The issue here is basically three fold.
a) Is there anything that can be done to improve the quality of life for the animal?
b)Can the owners afford it?
c)How long will the preoceedure help? What will recovery be like? What are the other concurrant problems that may affect outcome of the surgery? If the surgery will not lead to a potentially long term solution, will the animals remaining time be spent recovering from the proceedure?
Obviously, there is something that can be done to help the horse, the owners don’t have issues with paying for it and the horse has a reasonable expectation of recovering and being significantly less painful and living a while longer.
This topic because of my past experience has been a real sore point for me. When I first found out about the surgical option I posted on a number of forums and asked opinions, including one hosted by a veterinarian. I was berated for being cruel to my animal by considering this and told the only kind thing to do was to euthanize. All I can say is I am glad that I didn’t listen.
As far as recovery, I have had a decent amount of experience with anesthesia recovery. Having allowed owners to stay with pets during anesthesia recovery, the owners seem more traumatized than the pets. As far as my horses and recovery, particularly the wobbler,he was anesthetized three times for this proceedure. Once for the myelogram, surgery and then again because he had an allergic reaction to the suture material and needed to have a large anount of scar tissue removed. At all times, the horse recovered quietly and safely and was supervised directly by a skilled surgical team (and yes, I was there. Yes, there is an increased risk recovering a wobbler and even in a normal horse, there is always risk. If the only choice is euthanasia, why not take the risk?
Last thing, age is not a disease! My 15 year old cat was diagnosed with cancer of his ear canal. At 15, we removed the entire ear and went through chemotherapy and radiation with him. Aside from the cancer, he was healthy. This was not a cheap proceedure. After the surgery he spent three weeks in a clinic with the oncologist. It is now 2 1/2 years later and the cat is doing great! It is poor judgement to make life and death decisions based soley on age.
Really, I am not breeding FOR chestnut, they just come out that way!