I’m sure you’ve considered this, but - try a different insurance agent/company for your farm so you can have another horse?
Edit for clarity
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He is not insured so any medical expenses will be out of pocket.
I meant for her farm since she can’t have another horse due to her policy
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None of this sounds like a typical hoof abscess to me, and it feels like if the horse was going to start coming sound, 14 weeks would be enough time to see that happen. That’s 3+ months.
I would echo what others have said about a possible infection at the site of the injections - not sure what the easiest way to check for that would be (maybe just a blood draw to check white cell levels would be the place to start?), but for me - if the horse is in pain, and if he’s 3-legged lame at times, he certainly is - then I can’t see where turning him out for rest is going to help with that. Something’s wrong. A fractured coffin bone, perhaps, or some other stress from using that leg more than the other during his ligament rehab? Whatever it is, he’s in pain.
At the end of the day, we can only do what we can do. You can’t put yourself in financial straits - that’s not fair to you, your family, or your other horses. If he was mine, then the finances, and his pain levels, would be my deciding factors.
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Today’s vet update:
Not great news, but I guess I got some answers. Additional diagnostics and blocking were done today and it was determined that my horse’s hind foot lameness is a suspensory issue. After a long discussion with my vet and given the severity of the lamenes, I essentially have two options (none of which make me happy):
Option 1: Attempt to do surgery on his hind suspensory, rehab him, and then bring him back with his KS and SI issues as much as possible and see what we have. BUT…she is almost 100% certain that he will never hold up to regular competitive riding and will absolutely not jump again. So, after paying for additional surgery and weeks of rehab, I would still have to find him a home where someone would basically want a “pasture pet” or maybe…just maybe…a light riding horse. That is a big ask as people don’t tend to want those around here. But at least he would have a chance to live out a happy life in a field somewhere.
Option 2: Go ahead and euthanize. Might consider euthanizing at the University hospital so that they can at least use his body to teach since he has so many issues. Vet isn’t super keen on this idea but said she supports my decision completely.
Vet is in agreement that if we go forward with surgery, and it isn’t successful, the only option left is euthanizing.
What would you do?
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I’m so so sorry to hear this. But, since you asked, I’d choose euthanasia now.
I have a KS/SI/minor suspensory/generally NQR horse. He is not a surgical candidate for anything that isn’t likely to “fix” his issues (his suspensory is healed, it’s the rest of him that’s an issue, and he’s not lame in the pasture). I would not do suspensory surgery on him to become a pasture pet. IME, rehoming to a pasture pet situation that isn’t directly in your control is not a good idea.
It really sucks and I’m sorry, but it doesn’t look like this horse has a high quality of life NOW or later with surgery. The stall rest and rehab for a suspensory is ROUGH on KS/SI issues. IME, it can make those issues much worse or even debilitating. I would not put him through it, IIWM, I’d let him go.
ETA maybe a second opinion? I’ll be honest, all but one of my vets wouldn’t be pushing for surgery here, they’d be laying out both options but suggesting option 2. The one who would prefer surgery is a bit unrealistic about the finances of your average person and also the quality of life of the animals.
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What would I do? I’d euthanize. There is no guarantee he’s going to live a happy life in a field somewhere. He isn’t “useful,” and that increases his chance of coming to a bad end once he’s not in your care. There are worse fates than a dignified end.
Also, there’s the financial aspect. You’ve done a lot for this horse already. Just because the technology exists to pursue surgery that will, at best, keep him pasture sound doesn’t mean you should go broke doing it.
Best wishes with your decision.
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No need to reiterate the thoughtful posts above but I agree with them. I wouldn’t put a horse with complex murky issues through surgery and rehab with a maybe pasture sound outcome
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I’m so sorry about this new diagnosis.I would not do surgery on the suspensory of a horse with other connective tissue issues .Has the possibility of dsld been raised?
I would euthanize 
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It sounds like the odds of recovery from the suspensory issue isn’t very good. For a horse already compromised, with issues that will be getting worse through the suspensory recovery period…
I’d euthanize rather than put him through all of that with a poor prognosis. If he can be a teacher in the process, I would choose that option.
I’m so sorry you have to make this decision. (((hugs)))
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As an objective reader of just the facts and no emotion invested, I would euthanize your boy rather than subjecting him to the stresses and iffy outcome of surgery. Even if the surgery was free or money was no object. I’m so sorry!
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Sorry, but I would euthanize.
Hugs
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I wouldn’t choose surgery and rehab on a horse with multiple other issues in hopes of bringing him pasture sound. Especially if I knew he couldn’t retire in my pasture. I would be very concerned that stall rest would cause the other issues to go downhill drastically.
I’m sorry. You’re in a bad spot. Hugs
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This reminds me of another horse I helped with the care on for a bit. Horse went from showing Grand Prix dressage to needing hind suspensory surgery. Horse did not come sound after surgery, and the fetlock dropped. Not too much later, other fetlock caught up. Clear DSLD case. The horse was not that old when this started. In the midst of never ending rehab, other body and limb problems started to fall apart. Horse would no longer lay down or sleep. My role in helping was trying to heal the oozing and stinking bed sores and then keep horse from opening them up again. In my opinion, the horse was kept alive much, much too long. Horse had a big personality and the owner viewed that as a strong will to live, but the horse was just so uncomfortable.
With such severe lameness with the suspensory injury, I wouldn’t have super high hopes for surgery. And then if you do try surgery anyway, that’s a bunch more money and time and hard, emotional rehab time out the door. I’m very, very sorry but it seems like the happy outcome would take pretty much a miracle.
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I currently am having to make this decision with my horse, after 5 years of a rabbit hole involving laminitis, EMS, sore feet, a torn DDFT and now Cushings (plus a ton of other stuff) and more money in diagnostics and care than I can even admit because it’s staggering and I can’t believe I have spent it. I have been struggling over a year making this decision and what I can tell you from my experience is the further you go the harder it is because it becomes … well I’ve gone this far, why not go further? I should have put my horse down in the spring when was 4/5 lame on his left front due to torn DDFT. I stall rested him and then did field turn out and while he is mostly sound at walk, he’s lame at trot and NEVER moves faster than a walk, and I am still having trouble making the decision because he’s “so close” to being back to himself but we just can’t seem to get there. I am afraid for you that if you go the surgery route, that is where you will end up - with a horse that is “so close” to being sound and happy that you want to keep fighting but you never get to the outcome you want. I would let him go now. HUGS to you, I know what you’re going through.
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I’d euthanize. You’ve done so much and things keep coming up. Plus this additional surgery won’t get him back 100% or make him really healthy.
At the risk of sounding harsh or cliche, things happen for a reason. Perhaps this is all happening and someday you’ll be in a position to help someone else deal with something in their life. Might not even be with horses.
Be there when it happens and yes, donate the body to the vet school so they can use it for training. And that’s why I say be there when it happens because you don’t want them using him as a live experiment.
You have my deepest sympathies. We all know what you’re going thru.
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So very sorry. I wouldn’t do the surgery.
You are right, there are not many, maybe any, people who would take this horse on and free board him and take on all expenses. You never know where he could end up or the quality of care.
You’ve given him a good life and a solid chance.
Unless he is the happy go lucky type and loves to travel, I would not want his last day(s) to be at a vet school if you can avoid it.
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Sorry to hear, in this case I’d absolutely euthanise. Suspensory rehab is tough, ask me how I know. Tough to a point where I gave up and just turned mine out (at the point she was sound) and took a “see what happens” approach. And her prognsosis was actually really good - a small ish tear and fair to good chance of getting back to jumping and no other performance limiting issues we are aware of.
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You’ve done your best for this horse, and with this prognosis, I would euthanize, too.
As others have said, trying to find a pasture pet/light riding home for your horse after you’ve paid for surgery plus rehab, is perhaps an admirable thought. But in practicality, it isn’t always obtainable. Plus, there’s the real possibility that your horse could end up neglected and meet a bad end. That’s what happened with a mare of mine many years ago. It still haunts me.
Originally, I gave her to a local man who only lightly rode her on the flat and kept her at his home. But years went by, we fell out of touch, and I was horrified to later find out my former mare ended up neglected and literally starved to death. It turned out that when that man couldn’t keep her anymore, he gave her to someone else, who eventually tossed her out in a field with a herd of mules and donkeys. I blamed myself for her ugly end, and vowed I would never again give away an unsound horse. If I can’t keep and maintain it myself, and check on it regularly, then I need to be a proper steward of that horse and put it down. That way I know how their life ended: peacefully, with someone who loves them making that tough decision.
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This! Surgery and stall rest will not be kind to his KS/SI. Hind suspensory surgery can be effective if that is truly the horse’s only issue, but that’s not the situation you’re in unfortunately. I really don’t think the time and money will bring about a good outcome for you/him, perhaps not even pasture or light riding sound. And I would definitely not feel comfortable rehoming this horse, for his own safety. I’m sorry you’re at this point, OP, but I would euthanize.
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