you. That's cr@p!!!

So, on the more constructive side, first, they can do injections and surgery for kissing spines, which in some cases has been very successful.

Don't give up yet, the other vet may say something totally different, and easy to sort out.

and lots of ((vibes))).

 

[scotlass]

Sorry to hear about your girly, L. I'm afraid that I also can't really think of an explanation, could be so many things (spine, pelvis, etc). Hope it gets sorted soon.

 

[tikino]

oh scotmare you are realy having a shitty time with this poor mare. it does sound as though it could be some sort of back pain. get then second opinon ans then at least you know the way forward hugs for you and your poor horse

 

[zeuscleoharmony]

Do you have a facebook or email address you can give me and I can pass it onto my friend who has had terrible problems with her young mare and from what you describe it sounds quite similar. She's not on here but I am sure she will be happy to talk to you.

 

[monty16]

I sympathise as my youngster has just been diagonosed with chronic sacroiliac problems in her off side hind so pretty gutted about that. Old injury from before i had her the vet things...

 

[Slinkyunicorn]

O SM thats really pants

!! No idea what to suggest but it does look like she is going to need further investigations to get to the bottom of it.

Will keep fingers, hooves and paws crossed that they find something solvable and soon!

 

[TPO]

If you have confidence in your vets can you either get them back to do a full work up on her and/or send her to vet school for full work up and examination?

Is she insured? If so, depending on your insurer, some of them cover transport costs so this would cover you if you needed to use a transporter.

Having had my old practice "faff" over my mare for ages previously I would now always get a referal and full work up asap. At least then you hopefully get an answer quicker and can move forward from there.

Sorry to hear about this, I hope thing pick up for you soon

 

[OrangeEmpire]

Sorry to hear your youngster is not right.

My mare has never been quite right sinse I bought her as a freshly backed 4yro. She wasn't lame so it look a while for her problems to get severe enough to be spotted. Anyway to cut out the waffle and get to the point, she presented with lower back pain near the sacro iliac and after xrays the vet diagnosed spavin. However she didn't improve with treatment so I went with a hunch and took her barefoot.

It now transpires that her front feet were sore (her feet were misshapen and even 3weekly shoeings couldn't keep on top of it) and now they are getting better, her back pain is going too. It seems she was compensating for foot pain by leaning back putting strain on her back and hocks.

In my experience vague back pain is because of compensating for pain somewhere else. Fingers crossed it's not kissing spine anyway!
Good luck, hope the vet can sort it.

 

[MrsMozart]

Aw hun. Hugs.

 

[charlyan]

Just catching up on posts and found this while browsing NL- sorry to hear about your mare- didn't realise you had this going on when I pm'ed you yesterday.

(((Hugs)))) Hope you can get to the bottom of it. x