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Posted by mountaingirl89
on 9/17/2009, 10:43 am
12.104.134.130
I posted here last spring about my lame morab mare and what to do with her. I got a lot of good ideas and some of them prompted me to keep her longer and try to help her get better.
I gave her anti-inflamitories over two or so months (the vets suggestion) and she was sound for four months (the longest ever!) but then two weeks ago she came down more lame then ever before. She can hardly put any weight on it at all! I know she must be in quite a bit of pain ( I am getting pain meds from my vet for her soon) but am back to square one.
Over the winter she was very lame and could hardly move. I had assumed this was because she was in a little bit of mud and it was cold. But now I am thinking she is just getting worse every time she goes lame (she goes on and off lame).
Anyway, I am now trying to decide what to do for the winter, and in the long run.
Right now my oppoins are:
1. Board her somewhere with no mud in a paddock (I have a big dry lot pasture but its on a steep hill and has lots of obsticals). If I can find someplace inexpensive this could work for the winter, but I am unsure if that is the life I want her to live and if I can keep up with the board on her.
2. Trade her winter board for conditioning another horse. Oviously I would need to find someone willing to make this arangment. I ride my other horse out on the trails and am experianced on the trails. I have access to lots of great parks for conditioning horses for trail or endurance (my goal and why I bought my current lame mare). Also I would have to make a decition on her next year if her lameness stayed the same.
3. I could try and find her a home where she can be in a suitable situation for her condition. But I am again, worried that she will still be in pain. Although if I could find her a great situation where she could just be a pampered pasture pet she would probably be pretty happy! Of course where am I going to find that?
4. I could put her down. As much as it would break my heart (she has so much life!) I also hate to see her in pain like this. Its hard too to try and make that decition since when she is sound she is so energitic and bouncy!.
5. I could donate her to UC Davis. This of course also being under putting her down, but at least in a helpfull way I guess.
Anyway, I am just so unsure of what to do! I hate the idea of putting her down, but it does seem like every time she goes lame she gets worse. I am also not sure I can handle the ups and downs of her going on and off lame any more. When she is sound I have hope that she will heal and be sound and happy. Then when she goes lame again I am just that more sad that she is lame.
As far a vet stuff, our main option right now is to do a bone scan of her whole front leg since so many vets think it is in so many different places. Although the last vet (Russ Peterson) felt fairly strongly that it was way deep inside her shoulder blades and that even if we do a bone scan and find that spot to be the most inflamed there is no way of finding out what is wrong beyond that.
Sorry for the long story! Any suggestions? I know this is a decition I have to make myself, but I feel better if others give input!
Thanks!
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