Sad update on "always lame TB"

[StarcatcherWilliam]

Well, my lovely boy went to the vets on Wednesday for scoping and lameness workup.

Surprisingly, despite being very underweight and being a chronic windsucker, he did not have ulcers.

He was however, lame on all four legs. He had distended coffin joint on both fronts with changes to the tendon caused by arthritis. They were unable to give a diagnosis on his hinds because he had become hyper sensitive to vets poking him about and they were unable to inject nerve blocks even under sedation.

I made the decision to PTS because he was in pain and it was the kindest thing to do. On bad days he was hopping lame so retirement to grass wouldn't have been fair. His poor condition may have been due in some part to the pain.

I am absolutely devastated and can't believe the bad luck I have had with horses (I lost a 7 year old warmblood mare to misdiagnosed laminitis exactly two years ago).

Wondering whether to give up on horses altogether. I'm struggling to come to terms with the loss, he was a perfect horse and I don't feel like I will ever find another like him. I will certainly be having a long break and seeing how I feel at the end of it. Life really sucks sometimes :_(

 

[hairycob]

Sorry to hear your sad news. Just give yourself a bit of time to grieve before you make any decisions. Look after yourself.

 

[EquiEquestrian556]

Oh how sad. I'm very sorry. As the above poster has said, perhaps you should give yourself a bit of time before making further decisions, and then see what you want to do. Many hugs to you at this awful time. x

 

[AdorableAlice]

Very sad news, so sorry you did your best for him.

 

[Zuzzie]

You have been very unlucky but at the same time you have been very brave doing the right thing for your poor horse. So sorry for your loss. I truly hope that some day you will find another horse who will be your best friend/soulmate - you certainly deserve it. Sometimes, when these things happen you can't see a way forward but with time you will be able to put it behind you and move on.

 

[Princess16]

Have a ((hug)) from me. Take some time away, do your grieving and see how you feel then x

 

[Sheep]

So sorry for your loss. Give yourself time to grieve. Hugs x

 

[Enfys]

Even when we know it's right these decisions suck big time. I am very sorry for your loss, travel well boy. Take care of yourself, xx

 

[skint1]

So sorry for your loss, it's a very difficult decision to make but it sounds like the right one xx

 

[swellhillcottage]

I am so so sorry to read this and my heart goes out to you - thank goodness you took him to the vets and got a diagnosis, poor poor boy and poor you Don't give up as you have a lovely heart and hopefully in time it will be able to hold another neddie dear - one day a horse will find you XXXX

 

[Vodkagirly]

Sorry to hear. Don't blame yourself.

 

[Goldenstar]

So sad poor boy and poor you .
TB's can just be so hard to keep right .
So much is stacked against them when young .
Have a huge hug from me .

 

[FFAQ]

I am so so sorry to read this and my heart goes out to you - thank goodness you took him to the vets and got a diagnosis, poor poor boy and poor you Don't give up as you have a lovely heart and hopefully in time it will be able to hold another neddie dear - one day a horse will find you XXXX

So sorry for your loss. I completely agree with the above - I had an absolutely devastating start to horse ownership, but I do believe they find you when they need you. Sometimes it's for a short time and sometimes the human gets lucky and has a wonderful horse for a long time. Your boy was lucky to have someone who fought his corner for him and made the kindest decision for him. Oh no - now I'm welling up! Big hugs to you x

 

[catembi]

Sorry to hear this :-(

Don't give up - I know it's easy to feel that you've been singled out by the universe for bad luck, but really it's just horses. Just personally, I've had one break a leg in the field, Catembi died of a rare illness, his replacement had EPSM & that one's replacement has had ulcers & KS (a TB) & having treated both, he just won't come right.

So please don't feel unlucky/jinxed - unfortunately it's par for the course. I hope you find a new best friend in due course.

T x

 

[FfionWinnie]

Really sorry to hear this. He was lucky to have you.

 

[StarcatcherWilliam]

Thanks so much for your lovely comments xxx

 

[Michen]

So sorry. Been there xxx

 

[chillipup]

So sorry for you and your boy.

 

[applecart14]

So sorry to hear your news. Thinking of you.

 

[nikkimariet]

So sorry xox

 

[junglefairy]

I'm really sorry to hear your story.

I'm going through a similar low, last year I bought a horse after several years out of ownership and she's been retired after only a few months. I'm feeling pretty low about it (and have lost thousands which I couldn't afford to lose). I'm trying to remember why we do this to ourselves, But ultimately the good outweighs the bad and I think I need to get another horse soon and remember the positive aspects of ownership.

I hope you don't give up, maybe just need a break or a period of sharing, and I hope you have better luck in the future.

 

[Pinkvboots]

so sorry for your loss x

 

[frostyfingers]

So sorry, it's a nightmare sometimes. I had a lovely TB (bought to replace another who I'd lost in the field due to an arterial rupture) who was diagnosed with KS which he had operated on successfully about 3 years ago. Just before Christmas he came in from the field with a huge hock which we all assumed was a knock or possibly a thorn and didn't get too worked up about and treated accordingly with some effect. It didn't subside so had it scanned but that showed little although blood tests came back with a raised white cell count. More treatment followed but he was getting worse and worse, losing condition, lost all the muscle in his affected quarter due to lack of movement and after a review at the equine hospital and opinions from Newmarket the decision was made to PTS. I was devastated that such an innocuous looking injury ended up with his death - the pm revealed little except that the tendons/ligaments in the area had "frozen", but we don't know why and it's still a mystery. From fit and well hunter to crippled and PTS in 6 weeks, it was grim.

I have another horse, bought whilst my TB was still with us as initially the plan was to turn the TB away and bring him back in the summer and while it has been difficult adjusting (he's not TB and is very different) it has helped a lot. I think if I hadn't had the distraction of a new horse I would be struggling. I miss the TB terribly, looking at pictures makes me cry and I was given a portrait of him for Christmas (he'd been gone 3 days) and it completely undid me but I'm focussing on the new one and it's keeping me busy.

Definitely give yourself time to reflect but don't rule out another altogether until you've had time to think. It's so hard sometimes, but I still find the reward outweighs the heartache most of the time.

 

[fatpiggy]

Its very sad. I've learned over the years that you can pretty well guarantee that your horse will bust your wallet and break your heart.

 

[vanrim]

Don't give up. Bad things happen to even the top riders. You did your best for both horses. No one can do any more than that.

 

[ozpoz]

I'm so sorry for your loss. x

 

[StarcatcherWilliam]

Thanks all. Hating being without him and tomorrow I have decided to clean all his tack to put away into storage and pack up his rugs to take for cleaning/repairs. I've had lots of offers from lovely friends to ride their horses, which is really sweet and appreciated more than they'll ever know. Still waiting for his ashes to come home :_( xx

 

[PolarSkye]

Thanks all. Hating being without him and tomorrow I have decided to clean all his tack to put away into storage and pack up his rugs to take for cleaning/repairs. I've had lots of offers from lovely friends to ride their horses, which is really sweet and appreciated more than they'll ever know. Still waiting for his ashes to come home :_( xx

Oh Lovely - it's so very hard - especially in the first few weeks. Please don't make any rash decisions about future horses - just take the time to grieve for your beautiful boy and take things as they come.

Thinking of you.

P xx

 

[Pearlsasinger]

So sorry for your loss. Don't give up, you sound like exactly the kind of responsible owner that every horse should have. Take some time to enjoy riding your friends horses without the commitment that ownership brings and I'll bet another horse who needs a great owner will find you.