tumour on vulva

[carthorse]

I went to see a friends horses yesterday. She has a 24 yr old pony that was her disabled grand daughters and a rescued tb .
The old pony has a sore on her vulva. My friend had a vet out a few months ago who said it didnt look like anything to worry a b out if it doesnt clear up he would do a biopsy. This cost her over £100.
It did seem to improve but now has got worse and I think its a tumour. My friend is a pensioner and keeps the horses in diy yard so really struggles but as she says what do you do when you have old horses. She has them insured but I think because they are old it will be for accidents only.
So I dont think she is going to be able to afford expensive treatment. The pony is well in herself and happy. She will get the vet back out this week but has anyone gone though this. I havent so have no idea what will happen.
Any advice of cases you have come across.

 

[Evie91]

Sorry no advice to offer re; tumour. Just wanted to say that my horses insurance fully covers her until she is 25, then after that accidents only - may be worth checking.

 

[carthorse]

Thank you. I will tell her to check. Vet coming Wednesday. I think they should have investigated when they first came out

 

[fatpiggy]

I hope this doesn't come over sounding horrible, but saying the owner is a pensioner and therefore unable to afford treatment for the animal is not a good enough excuse. You either keep a kitty going and stick a few quid a week into it, or you don't keep the animal any more. Horses are expensive enough to keep at the best of times. Why should any animal suffer because the owner didn't use a bit of common sense and plan ahead?

 

[carthorse]

Yes it does come over horrible. What should my friend have done with the pony when it was outgrown, sold it at the age of 19? What if no one wanted to buy it should she send it to a sale?
No my friend will keep it and make sure it has a painless end to its life. It is stabled at night and has a lovely shavings bed. She goes without so that her horses can have a good life.
She just cant afford to spend a fortune on a vet. You try to live on a pension. The vet is coming tomorrow. She will take his advice. If it is a few hundred pounds to have treatment then she will use her small savings. If it is thousands then she will take the vets advice on what will happen if she cant afford it. I would rather have a horse pts than sell at an old age.
I was asking if anyone had any advice on how this progresses. Make sure you are not responsible for any old horses when you are old because you will have some difficult decisions to make.
My friends horses will never suffer she cares extremely well for them.

 

[fatpiggy]

Yes it does come over horrible. What should my friend have done with the pony when it was outgrown, sold it at the age of 19? What if no one wanted to buy it should she send it to a sale?
No my friend will keep it and make sure it has a painless end to its life. It is stabled at night and has a lovely shavings bed. She goes without so that her horses can have a good life.
She just cant afford to spend a fortune on a vet. You try to live on a pension. The vet is coming tomorrow. She will take his advice. If it is a few hundred pounds to have treatment then she will use her small savings. If it is thousands then she will take the vets advice on what will happen if she cant afford it. I would rather have a horse pts than sell at an old age.
I was asking if anyone had any advice on how this progresses. Make sure you are not responsible for any old horses when you are old because you will have some difficult decisions to make.
My friends horses will never suffer she cares extremely well for them.

No need to tell me about caring for a horse which required (in my case, tens of thousands of pounds) veterinary treatment on a tiny budget - I lived on £10 a week for 13 years in order to give my mare what she needed. At the age of rising 30 I made the "difficult decision" to have her PTS due to advanced arthritis. Actually it wasn't difficult at all - her quality of life was reducing. Painful, but not difficult. I won't be having a horse when I am elderly as my back and knees are shot and I have arthritis too so it would be stupid to take on that much physical labour and commitment again.

I never said your friend should sell the animal on. You just assumed. She should do what is right for it. There is nothing wrong with going down fighting. When you can't do any more (for whatever reason )you just have to accept it and make the best of a bad job. I'm sure I'm not the only person on this board who has seen horses in pitiful conditions because the owner can't afford them. Look how many reports have been highlighted here of respected judges and breeders being hauled through the courts. People who had good names and high standards but then not only couldn't cope but wouldn't admit they couldn't cope.

I hope the vet has something positive to say when he has visited. It may turn out to be something and nothing.

 

[Clodagh]

Yes it does come over horrible. What should my friend have done with the pony when it was outgrown, sold it at the age of 19? What if no one wanted to buy it should she send it to a sale?
No my friend will keep it and make sure it has a painless end to its life. It is stabled at night and has a lovely shavings bed. She goes without so that her horses can have a good life.
She just cant afford to spend a fortune on a vet. You try to live on a pension. The vet is coming tomorrow. She will take his advice. If it is a few hundred pounds to have treatment then she will use her small savings. If it is thousands then she will take the vets advice on what will happen if she cant afford it. I would rather have a horse pts than sell at an old age.
I was asking if anyone had any advice on how this progresses. Make sure you are not responsible for any old horses when you are old because you will have some difficult decisions to make.
My friends horses will never suffer she cares extremely well for them.

She sounds very sensible and like she is doing her absolute best. I'm sure she will make the right decision. Fatpiggy - putting a horse down because you don't want to live on £10 a week for 13 years is actually normal.

 

[fatpiggy]

She sounds very sensible and like she is doing her absolute best. I'm sure she will make the right decision. Fatpiggy - putting a horse down because you don't want to live on £10 a week for 13 years is actually normal.

Yes, I don't have a problem with that. Had I known that 6 months after my horse started her treatment that the monthly bill for the exact same amount of drugs was going to go up from £16 to £180 I might not have chosen to keep going either. The vet though I was barking , but there we go. The horse sadly outlived him.

 

[Spring Feather]

What colour is the pony?

 

[cobgoblin]

S

I hope this doesn't come over sounding horrible, but saying the owner is a pensioner and therefore unable to afford treatment for the animal is not a good enough excuse. You either keep a kitty going and stick a few quid a week into it, or you don't keep the animal any more. Horses are expensive enough to keep at the best of times. Why should any animal suffer because the owner didn't use a bit of common sense and plan ahead?

Yes, it came over sounding horrible! Completely horrible!
Not everyone is incapacitated in old age, or arthritic with shot knees etc. these days most people are quite fit. Besides which, when are you defining 'old age'?. If you buy a horse at forty and it lives to be 35yrs you are going to be a pensioner well before the end of its life. Is everyone supposed to sell their horse before they retire 'just in case?' Or should we have an age limit and a minimum income for the purchase of a horse?
OP I hope all turns out well for your friend.

 

[carthorse]

Am update. Vet came and it was decided to remove the lump/growth. It came out well and has gone to be checked out. The pony recovered brilliantly and the vet thought she was in excellent health for her age. Not sure how much it has cost my friend thought around £500. It was done under sedation and pain killers.