abbijay
Well-Known Member
I'm looking for others experiences of long term pain management in horses with gut issues.
Horse got diagnosed with a tear to his DDFT a couple of months ago as well as mild arthritic changes to 2 joints. We did the 8 weeks box rest and at the end of it started the journey to reintroduce turnout with a view to retiring him off to a field for at least a year, probably for good.
I kept him on bute (2 a day for roughly 3 months in a 775kg horse) at the vets recommendation.
His slight sheath swelling from the box rest got significantly worse and then we had ventral edema (swelling along the base of the tummy) and ended up being admitted to ICU at horsepital for a week to get him right.
He has been home a few days and we have put him out alone on a flat pasture for 6 hours a day. He is not running around (or even trotting off) but he has now become lame at walk. The vet has prescribed metacam (short term - we've paid £60 for a 5 day course) and is looking into previcox. Given how poorly he was a week ago I am really worried that this is not the best strategy.
Has anyone been through similar and got any words of wisdom? In my head we are facing a ridiculously uphill battle and I'm not sure it is fair or in the best interests of my best friend to go through with all this but equally I can't bare to do anything but give him a chance to get better.
(sorry for being a bit waffly, I guess this is much a matter of the heart as it is medical).
Horse got diagnosed with a tear to his DDFT a couple of months ago as well as mild arthritic changes to 2 joints. We did the 8 weeks box rest and at the end of it started the journey to reintroduce turnout with a view to retiring him off to a field for at least a year, probably for good.
I kept him on bute (2 a day for roughly 3 months in a 775kg horse) at the vets recommendation.
His slight sheath swelling from the box rest got significantly worse and then we had ventral edema (swelling along the base of the tummy) and ended up being admitted to ICU at horsepital for a week to get him right.
He has been home a few days and we have put him out alone on a flat pasture for 6 hours a day. He is not running around (or even trotting off) but he has now become lame at walk. The vet has prescribed metacam (short term - we've paid £60 for a 5 day course) and is looking into previcox. Given how poorly he was a week ago I am really worried that this is not the best strategy.
Has anyone been through similar and got any words of wisdom? In my head we are facing a ridiculously uphill battle and I'm not sure it is fair or in the best interests of my best friend to go through with all this but equally I can't bare to do anything but give him a chance to get better.
(sorry for being a bit waffly, I guess this is much a matter of the heart as it is medical).