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| Last reprieve for my lame pony; Trying one last treatment | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: May 21 2007, 02:11 PM (322 Views) | |
| Trialbyfire | May 21 2007, 02:11 PM Post #1 |
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You're BANNED!
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So, I shed many tears before I heard back from the vet today about my lame pony. But he thinks we should try steroid injections in her hocks before giving up on her. He said the best results for her comfort would follow the first set of injections and subsequent injections will either continue to provide relief or provide less relieve (but not more). So we should be able to tell rather quickly if steroid injections will be worthwhile. She's on bute for now and it's possible she could be on a low dose of bute for chronic pain, but he is concerned about her IR issues and ulcers. Of course they are also treatable to some degree, but won't make her more sound... Which brings us to the obvious question - at what point do you decide to no longer continue treating a horse's ailments? I'm not against trying this, but will have to draw the line somewhere since she's not at all rideable. How much money would you be willing to spend on a pasture pet each month? Oh well, we're not there yet. If the injections don't help at all, then we pretty much know what to do. She's sort of like a cat with 9 lives! <_< |
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| 2hsmommy | May 22 2007, 02:39 AM Post #2 |
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It'll be an adventure! We're going on an adventure!
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Hope this treatment works for your pony
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| DairyQueen2049 | May 22 2007, 04:15 AM Post #3 |
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DRAGON BREATH. DRAGGIN' BUTT
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TBF - I feel your pain - I've been there. Back in the day my wonderful old mare started having hock issues. I took her to a leg specialist, Dr. Harvey Carlon and he and my regular vet discussed my mare. They presented me with options - Dr. Carlon the expert, Dr. Elsessor who knew me and my mare and our situations. Carlon suggested: 1. Do nothing - Elsessor said the degenoration would continue to a point of no return. Pain, inflamation. 2. Hock injections of acid, Adequan (new on the market then and considered somewhat risky) - Elsessor said acid would work short term but my mares useful life would be cut short as the pain eventually took over. Adequan - he'd heard good things. I chose Adequan - it worked for 10 more years. I liked having the 2 vets to talk things over with. I wish you and your horse the best.
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| IBelieve | May 22 2007, 09:22 AM Post #4 |
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We're on a bridge, Chaaaaaaaaarlie!
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For what it's worth.....I have an old, very lame gelding that I used to inject, try to make sound, etc. He's been retired for over 10 years now and he's certainly not sound but I make every attempt to make him comfortable. I've tried glucosamine, MSM, injections but what I found that kept him most comfortable was bute. I was worried about his stomach (he's a hard keeper) and ulcers too. He's been very lame in his hocks for the past 15+ years but last fall he went lame in his front ankles (degenerative joint desease) and I couldn't get him comfortable unless he was on bute. As a last effort I ordered the B-L Solution Pellets (buteless/natural pain suppliment) and I have to say, my guy is more sound than I've seen him in years! I also have to say, when I ran out for a brief week, he was lame again after being off it for 3 days! When I reordered I had to get the liquid and it didn't seem to work as well, as soon I got him back on the pellets he was "sound" again. Good Luck with your mare! |
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| Trialbyfire | May 22 2007, 09:57 AM Post #5 |
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You're BANNED!
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Interesting information! I have thought about the BL Solution but didn't know if it was worth the money. Honestly, I hate to say it but I'm sort of hesitant to start with hock injections because I don't know how you stop doing it once you start if they show *any* improvement. This horse is only 15. She has had a really hard life and I feel really bad that I can make her better....but I'm having a hard time figuring out what should be the right level of "intervention" v. deciding when it's too much for her and for us. She is far and above the most expensive of the 3 horses I have here at home, and the least useable and most *fragile*. I might order these. I wondered about this exact product and actually read a couple of favorable reviews, but now I might go ahead and try it. Thanks! |
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| IBelieve | May 22 2007, 10:49 AM Post #6 |
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We're on a bridge, Chaaaaaaaaarlie!
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That was my thought....I considered when the right time to put him down was, thought about my options (I can't put tons of money into him) and what was reasonable. I figured that I would give the B-L solution a try - everyone told me that it wouldn't work. Even the man that sold it to me told me that it was not going to work, I think that proved it to me was when I ran out and he went lame again but got better once I put him back on it. My guy is 27, he costs me way more than both of my other riding horses, but I know that I've done right by him. THe $40 it cost me to experiment with the first bucket was an easy decision. Good luck with her. |
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| El Panto | May 22 2007, 11:19 AM Post #7 |
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Schooling
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I'm sorry to hear about your pony, what is wrong with the dear? You know its funny. Growing up, it was totally normal for older horses at our barn to get bute everyday. I think my first horse (he was a lease) got bute everyday for something like 10 years. He lived until they put him down at 36 with nary a digestive problem.
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| Trialbyfire | May 22 2007, 12:08 PM Post #8 |
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You're BANNED!
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What's NOT wrong with her? She has bilateral bone spavins, to a degree that the vet thinks causes significant pain with every step. She has majory a stifle injury (suspected complete cruciate rupture) that makes her completely unrideable and causes significant pain upon work or flexion. She has IR. She may have ulcers. I think she has EPSM, which between that and the arthritis caused her to become rather unfit and probably led to the cruciate ligament tear -- probably pivoting away from someone in turnout. She used to belong to my babysitter who boarded her at this junky farm down the street from me. When the care got so poor she sold her to another rinky dink lesson barn where she was stalled most of the day, then went dead lame overnight. They were looking to unload her and there was talk of the kill auction....so I stepped in and asked if I could have her as a companion to my TB mare. Because she's lame she's gotten really fat, and the IR issue that was always probably there is now a fairly big concern. In fact, I'd better go out and put her muzzle on now before I forget....she's had 30 minutes of grass and I'm sure that's enough for today. Oh well, she's pretty happy today. Bute has helped, and also handwalking out into the pasture rather than let her gallop after her herd mates has helped too, I think. |
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