SI and Poll issues. Are we throwing good money after bad?

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Whydowedoit

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We have a beautiful PRE mare who has had a bad time. She was rescued from a stud farm in Spain in an emaciated condition as the owner had gone bankrupt. She was brought back to this country, given lots of TLC and once she had reached a reasonable body weight, was backed. We then bought her after a full 5 stage vetting which she passed with flying colours. A few months down the line, she started to exhibit behavioural problems. Vet was called and diagnosed probable SI and poll issues. Both were injected and followed by intensive physiotherapy under sedation. She appeared to be doing well but as soon as she started to be ridden again, problems recurred. Vet called again, said she was sore all over again. She was scoped for ulcers but only had two grade one and one possible grade two. Vet thought they were insignificant but has treated with Gastrogard anyway. We have been advised that she is unrideable. In desperation, I have had a McTimoney chiropractor assess her. Vet thinks it a waste of time as in his view she can't do anything that physio hasn't already done. I do not want to give up on her but seem to be a lone voice as everyone else thinks we should. Has anyone got any thoughts on this? I would be particularly interested in any stories of success with chiropractors when all else has failed. Sorry for the long post but thank you for reading.
 
Hi, yes, I have a long story about my horse - well two horses that had SI problems, second one treated very successfully by a holistic vet who is an amazing chiropractor. I had previously had a McTimoney chiro treat him and she picked up on very little of what the vet found, so I think it's a question of finding the right person.

If you're not ready to give up on her then perhaps consider the holistic route? - there are a couple of people you could try. Highly recommend mine and I know of another who others have used.
 
Think I just lost my reply so will start again! Our vet knows of a vet who does acupuncture and chiropractic. He says acupuncture may help. Our problem is that we are virtually maxed out on insurance, so would be having to finance this ourselves,- hence my original question. Has anyone had success with this when all else has failed?
 
i've had great results with acupuncture on our horses, one of whom has SI issues and one with neck issues, however it will only work if the correct work is being done alongside it. The acupuncture will ease the pain and free up the muscles etc but it's only opening a window to allow you to get the horse moving better and using themselves correctly. It won't magically fix the horse on its own.
I would highly recommend it though, my older boy is 17, high mileage and I thought was going to have to be retired a year and a half a go, instead he's back jumping again. It's been hard work but worth it.
 
Whydowedoit said:
We have a beautiful PRE mare who has had a bad time. She was rescued from a stud farm in Spain in an emaciated condition as the owner had gone bankrupt. She was brought back to this country, given lots of TLC and once she had reached a reasonable body weight, was backed. We then bought her after a full 5 stage vetting which she passed with flying colours. A few months down the line, she started to exhibit behavioural problems. Vet was called and diagnosed probable SI and poll issues. Both were injected and followed by intensive physiotherapy under sedation. She appeared to be doing well but as soon as she started to be ridden again, problems recurred. Vet called again, said she was sore all over again. She was scoped for ulcers but only had two grade one and one possible grade two. Vet thought they were insignificant but has treated with Gastrogard anyway. We have been advised that she is unrideable. In desperation, I have had a McTimoney chiropractor assess her. Vet thinks it a waste of time as in his view she can't do anything that physio hasn't already done. I do not want to give up on her but seem to be a lone voice as everyone else thinks we should. Has anyone got any thoughts on this? I would be particularly interested in any stories of success with chiropractors when all else has failed. Sorry for the long post but thank you for reading.
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She may well have hind gut ulcers as my mare showed signs of Sacroiliac discomfort. It might also be worth considering mycotoxins or clover as a possible cause too! Check out Calm, Healthy horses which is a New Zealand site and Google mycotoxins in horses.
 
Thank you for that. I have considered hind gut ulcers and will probably treat for those after the Gastrogard. Will also check out the mycotoxins, - which I've not heard of before.
 
Thanks for your suggestions as well, Scarlett. I am slightly upset at vet's pessimism, but he is very well thought of and specialises in orthopaedic problems. Also, after I reported the chiropractor's assessment, he has suggested acupuncture. Unfortunately, this can only be done by a vet, ( he said he could recommend one as he doesn't do it himself), so may have to ditch the existing chiropractor and find a multi skilled holistic vet instead. Definitely worth doing though I suspect.
 
Would definitely keep going if you can.

I have an EMRT/Bowen therapist to treat my boy, she also has a Scenar machine and uses Bioresonance. I am pretty sure I wouldn't still have him if it weren't for her. That's not to say that he doesn't have veterinary treatments too as required but for his ongoing ailments (arthritis mainly) they can't really help.

If you posted where you are we may be able to recommend somebody.
 
Don't stop with just one expert! I bought my horse as a 2 year old, which should have been a blank page, but he had a bit of a past and several unknown issues despite passing a thorough vetting at 2. Not as bad as your mare, but I nearly stopped riding him as a 5 year old as he kept tripping and falling and I thought that was a good way to break my neck.

I persevered and it was amazing just how many experts can inspect horse and come up with a solution which has no result. I wasn't spending a huge amount the but vet thought I was wasting my money, as virtually every chiro and physio in the area had a go. He was seen by several well known names, all with a good reputation and recommended; some of which helped a bit, others not at all - Bowen treatment was good, plus some more way-=out people (plus all the farrier, saddle, teeth checks, as you do). It led me down several very interesting roads on the way!

I remember it particularly as it was my birthday and yet one more Chiro person walked up to my horse tied outside the stable and said "I can't fix all this on one visit." At last I had an answer, and he cured his tripping and 15 years later he does not trip.

I don't know what part of the world you are OP, but you can PM if you want a name.
 
I don't know if Liphook go as far over as you but I can highly recommend a vet there who does acupuncture, he is the one who put our old boy back together.
 
I suspect that Liphook is a bit of a stretch distance wise. However, in view of what you and others have said, I think I will ask our own vet for the details of the one he has recommended who does acupuncture etc. Unfortunately he's on holiday this week, so I'll have to wait a while but will keep you all updated.
 
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