When is enough enough?

_EVS_

_EVS_

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Hi all, Im quite new on here but deperate for some advice. Its complicated so bear with me! My 17hh ISH SJ-er was diagnosed with bilateral laryngeal paralysis in November. His breathing got so bad the vet put a tracheotomy in his neck for him to breathe. Tracheotomy came out in January after we found the nerves to the larynx reinnervated just enough for him to cope better with his breathing alone. Since then though he has made no improvement at all. He copes ok with trot work but roars quite a lot in canter.

He is really genuine so I am struggling to know how much he is struggling with exercise - is he in discomfort or does it jsut sound bad?

A few weeks ago the nerves to his pharynx seemed to fail too so he couldnt swallow properly though again this seems oddly to have improved. My vet and I are at a loss to know what is going on and why the nerves failed and why they then seem to have slightly repaired and of course, whether they will properly heal.

He is massively frustrated at having to do minimal work having evented and SJ-ed all his life. He is just 14 next month.

I just dont know what to do for the best - do I call it a day or keep hoping for a miracle and pray he heals himself!??
 
sadly no - it is bilateral and you cant tie back both sides as the windpipe is left exposed. Geoff Lane has seen him and just said the only option was to see if he would heal in time but with no improvement in 3 months now I dont think he will ever be 100% right.
 
Not knowing your vet, would he be offended if you asked for a second opinion from a respiratory specialist? (Not that I would be bothered if mine was offended if I thought it was possible that someone else could help more or give me other options which might be worth trying!)

Quality of life is what I go by every time and each horse is different in how they do or don't accept retirement if that is what's necessary; you can only try, then make a decision on how they are coping.
Good luck, I hope you can get him sorted.

Meant to say, is there any chance you could turn him away completely to see if time can heal him better?
 
Hi - we have had three vets look at him, my usual vet, vet at equine hospital and Geoff Lane from bristol uni. They all are of the same opinion. I absolutely agree quality of life has to be the rule of thumb but its so hard to say when the line has been crossed. He was pretty much turned away over winter and he just became a tad unhinged - he loves working which is why I am so upset to see him like this. If he was older and quieter I would def find him a quiet home but he is a big lad who loves to work and is very sharp/spooky to hack. argh! so frustrating! Thanks for your opinions though x
 
I had to have my eventer PTS at the same age because of joint problems that restricted him to being a light hack only and in his head he was still wanting to be an Intermediate eventer. It was a very hard decision to make but i seemed to get the impression from him that he was an all or nothing horse and this in-between stuff was just not his bag :(

If a hobday is not an option then I think I would go back to the vet (maybe get a few of them together on a conference call?) and really sound out all options, the likelihood of benefit from each option and their personal opinions of what they would do if he was their horse. I think vet's are usually happy to turn and say frankly what they think if you approach them with the notion of "we have one last shot and then we sadly have to give up"

All the very best to you in whatever decision you reach :)
 
Thanks JoG - we did end up having that converstaion 3 weeks ago - we decided to give him a last go at healing over a time period that my vet wanted me to decide upon. We decided to see how he was after easter.

I am in exactly the same position as you must have been in that he still thinks he wants to go and jump a 1.15m track when in reality he cant canter for 90seconds on the flat let alone with jumps involved.

Thanks for sharing your experience - I feel like Im being very selfish but when they wont be a field ornament or a gentle hack there aren't many options.

Hugs to you for the loss of your horse x
 
In that case, I feel for you, I really do.
I had a livery here that was my horse of a lifetime, I loved that horse so much but after having him here for 5hunting seasons and knowing him inside out, when he badly did a tendon in the field on only his second day back in work, he went down to the vets. It was a reoccurrance from an old racing injuryyear
 
_EVS_ said:
Thanks for sharing your experience - I feel like Im being very selfish but when they wont be a field ornament or a gentle hack there aren't many options.
Click to expand...

I can empathise with this statement, as im having to go through a very simular quandry. My boy has been lame for 3 months now and its starting to look like a stifle or SI problem. He is a big lad, so rehibilitation wont be easy and he is a complete wally bean out in a field, so there isnt an option to turn away. He is only 6, so im dreading and feeling guilty about him not being suited to be a gentle hack or field pony either.

Im hoping for the best for you x x
 
Just a consideration, I know some horses really wont retire but is he still being fed like he is in the work he was doing? If you haven't allready you may find that letting him right down to a forage only diet (if he will keep weight on on it) may mellow him enough to be more of a hack. I may be stating the obvious but it does take time for fittness and metabolic rates to come down and many horses do mellow eventualy. (some never do though, and you shouldn't feel bad if it is a choice of him being miserable for the rest of his life or a quiet end with the people who love him)
 
Hi Lilith - I wish I could drop his feed right down but he is a terrible do-er. I keep him on conditioing fibre and some slow release mix but much less than recommended as he is low on work. I have tried all sorts of conditioing feeds but they send him la-la! I speak to spillers a lot and have followed their advice though. Thanks for your advice x
 
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