Worried sick about my horse.....

Op i feel for you and the tough decisions you are having to make, and i too don't think you have done anything wrong, you treated your horses wound as you thought appropriate and called vet when injury became worse. However i think his long term future needs to be considered rather than his immediate future. If he is unsafe to ride and like most of us you don't have the funds to keep an expensive lawn mower then perhaps taking the pts option would be better for both of you. Good luck whatever you decide x
 
Moomin1 said:
I do agree with the fact people shouldn't take horses on if they can't afford or come up with some arrangement should they become ill. I am by NO means well off but I do have her insured and would do anything and everything to raise funds to help her if she needed it. If I couldn't, then I took the decision when I bought her that pts would be my decision if I couldn't rehome.
Click to expand...

Insurance isn't the be all and end all, you can get a leg excluded because they had an abscess so if they injure on that leg again then tough. That happened to me. I was refused cover on a rear leg because of abscesses.

And as we all know beware of rehoming a horse with any problems, we know where they can end up!

I made a heartfelt promise to my girl when she arrived in my yard a wreck, that she would never leave me and suffer anything like that again. She lives with me and she will die with me.
 
If the joint is needing flushed the sooner its done the better the chance of recovery, if the joint is infected its needing done now, the only person to tell you for sure is the vet, from what youre describing the antibiotic he's on doesnt sound like its working, you need to have this wound reassessed asap.
Whether you choose to keep going with the treatment or pts is up to you and your vet but you need to discuss this with them asap.
Is it possible the vet will let you pay by instalments for whatever you decide to do ?
 
Its all well and good saying what you *would* do *if* you were in that situation. Fact is though you're not.

You could well be though. Nothing to stop you losing your jobs tomorrow. Not many jobs around at the moment!

Or a house fire - Insurance aren't forced to pay out. I started one (accidentally) when I was 13. Gutted the upstairs of the house! My parents were lucky- If the insurance hadn't paid out they'd have been screwed!

My dad broke both of his legs once - hit by a car on his motorbike. Hed been at his current job just shy of the required time to qualify for full pay. He ended up on £63 a week for 3 months. 3 children, mortgage and my horse - What wed have done if hed needed urgent treatment I don't know.

You can't always plan for everything. Statements like 'shouldn't have a horse' don't help anyone, they just expose people for the narrow minded biggots that they are.
 
I'd say consult your vet. A phonecall costs nothing and if you describe his symptoms then the vet who has seen the wound will be able to tell you whether this is what they would expect with this particular wound and whether they feel this is normal. If there is still swelling and inflammation present then yes I would expect him to be lame and as has been said the joint itself is going to be stiff even if it is only the surrounding tissue that is infected. Excessive amounts of discharge, especially is it is pussy discharge would concern me if that is a new development. Definitely have a chat with you vet about your situation re finances as they may be able to set up some kind of payment plan / direct debit, which may be useful if this is just a stubborn infection but the actual joint is not infected. If infection has tracked back to the joint and you can't afford joint flushes then I think I would be considering PTS at this stage. Either way you really do need to speak to your vet again about your concerns. They will be able to offer you more relevant advice than people on a forum as they have seen the wound in person.
 
daydreambeliever said:
Op i feel for you and the tough decisions you are having to make, and i too don't think you have done anything wrong, you treated your horses wound as you thought appropriate and called vet when injury became worse. However i think his long term future needs to be considered rather than his immediate future. If he is unsafe to ride and like most of us you don't have the funds to keep an expensive lawn mower then perhaps taking the pts option would be better for both of you. Good luck whatever you decide x
Click to expand...

:( I agree. He's not a safe ride, and now he's unsound and may need very expensive treatment. It may be kinder to pts than try to keep him going, especially given your financial constraints.

You have done your best by this horse and been responsible. Above all, you haven't done as many would and passed him off to a dealer or to auction and probably to a terrible fate.

Please do not beat yourself up or let anyone make you feel bad if you do have him put to sleep. He won't know any different, and you have prevented him from the suffering many "problem" horses endure.
 
Tormenta said:
Insurance isn't the be all and end all, you can get a leg excluded because they had an abscess so if they injure on that leg again then tough. That happened to me. I was refused cover on a rear leg because of abscesses.

And as we all know beware of rehoming a horse with any problems, we know where they can end up!

I made a heartfelt promise to my girl when she arrived in my yard a wreck, that she would never leave me and suffer anything like that again. She lives with me and she will die with me.
Click to expand...

Exactly, which is why I would pts if I couldn't rehome responsibly. Insurance isn't everything, as I have found out when I forked out a wad of money the other year, but it is something and the more you can do to help the better. I would never ever let my horse suffer from any lack of care, whatever it cost, and if I couldn't raise the money (if it meant me going into THOUSANDS in debt) then I would pts her. No qualms.
 
If the op had bought the horse recently & in her current position I would be the first to say don't buy a horse if you can't afford it. But the op hasn't recently bought it & I prefer giving the benefit of the doubt to whether circumstances have changed since then. Through no fault of my own in the past I was in the position that my circumstances changed overnight. My animals never went without anything necessary but at the point I had no money for vet bills I was just lucky enough not to get an injured animal. No animal should ever be left to suffer but holier than thou posts about not having bought it in the first place are irrelevant & I imagine pointlessly hurtful to the op.
 
PS As has been stated people can sometimes undergo extreme changes in circumstances that they never envisaged when they bought the horse and horses can have things happen to them that make them unsalable. In the OPs instance she found a TB rehab centre to take the horse on and thought that was that sorted but through no fault of her own ended up having him pinging back to her a year later after she'd already moved on and bought another horse. I'm in a pretty tight spot at the moment after my horse's loaner had a dramatic change in circumstances just before Xmas and I had to start paying his livery bills again (I'm a university student in my final year hence him being on loan but won't be finished til September due to evidence gathering issues for one part of my course), I then took him back off loan as I figured if I was paying for him he may as well be a tad closer than 30 odd miles away. Since then I've been getting a least one vet bill a month after a flare up and deterioration of his arthritis. (This also means I can not get another loaner or sharer) I've not been insured for that condition for a very long time and honestly don't know what I'd've done had my parents not stepped in. I'm doing the best I can for him on the money my parents can afford to loan me but obviously there are things I'd love to try that I simply can't afford. None of this was planned; the idea was that he would stay on loan until I was working so that I would be able to properly afford him. Sadly circumstances do change and there's not always an awful lot we can do to control that. We just have to manage the best we can and make the best decision for the horse from the options we realistically have available.
 
When I brought my horse I was financially secure, at home with mum and dad and worked for my livery on the 3 days I had off. Fast forward 3 years, I'm now a house owner and married. When I met my husband he earned a good wage too and everything was fine until we came back from our mini honeymoon to find he had been made redundant. I knew I would be out of work at that point as the girl I nannyed for went to school. Life hasn't been the same since and is a daily struggle. He's now working again but no luck for me yet. Whilst we have had no
money my horse has had
cellulitis, strangles and colic.
Insurance paid out for one of
these, typically not the most
expensive one, but we now have
more going out than coming I'n.
She is a fantastic horse who I
could sell without a problem, but
I'n today's economic climate it
scares me to death that I could
find the perfect owner but Theres nothing to stop it happening to
them too. Circumstances can change don't feel bad about doing the right thing for your horse.
 
perhaps the teenager or her parents would like to chip in towards the vets bill as it happened when she was riding him?

just a thought?
 
OP how is your horse today?

I feel that you have done your best for him & given him chances that many wouldn't have. Please don't beat yourself up, you sound to me as though you are a caring, sensible owner who has tried her best.

Have a chat to your vet & explain the money situation. I personally wouldn't go down the joint flushing route having read about him. You could spend an awful lot of money & still have to have him PTS.

Sounds as though he's had a good life with you & been loved & well cared for. I think it's time to let him go.

My thoughts are with you.
 
Tbh, if he hopping lame, you cant pay a bill, you straining so much finacially and he not an easy/happy horse i would call the hunt to destroy him too, its not becaus eu dont love him or anything like that but probably the best thing for him with this infection and for you in many ways. No point bankrupting yourself for a horse you already tried everything for and he still to quirky shall we say
 
OP you really need to weigh up your options but be realistic. Getting yourself into debt isn't the right way to go about things. If the injury is that bad and he is a difficult horse you may way have to PTS, it's sad but you shouldn't put yourself in a position were you cannot afford to feed yourself.
 
Ok sorry everyone! I was at the yard all morning straight to work then had family stuff!
I wish i could thank you all and respond to all comments but would take forever so i hope to cover it all here!

I did speak to the vet again- She said that as we have established joint flushing is not an option in this case the best course of action was to not panic and to reassess on Monday which is when the anti biotics are ending. She said there is a tendon running down the front of the knee which "could" be damaged but that its too early to tell at the moment, but also that he will stiffen up and the sheer size of the bandage now will also be restricting his movement. The bandage is tight to prevent proud flesh.

I took him along the lane my yard is on for a pick of grass and leg stretch and was pleased to see that he was certainly less lame coming back in than he was going out. Maybe it is that initial *ouch* as he is stood still much of the day.

So my plan at the minute is to keep walking him out and grazing him to keep him more mobile today and tomorrow and have agreed to call the vet again tomorrow evening to let her know how things are going. If we think he needs another visit then it will be arraged.

To those of you who have expressed concerns about my finances. My other horses are fine- they are budgeted for and not a problem. This one i am struggling with and fully admit i cant afford a lot for him, however he is as i say shod,wormed etc and fed well. I have also recently found a sharer (other than this girl who was riding him at the time of the accident) and she is going to be contributing towards his keep, obviously this depends on him coming fully sound.
He's no longer dangerous to ride in fact since he went ive ridden a few others who made me think he was pretty good! He's a different horse at my current yard I think he just couldnt handle the big livery set up that i kept him in previously. He's quite chilled bar the odd day here and there.

Fingers crossed for him.
 
I have everything crossed for you OP. I really hope all he needs is time and perhaps some more antibiotics. Thank you for updating us :)
 
I really hope that he comes sound for you. It does sound like the smaller yard and the new sharer will be fantastic for both of you if he is OK.

Lots and lots of luck and get well vibes. :)
 
Unfortunatly things have gone wrong with this girl who was riding him. It had been playing on my mind as to wether an injury this bad could be caused by falling at a walk anyway, then other things came to surface so i dont think she's going to be too welcome back!
On the good side someone else has already been to see him a while ago (mentioned above) and really liked him, she's far more suitable in that she's older and drives and earns her own money etc. She knows the situation and is happy to wait. In fact she's going to ride my horse out with me tomorrow night (i will ride my daughters pony) to get to know each other and have a chat etc.

My horse is doing well. Last night was the last of the anti biotics and his bandage came off the cleanest ever. He's almost sound in walk. Ive not trotted him up today and probably wont tbh, He's on the mend and there is no huge hurry to rush it.
Its been agreed with the vet he must keep it covered to avoid re-infection and he will stay in until its healed over so the flies dont cause problems.
I will continue as we are box rest, hand grazing and walking in hand for now and hope things keep going well. :-D
 
Last edited:
RebelRebel said:
That is good news (not the bit about the sharer though).
Click to expand...

No but tbh this other lady just seems so much better and i feel like i can trust her where as the younger girl i was unsure about after several little things so its for the best.
 
ETA - Sorry I did not read your recent post before putting this:



When it comes to making at decision its the quality of life for the horse that is priority.

If you can't afford to pay for veterinary treatment and he is very painful on the leg - You must get a vet - then you will have a better idea of whether you have to PTS or if there is something you could try in the meantime.

My horse Charlie was kicked in his front leg. I had the vet out twice to see him, he was fluctuating between lame to sound but one day he went very lame. his wound was infected and it tracked into his joint. We couldn't get on top of the infection so PTS him. :( He did have surgery, we spent £3k trying to get on top of it and I would not have been able to afford that without insurance. We did have money left to try and operate again but the percentage of success was so low, it wasn't fair on him. He was taken out for hand grazing, given lots of carrots and then put to sleep. I am so gutted that i can sympathise with you. I do not regret PTS for Charlie, at least he is out of pain.

You sound like you have tried to rehome him and it hasn't worked. It sounds like you wouldn't be able to rehome him even if you can sort the wound so maybe PTS is not a poor option.

you should not feel guilty for making the decision to PTS, as I was once told, the horse does not know anything if they are PTS. It is very quick.
 
so glad things are looking up. :)

Can i recommend Manuka Honey for wounds, one of the best natural things to put on as great antiseptic and healing qualities and in my opinion better than any medical thing you can buy. Long as you bandage then will stop the flies etc getting stuck in it ;)
 
T's mum said:
so glad things are looking up. :)

Can i recommend Manuka Honey for wounds, one of the best natural things to put on as great antiseptic and healing qualities and in my opinion better than any medical thing you can buy. Long as you bandage then will stop the flies etc getting stuck in it ;)
Click to expand...

Agreed - but please please please DO NOT use the stuff you can buy in supermarkets. It's not medical grade, is pasteurised rather than gamma irradiated, so although its fine to eat, when you use it on a wound, the temperature wakes all the bugs up and can make an infected wound environment much worse.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top