To key hole or not to key hole, that is the question

PucciNPoni

PucciNPoni

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My mare went for lameness work up at the horspital last week. The did flex tests, scintigraphy, ultrasound, xray, nerve blocks. They scintigraphy showed hot at her stifle, where the tibia and femur meet. The blocks made her sound when they blocked that area. The x-rays don't show enough, but all the above have ruled out cysts, chips, fractures and tumours. The ultrasound doesn't see in enough to locate exactly what's wrong, but the vets educated guess (if ya like) is a torn ligament, but which and how bad is yet undetermined.

I may have an issue getting insurance to pay for the scintigraphy, but that's another story. However, I now have been prescribed three weeks box rest, handwalking 2x a day. Her stifle was injected with HA and she's getting Cartrophen once a week while on box rest. If she doesn't come sound, the next step would be to investigate arthroscopically (if that's a word), and repair if possible.

To complicate matters somewhat, the mare had a bout of laminitis this spring (her first and hopefully her last). Steroids are out of the question, hence the HA injection, but we are keeping an eye on things anyway.

So now my question: Providing that the insurance will pay for key hole, WOULD YOU? Given that the mare is only 10, is fairly fit, and has so far been my horse of a lifetime? Or would that be putting her thru too much?

Thanks for your input. I've got 2 1/2 weeks to think about things and it's killing me.
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I'd got for the keyhole surgery if it's needed, I presume you mare is healthy otherwise? Keyhole surgery is less invasive than a lot of other surgeries.
 
After the surgery I am assuming she would need to go on box rest for a while??? I know my horse would be miserable on box rest + she has COPD so boxrest really wouldn't be an option for us.
If you dont have the key hole, what are your other options, could you turn her away for 6 months with your fingers crossed, or is she not sound enough for that?
I'm sorry I really am not experienced enough to be of much help but as I could be facing similar decisions with my mare (not at that stage yet though) I am interested in what others will say about yours.
Good luck in whatever decision you come to, I'm sure it'll be the right one for you and your mare xx
 
I would go for it. 10 is not old & as long as she is treated properly & sympathetically she will be fine.Fingers crossed it doesn't come to that.
 
Thanks for your replies. Other than the laminitis, she is indeed healthy. The box rest shouldn't be an issue, but "turning away" for six months might be. My horse is on a yard and the grass far too much, no proper starvy paddocks so she lives "in" and is worked all summer . I do have someone that's willing to take her to convalesce her if necessary. Over the winter I could turn her away at home.

I guess my sort of line of thought is that I could box rest her for as long as necessary - that's not really a problem. I could turn her away elsewhere, that's not really much of a problem. However, without keyhole surgery, I wouldn't really ever know exactly for how long or exactly what the problem is, and I'd be guessing. I'm leaning toward the surgery if it comes to that, but a passing comment that someone made to me left me to question whether or not it was best to operate.
 
Hm, well I'm facing a similar situ with my mare, apart from its whether to scintigraphy and block or not. She too is only 10, but I have already said, no way would I put her through an op. Despite the fact the insurance probably wouldn't pay, she is the hot head temperament when it comes to vets, and she wouldn't cope well with having needles regularly, box rest etc.

If you're covered on the insurance, and your mare isn't a schizophrenic, I'd do it.
 
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