Update on Spike and his Kissing Spine

[Halfpass]

Good news

After advice on here I contacted Svend at Willesley and he has agreed to take Spike on and agrees that sugery is the best way forward.
He said that he can go to him as quickly as next week but me and OH are both really busy at the mo so will probably have to wait till beginning of March when I have got 2 weeks off work to be able to give him some TLC.
I am so please that someone has listened to us at last and that Spike is going to be out of pain!!!
Does anyone know the cost of the op? I just need to make sure we won't go over our limit for an insurance claim!

 

[AmyMay]

Phew what a relief.

No idea of cost - others will let you know though.

 

[BethH]

Ryan was operated on just over 18mths ago by Svend at Willersley, the op, 10 days livery, drugs and nursing cost £2600, I thought it was a bargain for the care he got, my friend paid out almost the same for her dog's operation! Expect to pay out over the following year for a couple of vet check ups and regular physio, so at least a few hundred in addition to the op plus your transport fees. I also paid for regular lessons with a good groundwork instructor to make sure Ryan worked correctly and calmly.

Please feel free to pm me if you need to ask any questions about the op or the rehab, I think I have asked every question imaginable and have come out the other side with my sweet little horse intact and in work!

Good luck, by the way add a small handful of marigold heads to your neds feed after the op, it is great for soft tissue healing and really helped Ryan (and still does) whenever he feels a bit stiff) you can buy them dried from most health shops.

 

[Seahorse]

That's brilliant news

I know you told me earlier but I thought I would reply on here too!! you know how addicted I am....

 

[Halfpass]

Thanks Beth. I feel a bit silly really as I can't think of any questions I need to ask Svend and I am sure there are some that I should be asking.
How far away is Willesley to you? We have a 4 hour drive to get Spike there!!
Svend said that he could go home 2 days after the op but I wonder if a longer stay would be better before such a long journey home.
We did chat about the rehab etc etc and it all sounds really interesting.
Do you have any links to articles on this op at all?

 

[squirtlysmum]

The whole thing cost me a little under £6000, but that included scintigraphy, we tried the injections with terrible consequences, x-rays, op and hospitalisation. The physio was on top of that and was about £500 over a year.
Beth is definatly the girl to stay in touch with and has helped me out with problems too, its by no means an easy quick fix but I do believe its worth it although I'm still not riding squirt due to other problems, unrelated I'm pleased to add, for you that is not my pocket!

 

[1964]

hi so gald you have got in with svend, my horse had the op 3 weeks ago and has been home now 2weeks and is doing really well, and out of pain.
the op x-rays livery nurses and all medication he had also shoes removed and 2 new heart bar shoes put on while he was there i had to pay £3,362. well worth it though,
my horse had a 2 hour travel from shropshire, and he stayed for 1 week, if he wasnt well enough to travel ofter 2 days he wouldnt say take him home but if for your own peace of miind and you want him to stay longer just ask them, they are really good people.
all the best and keep us informed how you get on

 

[BethH]

I'm in Kent so 4hr drive too but well worth it. If you don't have your own transport then I will give you the name of the guy who took me, he is a friend of Svends and is superb, lovely lovely manner with the neds and was quite a bit cheaper than my local Kent transporters. Ryan stayed for about a week after the op, as Svend felt for such a long journey he should stay with them for a few days longer so he would be more comfortable on the way back, they certainly didn't rip me off on the extra couple of days livery.

Also please pm me if you want my mobile tel to discuss the rehab, you really need to be clear in your head about the work you need to do post op and I spent a few weeks preparing Ryan so he didn't get a load of tack chucked on him that he wasn't used too after the op if that makes sense. He can panic about things so I wanted him to be in a routine that would continue after the op so he would have no surprises. Hope that makes sense and pm me if you need too

 

[Bozzy]

I found it so hard to get an opinion from Svend when my boys xrays were sent there, I ended up giving up! Spent months chasing and being passed around various people other than Svend.

So glad you've now decided what treatment route you're taking, bet you're feeling a lot better (although worried about him obviously!!) Best of luck with it, keep us updated with how he gets on.

 

[debradley]

So glad you've had a positive response and that your chap is getting sorted.

Honey was done by Svend last June and had three removed. Mine cost £3500 from start to finish with physio on top so my insurance covered it - just! That included x-rays everything including her post-op visit. We had a couple of hours journey from Worcestershire and Honey was there for four days. Svend had told me that she would only be there a couple of days, but I've found that with most people it's more. Even picking her up on the fourth day; the journey was really hard for her and she was very sweated and tired when we got her back.

But, if you've any questions just drop a pm and I'll try to answer them and wishing you the best of luck.