I may have to make a decision on surgery for my 26 yr old mare. She is in hospital on fluids, staying relatively comfortable but not passing much manure and elevated heart rate. Possible impaction suspected. I’m not sure about surgery on a horse this age. Anyone have good (or bad) experiences to share? Horse has been pretty healthy til now, but she is a PSSM horse and has pretty bad neck arthritis as well as knee arthritis. Also mild heaves.
Personally, I would not put a healthy 26 yr old through this type of surgery, let alone one with the health issues you listed. I’m sorry. My friend’s 13 yr old gelding had this surgery and the long recovery and stall rest for a horse half your mare’s age was daunting.
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I was in a similar situation a few years ago. My then 25 year old was hospitalized with a suspected torsion.
I did not want her to have surgery. The surgeon was very pushy, trying to strong arm me into it, insisting her age wasn’t a concern. My first hand experience is that it is absolutely a concern; recovery from abdominal surgery is no joke and confining an older horse for such a lengthy period is likely to create other issues.
In my mare’s case, it was really good that I pushed back on surgery because her issue ended up not even being a colic. The surgery would have been for naught!
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I wouldn’t do it on a healthy 26 year old.
Add your horse’s existing complications, absolutely not.
I’m sorry you’re going through this.
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I have a friend who did surgery on a 32 year old. He lived until he was 42.
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((Hugs)) I would be sad but able to give the sweet older mare a gentle passing rather than colic surgery.
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Based on past experience, I would not. There is no assurance that a 26-year-old horse will come back in the same condition after colic surgery. Also, recovery is not easy on the horse.
Know of one aged horse that at first appeared to be healing well. But was never again truly healthy, and enjoying life the way they had before. That experience really impacts any future decisions I may be making for an aged horse.
If it is important to you to do it, the mare is otherwise in excellent health, and you can afford it, I would not try to convince you otherwise. This is a very personal decision.
If the mare is already showing definite signs of her years, personally I would not put her through it. It’s not a burden she needs to carry.
Her best comfort would be my deciding call.
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((Hugs)) ~ I agree with SLW ~ a gentle passing ~
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Sorry, my reply isn’t really going to add any clarity to the discussion, but horses in their mid-twenties are the hardest, IMHO, to make blanket statements about – 26-year-olds vary a LOT in their “biological age”. However, healing IS slower, and, as mentioned, the possibility of complications is higher than in a younger horse. Stall rest and surgical recovery is usually (not always) mentally easier on a senior compared to a younger horse that’s full of beans, but can also create physical problems that might not show up in a younger horse. Just hugs from me, OP – only you know your horse, and whatever decision you make, it will be in her best interest.
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I would not, and it’s less because of the surgery itself than about managing the rehab and recovery in a senior. Gentle movement is so important to the comfort of horses who have developed arthritis, and stall rest can be a real challenge to their physical well-being and comfort. The change in routine can also be very upsetting if all their lives they’ve gone out X hours a day. I think that at this age, the day to day quality of life is paramount, because we do not know how many days they have left. I’m sorry that you’re facing this decision and I hope that whatever happens, your mare passes her time in comfort, however much of it she has.
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I hate to say it, but add me to the gentle passing list. Colic surgery recovery for a horse with arthritis would really be tough. And so many other things can go downhill so fast at that age while her body is trying to heal. But, it is your call as you know what you and she can do better than anyone. Jingles and hugs and fingers crossed the fluids get things going without further distress! I am so sorry. Prayers for peace for both of you.
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This here. I went through a colic surgery with a younger horse and had a great support group to help with his recovery. Then my retiree got put on table for colic surgery and I made the decision to let him go on the table knowing the extent of the recovery process and the extent of the findings. The chance of further pain and reoccurring colic was high and that was not something I wanted to put him through. The vets there reassured me that there was no wrong decision. I would make the same decision again.
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OP, I am jingling your girl passes the impaction and you don’t need to make a hard decision.
I don’t know your mare, and how she mentally would handle the stall rest. It is a tough recovery on a healthy young horse. Let alone a senior horse with neck and knee arthritis.
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Thank you everyone, for your thoughts. My girl is still hospitalized, but appears more comfortable. Looks like things are trending in a better direction, so hopefully this is something that is improving with medical management. I have pretty much decided that surgery is not an option. Hoping she will continue to improve and be able to come home soon!
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It depends significantly on the horse. A fit an healthy 26 year old wouldn’t be an automatic no from me. Technique and anesthesia protocols have improved in the past decade. That said, are you going to get many more years from an already 26 year old? Maybe maybe not. My 38 year old was recently successfully medically managed for an impaction that took 6 days to resolve. If she needed surgery and I could have afforded it, I would have as she is otherwise fit and well and still being ridden 5 days week. Since I can’t afford it 100% out of pocket, it wasn’t an option. Hope your horse continues to feel better and that it is able to be medically managed.
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This is an exceedingly hard decision to make for any horse, but based on the other issues you list for your mare I think I would be leaning towards letting her go and not pursuing surgery. I say this as someone who did put my then 24 yr old gelding through colic surgery for an impaction and he recovered beautifully and still going strong at 28, but he was not metabolic nor had any significant arthritis concerns that would have made the recovery more challenging. Hugs to you - and sending good thoughts for whichever direction you decide to go.
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Don’t. I was in a similar situation four years ago. 28, very good health. The vets were all for it: told me they’d done the surgery on even older horses. I said no and so glad I did. The recovery would have been too hard on her. Hugs to you.
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My late Paint gelding had an arthritic knee. The flexion was declining and lameness getting worse. I didn’t want to do joint injections. Otherwise he was happy and healthy and comfortable with periodic injections of Osphos.
He was 27 when I took him for a lamenss evalualion by a specialist. He did an ultrasound and I thought we would be doing an MRI. He wouldn’t do it because he said there was a risk that my horse would not wake up from the sedation. My vet asked me to agree that we would put him down when she said it was time. I had promised him that I would not let him turn into a decrepit old man. I had him for another 18 months, which we enjoyed with hand-grazing and some long lining. It is so hard to say goodbye but it’s the best thing you can do for them.
Hugs.
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I did colic surgery on an otherwise fit, healthy 25 year TB mare who I rode regularly. She did very well in the surgery and we had several great years after that. She was used to a lot of turn out but a very independent horse–she did not care where other horses were relative to her. We gave her a small shady, grassy area with a quiet friend arguably sooner than what was prescribed, but she was quiet and sensible. Also, at that time, visitors were allowed at the vet hospital, and while she was there, I got to visit her every day, groom her, etc., which made it better for me (and hopefully her).
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I had my recently retired 21 year old colic. The vet asked if he was a surgical candidate and I said no. He would never do well on that long a stall rest. Luckily, two days of IV’s took care of the colic.
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