Would you?

I agree with B & J and Wizoz but I would still want answers as to why and how. I'd also be wanting the surgery to foot the bill at the very least if it was proved the young vet was a contributory factor to this.

I'm sorry, I know I'm harsh and this won't be popular, but I also have to question the humanity of this quote.


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J
It can by this point only manage small mouthfulls of mushy cubes and SB water, and its getting weeker. it then colics. Is having to be pumped full off morphine and fynadine. He gets over the colic and some how keeps fighting. you spend all your time watching him looking and hopeing he gets better, even a small sign. But in your heart you know you are going to loose him, but while you see he is still fighting you cant make the horible decision.


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For a horse of this age to have got into this horrific state although I know it's not of the owner's making, I personally think the owner should call it a day for the poor horse's sake; it seems a very selfish act to me to continue prolonging the agony. I do stress, that is my personal opinion only, not rocket science, just my gut feeling from a lifetime working with horses.
 
say, and this is hypothetical, you heard another more senior vet mention this horse became this sick as a direct result from the tube. how would you think about it all then.
Now Im not saying I did hear this, its all hypothetical.
 
I would not be asking people who weren't there. I would go and ask the vet what they think happened. Then ask the senior partner. Only then can you think about assigning blame.
 
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say, and this is hypothetical, you heard another more senior vet mention this horse became this sick as a direct result from the tube. how would you think about it all then.

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Well - it's probably true - however the vet is not admitting liability by saying that.

A few of us obviously agree that there could have been a pre-desposing condition that resulted in the rapid decline of the horse after being tubed.

And I think that unless all the facts are known it's very difficult to offer up an opinion.

It's hugely sad that this has happened, and it could be someone's fault. However, it may not be - and the resulting condition may be down to several factors, many not known.

Sorry - but I'm not sure what else to say on the subject.

As ever MFH_09 speaks lots of sense. Poor old lad. Perhaps it may be better to let him go, and fight for your answers afterwards.
frown.gif
 
Everything we are doing is on the advice of the senior vet at the vet school. His weight has dropped yes, but he is not emaciated, nor dehydrated. He has this mushy cubes little and often so he is getting nutrition, as well as glucose and vit injections.
His care is our priority, the vet is with him every two hours and reports backto the vet school.
Perhaps, no not perhaps, definately, I would agree with you normaly. But surely while he wants to live we should at least let him try.
It has been agreed with both the vet and his owner ( I just look after and ride him) that if he worsens, or shows no sign of improvement very quickly then he will be PTS.
 
Of course the vet wont admit laibility, we would be fools to think they will.
And yes there is every chance there is some nasty thing lurking in him, bloody hell I wish they could talk.
I am no fool, I know there are no answers to be found to the many questions I have about why this is hapening, and in all likelihood we never will find the answers.
But I feel so useless. I am no vet, I can not treat him, I am not his owner, I can't make what is perhaps the right decision, so all I can do is watch and perhaps that is what is hurting the most.
 
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so all I can do is watch and perhaps that is what is hurting the most

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You obviously care very much for this horse - and are struggling to find answers to why this happened.

(((((((((((((((((((((( Hugs ))))))))))))))))))))
 
You have my utter heart felt sympathy.
We've just had an experience on a much smaller scale of a vet (not our usual one) that has made so many errors as to be almost comical. As a result we have a very upset horse with a fear of vets and anyone else going near him. I'm hoping this is temporary. But when a senior vet has to come out to re-take xrays which confirm a fractured leg on a horse that the orginal vet said a) wasn't suffering a fracture and then b) trotted up on concrete I think it speaks volumes.

I am so sorry for you, the owner and more importantly the horse and hope you get some answers. I would however suggest (in the nicest possible way) that IF you are even thinking about this going to court i would refrain from talking about it anymore on internet forums.
 
Ah, you see, I was basing my reply more on this quote from your opener -

quote
After that this horse becomes very ill. White blood count so low its is critical but too sick to travel as vet school is four hours away. It can no longer eat, drink, its body becomes one huge oedema externaly, it develops an infection from the tube, it cant be put on a drip due to the oedema. A blood transfusion was atempted but this poor horse went into anaphylactic shock so the transfusion was abandoned.
end quote.

But now I have read your detailed reply to my post, I can see where you're coming from much better and yes, I agree; if he is such a bonny fighter, then as long as it's not to his detriment, then he does deserve a fighting chance which you are giving him. I do admire all you're doing for him and hope you find the answers you and he need. Good luck.
 
this is deja vue for me.........

with the information you have heard I would be on to the practice manager with complaint. Its not on. They get paid a huge amount for their knowledge.

I have known fab vets and crap vets, but if they get it wrong (more than once!!) then it should be highlighted before it happens to someone elses horse.
 
Not thinking of going to court, just want answers, or him to get better. We cant stand this world of litigation that seems to be developing.
 
An acquaintance of mine had exactly the same thing happen with her very valuable horse. The horse died in the end and she didn't sue. I'm not sure she really could have sued anyone though as she, the owner, had 3 different vets from 3 different practices in, so although the initial vet was the tuber, there were others after him. My own vet was the last one called in and he refused to do further treatment; owner asked what he would do in the situation, my vet replied to have the horse put to sleep, so she had him do the deed.

The horse was worth 40K and was not insured so the owner received nothing. Personally, from having conversations with her, the second vet to attend, and my own vet, my conclusion was that the owner was at fault for allowing certain things to happen to that horse. She was not experienced enough to make these decisions and obviously the initial vet was not experienced enough to be dealing with these sorts of situations.

I would never have a horse tubed straight after choke by the way. The oesophagus is far too raw after an event like this and I believe any tubing which may take place should be left for a couple of weeks.
 
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say, and this is hypothetical, you heard another more senior vet mention this horse became this sick as a direct result from the tube. how would you think about it all then.
Now Im not saying I did hear this, its all hypothetical.

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If the vet did say that then yes I would want to take it further. All Im saying is, the OP needs to establish the facts first. It can sometimes be hard to think clearly when you are upset about something, and want to apportion blame.
 
Its quite common for horses to have a nose bleed when inserting/removing a nasogastric tube, there are ethmoturbinate bones in the nasal cavity covered in very vascular tissue which bleed easily if bashed by the tube. A nose bleed caused like this can look very dramatic (found this out when my own horse went to leahurst for colic!) but it would be very very unusual for a large horse to loose a large enough proportion of its circulating blood to cause such severe signs.. Most likely there is an underlying problem...
 
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