Worried sick about my horse.....

McNally

McNally

Well-Known Member
Joined
24 February 2009
Messages
1,579
Visit site
My TB has been the bane of my life for the past 6 years. We've been to hell and back but also had some fab times and i love him.
However after realising and admitting he just wasnt the horse for me due to the fact his latest "thing" (the list was long) was randomly double barelling the horses we were hacking with- nothing i could do about it. This scared me as my main hacking partner was my young daughter.
I finally gave in and signed him over to a TB rehab place. They were unable to rehome him and after a year said they could no longer keep him, I had him back. Thinking i could put him on loan (by now i had a new safer horse) I put him on loan- he was back weeks later. Ive tried to loan him from where we are or to go to another yard but no one wants to know.
I feel very responsible for this horse and like i say love him to bits so i cant go down the dealer route.
Anyway figured id keep the old idiot and try to find help riding in return for a little financial help. No luck until a teenager full of confidence and recommended came along so i decided to give her a try.
As some of you may know my whole horse life is a nightmare right now even before this so i jumped at the chance of some help.
The second ride out he fell and has severely damaged his knee.
I'm so so broke i called a very experienced friend rather than a vet first who agreed nothing to stitch so i bandaged, kept clean and gave bute (although he was sound)
All going ok til 2 days ago he was obviously stressed. Upon removing the dressing it was obvious the wound was VERY infected. Called vet (will be borrowing money to pay thi from my mum) He's on box rest with anti biotics. (getting thru huge amounts of hay and bedding as i have to keep 2 in)
I am JUST affording to keep them as it is out and not needing much in the way of feed etc.
Today he is HOPPING lame and im worried sick. I just cant afford to have the joint flushed or anything.
Will an infected wound get worse before better? or is he getting worse in general.
He's so far on day 3 of antibiotics- 5 day course but still deteriorating.
Sorry bumbeling here i know but am so so worried about this- Needing reassurance
 
Very sadly an infected joint can be life ending if not dealt with quickly. The surgery required is very expensive.

With the greatest of respect, having read what you have been through with this horse, it may be the closure you need.

Not what you want to hear I know, and I wish you the very best.
 
You need to speak to your vet because they need to know about your financial issues. Most vets have different treatments in mind if there are financial constraints. Don't leave it until you can't pay the bill.
 
This is a horrible situation, I really feel sorry for you and the horse. :(

I'm sure that many will disagree, but as he is difficult, you've failed to rehome him and you are struggling with money - I would say that if the joint gets so badly infected that he needs hospital treatment, then PTS.

I really hope that the anti-B's work and that he recovers.
 
Can you phone the vet for advice and ask about if its possable for a payment to be set up. If you leave it any longer it might get very worse fast too. Can you get a cc with a zero % inst rate. I know cc are not always good to have better to have one just incase. Hope you get It sorted soon.
 
Agree with Amy here, you clearly can't afford this horse full stop. Even if you got this situation sorted, he may injure himself again next week and you would be in same situation.

time to make that decision and either call the hunt or if you use the vet for anything, use them to PTS.
 
Its hard if you are not insured , Trying to find money like that. I would ask the vets about if there is any help or way you can pay installments ect..? i know most dont but maybe ring a few and just see, not sure if they can or will but it may make you feel better knowing you have tried your best. Very sorry hugs to you and unicorn Hope he gets better.
 
Faracat said:
This is a horrible situation, I really feel sorry for you and the horse. :(

I'm sure that many will disagree, but as he is difficult, you've failed to rehome him and you are struggling with money - I would say that if the joint gets so badly infected that he needs hospital treatment, then PTS.

I really hope that the anti-B's work and that he recovers.
Click to expand...

agree with this, sad as it is. have a think to yourself about what is best for the horse and try to push aside your feelings. Get some vet advice on your horses future outlook and the severity of the wound.
 
What a difficult time you've had. Not had any experience of infected joints, just wanted to say i hope it all works out in the end.
 
He's not insured no- His insurance went up a lot after he fractured his leg the year before i rehomed him that i just couldnt afford to reinsure him for vet fee's and tbh having not seen him much for a year bar the odd visit here and there i was a little bit of the opinion I will have him back to save him what would be a unknown future but if it comes to the worst he will be pts, Easier said than done now he's home.
Adorable Alice- several people have said the same. If he was instantly injured and HAD to be pts i could handle it but i could save him here i just cant afford to. It would be stupid of me to get into debt to do so.
How much does it cost? I dont know that the joint in infected- The vets opinion was not as he was sound but now im not so sure and am wondering if when she was examining him the bute was hiding more than we thought. :-(
 
Last edited:
Speak to your vet about the best course of action once you've explained about your circumstances (not insured, limited funds, ability to pay in installments?). They may be able to come to an arrangement about when you pay and what treatment they offer.

Good luck.
 
Joint infection with no money to treat may just make the decision for you. Ironically calling the vet in the first place may have resulted in a smaller bill - not admonishing you just a fair observation! Keep us updated. Poor pony, poor you x
 
Billie1007 said:
Joint infection with no money to treat may just make the decision for you. Ironically calling the vet in the first place may have resulted in a smaller bill -
Click to expand...

Basically.

So, speak to the vet. Give yourself and upper limit for treatment and then go from there.
 
Sorry hunny, but if you can't afford this, then it's time to let go.

Playing Devil's Advocate:

If you get yourself into debt now, for this issue, what are you going to do if something happens next week/the week after?

I know it's hard, but it sounds like you need to start protecting yourself and your family financially.


Hope this comes across right.
 
I know i should have called them first but at the time it was a clean wound and i was fairly confident in dealing with it- i know i was wrong.
I cant have him pts yet I will give this a chance to work first, Does it sound wrong that he's becoming lamer at this point though? I think it probably is?
My work has offered for me to take him there so at least i didnt have to have another of mine in to keep him company all the time (i work on a yard where all horses live in) that could be an option tho i feel he would drive them insane in a short time and they would probably kick him out too!
 
I would ring and speak to the vet and say exactly what you have put here. He is the best one to advise as to the next step maybe the joint will need flushing or maybe a longer course of antibiotics is needed. Is it boiling hot and the digital pulse thumping in that leg? It is going to look very angry as bits of grit get everywhere and he obviously banged it as he fell.

Fingers crossed. In a crisis I always do a rough calculation of the 6 month expenditure and go from there. Are there other ways you could cut back? - shoes off, cut out all supplements etc. There is a lot of unecessary expenditure round horses, it kind of creeps up on you.

ETS - to answer your question, yes I would expect it to be worse at day three, increased swelling and stiffness. I wouldn't rule out the infection overwhelming the antibiotics though.
 
Last edited:
On the good side (maybe) he fell in a stream so the wound was clean from the beginning as in no visable dirt or grit.

I dont KNOW for sure the joint is infected and am hoping its just a nasy would infection. I was just very scared by the sudden increased lameness.
No its not boiling hot tho there is definite heat and swelling its more the huge amounts of gunk literally dripping out when the dressing is removed. Its soaking through the bandages.
 
amymay said:
If you can't afford to keep or treat, call the hunt to destroy.
Click to expand...

and if you can't bring yourself to comment in a more caring and supportative manner why bother ? It is very evident the OP is in turmoil, there is absolutely no need to be so blunt.

Your words are correct but could have been put so very differently. It saddens me greatly when such comments are made.

I gave the same advice in a totally different manner, I am not an educated person but I do not struggle with tact or understanding peoples emotions. Please give the OP the respect she deserves for posting her concerns and admitting her shortcomings.
 
AdorableAlice said:
and if you can't bring yourself to comment in a more caring and supportative manner why bother ? It is very evident the OP is in turmoil, there is absolutely no need to be so blunt.

Your words are correct but could have been put so very differently. It saddens me greatly when such comments are made.

I gave the same advice in a totally different manner, I am not an educated person but I do not struggle with tact or understanding peoples emotions. Please give the OP the respect she deserves for posting her concerns and admitting her shortcomings.
Click to expand...


Maybe AmyMay doesn't like what she has read, and given thus, has worded her response in a too the point manner, to make it clear to the OP.

Not everyone is going to respond in the way other would wish/consider correct.
 
I dont think ive done anything actually wrong here have i? I mean i called the vet as soon as i realised there was infection. If i called the vet to every injury this horse had they'd have stopped answering the phone to me.
What i DID get very wrong was the severity of the injury. He will never ever suffer Ive worked my arse off the past 6 years to ensure that. He's had the best of everything and far better treatment than lots of horses.
When i say i struggle to afford him i do- but he never go's without. His teeth, feet etc are all in good shape and he's fed accordingly.
I am worried about a big vet bill that i cant afford and wether its ethical to pts due to money problems- I have trouble with this one
 
Imho it is not wrong to have a horse put down because of financial considerations. In my experience vets are actually very pragmatic people so if you have a conversation and explain your situation I would hope that you got some good advice. The vet won't tell you what to do, but will probably give you a good steer.
 
OP, phone the vet. They should be happy to chat to you on the phone without charging you. They will probably also look at photos if you email them across.

However, I can't help thinking they are going to want to flush the wound properly from what you are describing and that is going to start costing you money. If the horse only has cellulitis I wouldn't expect him to be hopping lame. Even if it was superficial infection to begin with if it gets bad it can track back into the joint.

You definitely need to have a chat with your vet and be honest about finances etc. You'd be amazed how helpful they can be in these situations. Best of luck :)
 
guido16 said:
Agree with Amy here, you clearly can't afford this horse full stop. Even if you got this situation sorted, he may injure himself again next week and you would be in same situation.

time to make that decision and either call the hunt or if you use the vet for anything, use them to PTS.
Click to expand...

I think this is good advice.
 
So very sorry to hear the turmoil you are going through. But I would just like to say something, and I hope this comes across in the way it is intended to....

For the last few years of my old girl's life I spent a lot of time dreading how the end would be, what would happen, what decisions I would have to make. I even used to have nightmares about it. Because I had her I couldn't move on and get another horse even though I barely rode her any more because we couldn't afford to get another horse. So there was also some resentment which I felt guilty about. When the end came, yes I was very very sad to lose her and will never forget my times with her, but there was also a massive weight lifted off my shoulders - I don't think I had realised how much it was grinding me down. I know it's not completely the same, but owning your boy brings you issues as well as the joy of having him. I really really hope that there is nothing serious and he makes a full recovery. But, please please don't beat yourself up about the guilt aspect if he doesn't. Sending lots of love and hugs. xx
 
It does sound to me that his joint needs to be flushed. Which is very expensive. If he isn't insured I am afraid I would say PTS.

He sounds like he needs the vet now! I am very sorry for your financial problems, but please don't let that put you off getting the vet out as your Horse needs medical treatment sooner rather then later.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top