Dog Community

Could Really Use Some Advice....

Posted : 4/29/2007 3:57:54 PM

I know that this isn't a horse board, but I am looking for a variety of opinions on this....

It is really hard for me to type this up, but the only person I can really talk to about this is DH, and though he tries to be supportive he knows nothing about horses.

I have a 5 (almost 6 year old off the track Standardbred called Snafu. I've had him since he was 3. I got him knowing that he had a pulled suspensory. Even though I bought him, I feel like it was sort of a rescue because it was either me or the Amish (who were going to use him right off-pulled suspensory or not), and when their horses become unusable they generally sell them to slaughter.

According to the vet, the suspensory has healed, but he has continued to have problems despite the fact that he has been rested since I've owned him:

-fairly severe, on and off back pain. He has been better lately, but his back will randomly hurt him. It used to be so bad that I couldn't even curry his back, and if you squeezed his withers he clearly showed signs of pain. I have had 2 vets (1 is a chiro) examine him many times. The chiro has adjusted him several times and could only say that his back was out of alignment, but not what was causing it as he has not been in ANY work. For the time being his back seems fine.

-weird pains/weakness? in his hind end. It started when he stopped letting me pick up his right hind leg without trying to hop to a wall. The vet said she saw slight lameness in his left hind but didn't have any idea what it was. He has gotten better with joint supps, but has recently started to show signs of pain again, even with the supps. You can't tell by watching him in the paddock, but when I try to pick up his right hind his left is clearly in pain. He will let me pick it up after a fuss, but the second I set it down he does all he can to get the weight off of his left hind, and continues trying to get the weight off that leg for nearly an hour.
When he rolls and tries to get up, he often has trouble and has to struggle.

We had planned on taking him up to MSU, I even had money saved up. Then Jack (my 10 month old lab puppy) started limping several months ago. At first the vet said not to worry, that it was probably growing pains. However, growing pains usually shift legs, and this did not, so I insisted on x-rays. My vet found nothing wrong on them and sent them to an orthopedic vet who also found nothing wrong. It was then suggested that it might be a soft tissue injury, so we started him on "crate rest" (like stall rest, but in a crate--he only gets to go out of the crate to go potty). He has been on crate rest for weeks, with a little improvement, but he's not sound. I took him to a second vet who heard a popping in his left shoulder (the other vet thought the problem was his right leg). She said she thought I should either give him another month or so in the crate (which I am not going to do), or take him down to the Purdue teaching hospital.

He has an appointment on May 9th. He may need surgery. I am going to have to use the money earmarked for Snafu. I hate feeling like I chose my dog over my horse, but at least Snafu has a life--he is turned out with his buddies--he just cannot be ridden. Jack has no life to speak of right now. He can't even go out for short walks for fear of making whatever is wrong with him worse.

Now I am not sure what to do with Snafu. I can afford to keep him, that's not the issue, but I won't be able to afford taking him to MSU, at least for a year or so. In the meantime I am paying for a horse I can't ride (I board).

Even if *poof* he were sound tomorrow, I'm not sure if he's the best horse for me. When I bought him I thought I would be able to start training (with the help of a trainer of course) after 6-12 months of rest. A lot of things have changed since then. I have 2 dogs, own a house, and have a job. Plus I have a husband. Well, I had him when I got the horse, but we were having lots of problems, and I spent as much time away from him as possible. Now, we are doing much better and I need to spend a decent amount of time with him to keep that going.

I *do* have time for a horse, but I really don't know that I have time for a green horse in addition to the other obligations I have in my life.

In addition, as much as I hate to admit this, I do have some confidence issues. I had a nasty fall a few years ago that really shook me. Not long after that the only riding I really did that wasn't for work was on my older mare. I really concerned that if Snafu does something stupid (as all greenies do) and I fall off and am hurt, that I won't ride again.

I do want horses in my life badly, and I love, love, LOVE to trail ride, but since I bought Snafu I haven't ridden much for fun. There are some horses at the barn that I could ride, but they are trail string horses who are quite herd bound-riding them is generally a battle.

On the one hand, I feel like at this point in my life I just want a nice horses that I can do trail and arena work with without having to fight every ride, that I can really get my confidence back on, that I can really enjoy riding and working with.

On the other hand, I feel like Snafu is my responsibility no matter what, and to try to find a good home for him would be selfish and ****ty on my part.

I really, really don't know what to do. I could use any and all advice--even harsh advice.

And if you read all this you get a cookie...a big cookie....
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BEVOLASVEGAS

Posted : 4/29/2007 5:02:41 PM

I don#%92t think that you are being selfish at all. I think that you are trying to do your best for Snafu. I fully understand how tough confinement for a suspensory ligament injury can be, & your commitment to Snafu#%92s healing speaks mountains for you, so please don#%92t feel guilty that you have to put Jack#%92s care ahead of Snafu#%92s. Everyone has to prioritize from time to time & it sounds to me like you have your priorities straight.

If your vet feels that the suspensory ligament is fully healed, then you are obviously dealing with a different problem. Snafu may have some type of spinal issue as well, ie.. Muscle damage/injury, or pressure on the spinal cord. I have used a chiropractor for one of my horses & while progress took quiet some time to become noticeable, my guy did eventually return to normal. I have also used an acupuncturist work on one of my personal horses as well, with very good success.

Just off the wall thoughts/questions.
*Has your vet and/or farrier confirmed that Snafu has not foundered? Sometimes chronic founder cases present with some very weird symptoms. If his feet are painful, that may explain his reluctance to lift his right rear for you.
* Has Snafu#%92s sheath been cleaned recently. We had a really weird case a couple of months ago that presented with back & rear limp weakness. This horse#%92s owner was a total flake who couldn#%92t hold a train of thought for more than 5 seconds, so conversation with her was difficult. In the end her random musings helped us find a HUGE bean & 3 days later the horse was totally normal. Strange? Yes, but not unheard of.

I really love chocolate chip cookies![

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sillysally

Posted : 4/29/2007 5:19:45 PM

Actually, he did founder very *slightly* over a year ago. This was after the foot issues started. The vet was out to look at him for the foot lifting thing and said his hind feet were hotter then his fronts. She had me soak his feet in ice for a week and bute him. She came out a week later and said that disaster seemed to have been averted and that he had no symtoms of founder. I asked about corrective shoing and she did not seem to think it was necessary. She said that horses sometimes very mildly founder and that there are no further problems. She even said I could have him turned out on grass as long as I did it slowly. His foot issues did not get better after that until he had been on joint supps for a while.

Now they seem to be getting worse again. It's not really *all* of the feet, it just seems to center around that left hind foot/leg. I usually do his right hind last because he's so funny about it. This last time I picked his feet, I did his right hind leg, and then his left front, and he was so desperate to get weight off of that leg hind that he cocked it and basically balenced on two legs until I was done.

I have felt for heat in his feet to watch in case it returns, but if his hind feet are warm, then his fronts are too, where before his hinds were hot and his fronts were not.

That's weird about the sheath--I have not done it in a while. I'll get the vet out to do it.

BEVOLASVEGAS

Posted : 4/29/2007 5:33:01 PM

Even in mild cases of founder, there can be long term affects. ( I hope that I used the proper affect/effect.) We commonly see that one foot is worse than the other. If his left foot is the most affected by the founder, then this could be part of your problem.

I obviously do not know your vet, but if I were in your position, I would have the farrier look closely at the rear feet the next time he is out to trim Snafu. While the doctor at our clinic sees many horses, a farrier sees even more & is more likely to detect a very mild, but ongoing, founder case. We don#%92t always use corrective shoes, but there are ways to pad the feet using bandage material that will help evenly distribute weight throughout the horse#%92s foot. If you have bute leftover, it may not be a bad idea to use it for a couple of days to see what kind of response you get. If this is an ongoing founder case, the joint supplements are not going to do a bit of good.

huskymom

Posted : 4/29/2007 5:47:43 PM

I agree that you aren't being selfish. Looking out for the best interests of your animals is your responsibility. First and foremost. If what is best for Snafu is going to someone better equipped to enjoy him the way he could be enjoyed and to make his life better(not saying you're making him miserable BTW) then you are completely within your responsibility.

I commend you on all the sluething you have done for Jack. Many would have just put him in a crate and left him there. Choices have to be made in our lives and most of them are not easy. Its a tough decision. I don't think anyone would condemn you for finding someone better prepared to deal with a green horse.

BTW, I don't know anything about horses other than just because the first horse walked nicely through the ditch, doesn't mean the second won't jump the thing like its a river! Long story... but thats about the extent of my knowledge. Is cleaning his sheath what I think it is?[

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Cita

Posted : 4/29/2007 8:27:48 PM

On the other hand, I feel like Snafu is my responsibility no matter what, and to try to find a good home for him would be selfish and ****ty on my part.

IMHO, it is never selfish to find a GOOD home for an animal you don't feel quite up to caring for.

In your own best interest, I would agree that this is not the horse for you. A (green?) horse with pain issues who hasn't been ridden in eons is not the horse to help you get your confidence back.

If you like keeping him as a "lawn ornament" (I use the term endearingly) and don't really want a horse to ride, then you should certainly feel free to keep him. But I wouldn't think any worse of you for trying to find him a home that might be able to help him more than you can right now. Maybe a rescue in your area will have the resources to rehab him? Or maybe they'll know of someone who's looking for a companion horse? (Some people get donkeys to keep the horses company, buf if you care about that sort of thing, 2 horses grazing in a paddock is much more elegant than a horse and a donkey.)

I really admire you for the care and kindness you've given both your guys.

rolenta

Posted : 4/29/2007 8:40:11 PM

You need to do what's best for you and the horse. I don't think you're being selfish.

purple chaps

Posted : 4/30/2007 7:43:27 AM

Is it possible that there is a lack of muscle in his back helping things to "slip" so to speak.
What about acupuncture? We have it in Ontario, seen it done before....pretty neat stuff!

I agree to have the farrier check his feet. You didn't say anything about pointing, but is it possible if founder is not the issue, is there a navicullar problem?

So sorry to hear you have to go through this. I know what it's like. Maybe looking for a good home as a companion horse would be a good thing for Snafu. He'll be able to live out his days as a lawn mower, and you could use that money to buy a horse to work better with you, or evn take lessons to help get some confidence back [

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Personal Champ

Posted : 4/30/2007 8:33:57 AM

Too bad you weren't closer to me - I would help you train him!

Reading your OP, 2 things came to mind - Stifles and Hind Feet. I've worked with off the track Thoroughbreds for almost 15 years, and it is amazing how what you think is back pain can actually be bad shoeing/trimming behind or bad stifle joints. I'm especially wondering this because you said he got slightly better with a joint supplement.

My 15 year old TB has arthritic stifles, one with a bone chip, and when he needs to get injected his back gets tender. Plus, he is iffy about picking up his hind feet as you would with a "normal" horse - I have to hold his foot lower for him to be comfortable. Oh, and he bowed a tendon on an eventful, unsupervised ride with DH 2 years ago (more on that another day!).

Perhaps you could get a few pictures of him for us - that may really help. One whole body from each side, one from the front, one from the rear, and close ups of his feet?