So unfortunately my 18 year old has been going downhill in the past month. 9 years ago he injured his suspensory and was diagnosed with degenerative suspensory desmitis. It’s caused tons of secondary problems including with stifles and SI but he’s always had more good days than bad. Now we are almost 30 days of bad days in a row (including many days where he’s three legged). He’s also on and off his food and has lost about 100lbs in the past month (and was already underweight because of his health issues). Banamine and Bute help a little, but he has a history of ulcers (and was treated for them two years ago) so I can’t do them too often and honestly they helped for less than 12 hours before he needed another dose. Previcox (Equiiox?) did not help when we tried it three years ago (had him on it for a year).
I don’t have the vet out often because when he has flare ups, I just treat myself. We’ve done every treatment suggested - stall rest, turn out in quiet group, shockwave, joint/suspensory injections, previcox.
My question before I call the vet is - are there any other pain meds anyone has had success with/heard of or is it time to say goodbye?
Not much advice, but I can commiserate. Our 17yo TB has been retired for the last 10 years. He’s also struggling with SI, hock, stifle, and suspensory issues. I have him on daily Equioxx which seemed to keep him comfortable, but he ran around in the pasture with the youngsters recently and has been more gimpy than normal so we have been adding bute when he looks really bad. I keep him on OTC generic Prevacid (famotidine) to keep ulcers at bay. I worry about him, but he is still bright eyed, playful, nickers for grain, finishes his meals and is in good weight…vet says he will tell me when it’s time.
Perhaps try some on going Ulcer meds? Nexium/esomeprazole or Prevacid/famotidine have worked for me; ranitidine is currently unavailable due to recall issues.
I’m sure you’re doing everything you can to keep him comfortable and there’s definitely a point when it’s time.
The only other thing I could think of would be a steroidal anti-inflammatory like prednisolone but it has its own risks and I don’t know if it would do anything much if Bute doesn’t help. How long ago did you inject the joints? Assuming stifles and SI?
The issue with ulcer meds is he doesn’t eat anything in his food. I will definitely ask the vet about it, though.
I just hate it because he’s still happy to see me when I go out, but he’s also definitely not himself this past month and he’s never had a flare up this bad or last this long. For instance, he has been fighting with the other horses which he only does when he’s in pain - normally he’s overly friendly to other horses. The BO said he tried to fight the yearling they have and has to be separated. And he’s been off his grain quite a bit recently which worries me with his weight issues.
*Just remembered: he was on ulcer meds and they didn’t prevent the last ulcers because he wasn’t eating enough of them (we assume).
Maybe I’ll ask the vet about it and see what she thinks. Maybe about trying it for a little.
It was 2 years ago. We only did stifle because she wanted an ultrasound of his SI which could only be done in clinic but he isn’t sound enough to trailer. She wouldn’t risk injecting his SI without an ultrasound. Honestly the injections didn’t do anything for him except waste a few hundred $$ and make him extra ouchy for about a week and then back to his normal self.
I have a mare with a similar issue. I give her gabapentin - 15 300 mg capsules twice a day. I dissolve the powder in orange juice and syringe it into her mouth. It helps a little I think. I too take gabapentin and it works for me.
Oh interesting. I haven’t heard of that. Is that something the vet would prescribe? I have to wait until Wednesday for his vet to be in the office so in the meantime he’s getting banamine to keep him comfortable.
As far as being grouchy in turnout, I have certainly noticed changes in behaviour when horses are in pain. Right now I’m looking after a very equitable boss mare who has a hoof abscess and she is much more expressive of pissy stay away to the other horses and totally clingy to my mare. She is clearly being self protective. Also I’ve watched an older mare get to the point she refuses to join in group turnout where she might get bowled over by a rowdy horse. She used to love it. So yes, if he is expressing a desire to be alone giving him individual turnout is a good idea.
It sounds like the he is having many more bad days than good. With that amount of weight loss and that some days are on three legs, euthanasia would be my next step. Been there, done that with an elderly laminitis horse. It is very hard but truly a gift we can give to them when they are in pain all the time. {{{Hugs}}}
I find icing, liniment, and chiropractic helps keep my guy comfortable. He has suspensory injuries and SI pain due to it. I do chiro every 5-7 weeks, ice after almost every ride and liniment as well. I also keep him on adequan.
I have also injected his SI.
If I do all these things, my horse moves freely and happily. He doesn’t sound like he’s nearly as rough off as yours unfortunately. DSLD is tough… you’re fighting uphill.
Try chiro and ice – they are relatively cheap to do. I’m assuming you aren’t riding? This is tough. I wouldn’t want to dump money into injections either.
I have a 12 year old gelding with DSLD which settled in 2 years ago. He was comfortably pasture sound until recent months when I started giving him a gram of Bute daily which he responded to well. Also fed one cup of alfalfa pellets along with the bute to buffer his belly. He did fine, but attempts to not give it resulted in more discomfort. Spoke with the vet and she encouraged me to put him on Equioxx, so I bought a 30 day supply and while it helps some, it does not help as much as bute, so it’s a wait and see. He is a big, heavier built, draft cross (Georgian Grande - Saddlebred x Percheron). So far there is nothing wrong with his appetite and his weight is good.
He is pure pasture ornament now but I do love this horse. He’s a big Labrador Retriever. Still, I will maintain him as long as it doesn’t require heroics or a ton of meds and he is happy. If he ever gets to the point you’re experiencing with your guy, I will let him go. My understanding is there is not a lot to be done other than palliative care. I’m sorry I don’t have anything really to offer. I suspect, my guy won’t make it 9 years post diagnosis unfortunately.
Yeah he’s definitely not happy. Even the BO mentioned when I got there today he’d been picking fights with his best friend who is low man on the totem pole. Unfortunately, individual turnout isn’t an option because the only open pasture is the round pen which has no shade and we’re in Florida. And stall rest isn’t an option because he’d tear his stall to pieces. So he’s out with the lowest two geldings and since he’s a cripple he can’t actually kick them and just makes nasty faces and backs his butt up.
Yeah he is behind on his chiro because the vet refused to allow the chiro out and will only let patients use their in house (and the other vet in the area is the same) which means it would be 250$ for treatment plus visit fee which is $100 if I can’t find someone to split the cost. Vs the $65 of my previous chiro who I loved.
I ice when I can but I’m 30 min away and have a one year old so unfortunately it isn’t viable for me to ice daily or twice a day which is what he’d need. And the barn owner is great, but my horse will not stand on the cross ties unsupervised for her to ice him and she has 30+ other horses to take care of.
I’m so sorry. Every time I heard that diagnosis it brings back the memories and the nightmares. I was 19 years old and alone when the vet told me he wouldn’t make it a year. I was in the middle of spring semester finals in college and I had an absolute breakdown.
At least he’s doing well eating! That’s honestly the hardest thing for me. I’m doing three days of banamine now and I’m curious to see how his appetite is on pain meds because if he’s not eating due to the pain that’s a deal breaker for me. We’ve done palliative care for nine years and if he’s to the point he needs banamine daily to eat his whole breakfast and dinner, I’m not sure what we can do.
I’m trying to stay hopeful that the vet will have a suggestion on Wednesday when she gets in but I feel so hopeless and I absolutely don’t want to make him suffer longer than necessary. What’s stupid is nine years ago when he was diagnosed and he was hardly lame at all they suggested euthanizing him or turning him out for six months - a year and I chose to turn him out. Now that he’s clearly lame and in pain, I’m sure they’ll try to get me to try pain meds.
My biggest problem is I cannot do it long term. Sure, I could do bute or banamine plus daily gastroguard to the tune of 36$ for 10 days of banamine (or 5 days if he needs it twice a day) plus $32 for four days of gastroguard for the next few years but what’s the point if he’s not going to recover anyway? Why heavily medicate him, plus put me into debt on a treatment that ultimately will not cure him. And I feel selfish just for thinking that, but I’m getting to the point in my life where I’m married with a kid and I can’t jeopardize my family’s finances for a horse with a chronic diagnosis. If the vet said do it for 60, 90 or even 120 days and he’d be better - heck yes I’d do it in a heartbeat. But this would be a financial commitment until even this wasn’t working any longer. Ugh. I don’t even know the right answer.
If money were no object, would there be something you could do to make him comfortable enough to be happy? Probably not–he still has a painful, progressive disease. I understand feeling guilty, but you shouldn’t. It might be kindest to your long-time friend to let him go when he’s telling you it’s too much.
I say this gently because I know it’s hard. It sounds like you’ve come to the end. 30 bad days in a row is your sign. You’ve done heroic things for him and given him many happy years, so please don’t feel any guilt about it. He is telling you he hurts, significantly, with the grouchiness and weight loss. Hugs to you.
I agree with others. Sounds like time to let him go and have no guilt over it. You’ve done a lot for him. All horses should be so lucky to have someone love them at the end of their life.
Hi. I have a12 yo gelding who was just diagnosed with
tears in his rear suspensory ligaments
He’s on bute the day he is ridden. Boots and ice boots after.
However he’s ulcer prone so I use MSM and buy herb products for natural pain relief. He’s been very comfortable on this regime the past several weeks along with chiro care for the over compensation of keeping weight off his rear legs.
I order from wild horse products and love their products. I’ve used the joint rebuilder for my OTTB and I’ve just now ordered “no more pain” and waiting delivery this week for my horse with suspensory issue. I know I won’t be disappointed.
You might try daily bute and feed soaked alfalfa pellets with it to buffer his belly and forego the expensive gastro guard. Alfalfa has been proven to buffer their bellies and I do think bute gives better relief than equioxx. It’s what I will go back to if the equioxx doesn’t give my guy the relief I want him to have.
I’m sorry you are faced with this. It’s always quite stressful when making these life decisions of quality over quantity and when to let go, but you’ve given him 9 more years than he would have had. With these chronic cases, there is no wrong. Some elect to euthanize pretty quickly in the disease process while others wait for their quality of life to deteriorate and then let them go. Everyone’s situation is different. If I didn’t have my own place and was having to pay board, I don’t think I would be able to offer my guy the luxury of just hanging out, and that would be true for a lot of people, so don’t beat yourself up about this. Sounds like you’ve been very good to your guy. I hope you see some improvement but if not, you certainly held onto to him as long as you could.
Every time I heard that diagnosis it brings back the memories and the nightmares. I was 19 years old and alone when the vet told me he wouldn’t make it a year. I was in the middle of spring semester finals in college and I had an absolute breakdown.