Wow, what a turn to find those ovaries anything BUT normal! That would be awesome if your vet can see the actual ovaries, to compare to the u/s images, and maybe see the things that looked normal but aren’t. OTOH, u/s can’t see all angles, so that could be an issue too.
I too wonder how more common this is, poor mares 
What hospital did you have her done at? I got the impression from Cornell that while they remove an ovary not infrequently for things like granulosa cell tumors, a spay was not common at all. I wish I had thought to ask for a number because you have me curious now.
Did you send the ovaries to pathology or was it just clear on removal how diseased they were?
@Rel6
I ended up going with MidAtlantic Vet hospital. I spoke with Cornell, New Bolton, Furlong, and MidAtlantic.
Most confirmed that they do between 4-10 spays each per year. I was asking that question because I wanted to pick a surgeon who does this a lot… turns out none of them do that many. One surgeon said he used to more of these down south, much less up here which I thought was interesting.
Spoke with all the surgeons that would perform the surgery. The technology at MidAtlantic was the newest with the fastest recovery for her, although the most expensive. (2 weeks post op back to light work. Everyone else was 4-6 weeks) That with the openness and acknowledgment of realistic expectations is what made me go with them.
I’m pretty sure if I understood the conversation correctly that the abnormal ovaries was visible immediately upon internal visual inspection and he took pictures during the procedure. So it was visually clear that they were diseased.
This is what made me discuss with the surgeon the possibility of trying to get the insurance company to open a claim. The surgeon was emphatic that they needed to be removed as they would have caused long term health issues.
Got it! Yes, mine was 2 weeks stall rest, 2 weeks small paddock turnout, then back to work. It was still pretty expensive though. I wonder if they do more in the south because with the extended days/sunlight the mares tend to stay in heat longer? That is interesting.
@Rel6 she was cleared for small paddock turnout the next day…. It seemed crazy fast (and I opted to leave her in one extra day) but she’s doing great so far! (Knock wood!)
That is amazing!! Definitely better mentally for their recovery. So happy for you and her.
I actually DO have some old pictures of her. I’ll have to photograph them to digitize them, so that I can post for you. I should do that anyway, just to have them. Her show name was “Cruisewear”, if you are wondering if you know her from her show career. This name was hung on her after I sold her. We called her “Cactus Rose”. She was the one and only.
Sired by the local TB stallion “Tony’s Mark”, and out of an appy mare known as “Alberta Dust”, who I suspect was one of the first PMU foals imported to BC when the PMU farms first started on the prairies around 1960. Probably some percheron in her, a big robust mare, who moved like a dream, kind AND talented, a natural jumper who never got the chance to be competitive.
Update! So my mare is 5 and a half weeks out from her surgery. One full week back to full (if quiet) work. She is sooo much happier! Literally like having a new horse. Reacts differently to my leg aids… different in her understanding of connection and much less spooky. I’m Just doing basic w/t/c stuff and keeping it super short.
I will add that after week three (she was cleared to go back to work after week two) I spent almost two weeks long lining her and am very glad I did… she really looked unsure of how to move thru her body and struggled most with trot/canter transitions. Very first ride she felt like a horse who never had someone on them) First few rides on her I just w/t and long lined the canter transitions.
Scars are going down and I use a PT tool I got from my Physio to break up the scar tissue and muscle tightness around the surgical sites.
I’ll try to remember to post another when she’s ready to clinic and show as she was quite difficult in those situations but all accounts point to a normal young horse behavior. Hope all this information helps other mare owners make informed decisions.
Glad things are going so well!
I’m considering this for my mare. She is miserable in heat and so far Regumate, alternogest injections and Positude haven’t kept her out of heat. Blood work and ultrasound inconsistent with GCT. We’re going to try the IUPOD next and see if that helps. I know spaying isn’t a miracle fix, so want to explore all my options.
Would love to hear more updates as your horse gets out to shows and clinics. Fingers crossed for you!
Please update on your IUPOD experience.
My mare is doing well on the BET Pharmacy microparticle altrenogest injectable but it is, ahem, pricey. And needs to be repeated every ~30 days or so. We’re going with it through show season and then I’m interested if maybe the IUPOD would be similar efficacy but less cost and less invasive.
My mare has blown through the alternogest micro particle from BET… full blown heat, like she never even got the injection. I cried inside because it is so expensive!! Going to keep giving it until she gets the IUPOD. I will keep you updated!
Ugh, that is so devastating as it is not cheap! Did your mare blow through it immediately or toward the end of the shot? I’m finding that the shot doesn’t necessarily go the ‘30 days’. I’m lucky that my Vet showed me the process and is allowing me to order and administer it myself. I’m toward my next shot range so just watching and getting a feel for her every day when I need to give the next one.
(It was also cheaper to order myself and get 2 doses to take the sting out of the shipping cost)
She went into heat 13 days after the shot. Going to keep trying it through the summer. My vet lets me administer myself as well, but it’s still painfully expensive, especially if it doesn’t work.
UPDATE: first off farm clinic, 8 weeks post surgery. My mare was beyond perfect! So much more focused then in the past. Indoor was dark and spooky with sun spots and lots of activity with dogs and trailers which would have been highly distracting in the past were nothing now. Worst part is she got the two geldings in a bit of a dither during the trailer ride 
but she, I think, enjoyed that and couldn’t have cared less about them!
Still figuring out how to move in her new body. Walk and trot are consistent now but canter is still different every day… scars mostly flat and not causing any referral discomfort to her back when I move the scar tissue around anymore.
Still not pushing too hard but have entered a show mid August for 3rd level, I will again update.
Thanks, glad you shared the apparent behavior change. Fingers crossed its permanent. Look forward to next update.
Thank you for the update! I’m glad it seems to have helped. Would love to hear more updates about how the rest of the summer goes!
On my vet’s recommendation, I had the “cattle” implants done on my mare in April. I’d reached the end of my rope with the same behaviors that many of you describe here. What a difference these have made! These last six months. Very inexpensive. So far, this has been a great solution. Thanks for all the information on this thread.
Wow - I’m envious that your vet is willing to suggest an off-label solution! I did a brief dive on the use of Synovex in mares and couldn’t find much published, but did find some anecdotal stories of success. I’d kill to try it, but I get corrected if I so much as inadvertently refer to Equioxx as Previcox. 
By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. You may also receive promotional emails from The Chronicle of the Horse. You can opt out at any time.
For Customers
Company
Terms of Use
