Talk to me about surgery to remove chips from fetlocks

[Obsidian_Fire]

@findeight I agree with all you’ve said. I am a world class skeptic when it comes to horses. Horse has not been sitting, she has been working and in training and being ridden. Maybe not every day, but it’s being done. And I know plenty of people who flat don’t get along with mares.

Daughter was eventing the mare, didn’t like her, wants to get on get framed up and go. Horse not ready for that, they fuss daughter fights…she’s a 14 y/o teen. Mom thought well heck I’ll get back into riding but has admitted like so many working parents she just doesn’t have the time anymore, and is okay with living vicariously thru her daughter. Her words, not mine. They have 8 horses, so pick the ones that stay and the ones that go, I guess.

HOWEVER. I agree with everything you’ve said. It’s very heavily on my mind. If nothing else, it’s another piece of my horse education.

I was brutally honest with the seller before I committed to a trip up there, about what I could/would afford/not afford, I was very honest with her yesterday about ‘my vet will advise me regarding her xrays’; seller is willing to share the PPE she did on the horse, also horse is insured for everything BUT the chips which were a pre-existing condition. I made it plain my horses work for a living and I don’t have the luxury of a pasture pet.
So yes, I want to see all the vet records, I want to discuss it with my vet and then depending on what he says I will forward to a surgeon and talk with them.

At this point it’s all I can do.

[findeight]

Be sure to update us either way, we so often never get closure on these discussions.

[IPEsq]

How is the horse for the trainer? Findeight makes good points. My horse has had a lot of physical issues going on. He has turned into a fighter. I actually just put him on Prozac to see if I could break this cycle with him because he should finally be feeling good in his body. The problem is, he is very sensitive, something would be bothering him, but he wouldn’t limp, wouldn’t really show anything to the vets (and he’s been seen by a LOT of vets). It would all be behavioral with the occasional soreness or NQR movement somewhere, which moved around. Constant fighting is NOT normal for most horses. Maybe if he was the type to try to hurt you or with no self preservation…the kind with some serious screws loose. But he’s not one of those. I’m not saying that no horse has some back talk and whiny “this is hard I don’t wanna” kind of behaviors sometimes. Anyway, when the behavior starts with my guy, so starts the trek to figure out what’s bothering him now. Sometimes, this doesn’t take long at all, we take a guess, do a test or imaging and find it. Sometimes it takes many months of searching and experimenting, during which the behavior only gets worse or more ingrained even when trying to find something he wants to do or when following a vet-prescribed plan.

So, she may not be limping, but it’s worth considering that she may not be comfortable. And it may or may not be the chip. If the kid has a temper and it’s solely an issue with the kid and not with the trainer or mom, ever, then that’s one thing. But just for some perspective on behavior, I can’t tell you how many times now my vets have said, the horse is sound, the horse is FINE, and he’s been NOT fine. Of course, this horse didn’t have any history of this stuff when I tried him and bought him. But he hadn’t done a whole lot yet, so that’s part of the risk with the young ones I guess. Just something to think about with this horse, knowing that undesirable behavior is in there and consider what the triggers might be.

[Obsidian_Fire]

@findeight I will add to this saga as I get more info! LOL.

I have a somewhat former trainer who I am still in close contact with; I forwarded her the videos and info I have, and my thoughts/questions. She gave me more to think on, nothing “bad”, just more, so that’s good. She also told me to pull blood for bute.

@IPEsq you make good points also. But how many of us have had “that” horse that brings out the worst in us (I know I have) and is just peachy fine for someone else? (had it, sold it, horse and I are much happier without each other). Even the mom said it was her kids fault. She told me the horse was fine and relaxed etc. with trainer (I did not see her with trainer, only with Mom) and horse was fine with Mom. Quiet, rode like a nice lady’s mount, LOL…
I also made a point of putting the horse into contact and asking her over her back and on the bit, just to get a sense of if it was a lack of understanding or an actual problem. What I got was, “I don’t know what I’m supposed to do” and when I quietly explained it, I got try try try and oh hey! I can do this! Is that all? Wow no problem! Mare relaxed, took my hand, that was the end of it.
So see the conundrum I’m in? Want want want a horse with that attitude and so far this is the first one I’ve found with it, and there are potential physical deal-breaking issues. Sucks.

I hope to have some start of answers by early next week.

[Heinz_57]

Hopefully they “find” those rads for you, and it all works out in your favor (shouldn’t the vet have copies? I would think all it would require is a phone call to have them sent to your vet, unless we’re talking old school hard copies…). She sounds like a gem if not for the chips. My own experience with chips is similar to what has already been recounted - not an issue, until it’s an issue, and then it’s a BIG and maybe not recoverable issue that led to permanent retirement (at the ripe old age of 8, for anyone counting).

Glad to hear you’re back out on the search!

[Obsidian_Fire]

@Heinz 57 Yes! I’ve been looking high and low, it’s quite the adventure. The vet has the rads, owner has a call into them to send them down here to Dr. Revenaugh.
If nothing else I spent a day traveling with my hubby, all by ourselves, enjoying the sunshine!

[Feliz]

Having dealt with chips I never want to have to do it again.

Purchased a nice little mare who was SJing 1.25m and a great field hunter. She was 8 or 9 when I got her and passed the vetting (I only had her feet & hocks xrayed). I had her two years and we’d just started jumping 1.10m - 1.15m. She would chip in occasionally, especially in doubles. Then she started stopping . . . my trainer at the time was . . . less than helpful. Horse wasn’t lame. I decided that we both needed a break from jumping for a bit as I thought I’d made her stop with my ammie ride.

I had her nice & fit and we started the hunt season with no problems - she went all day, jumped everything etc. About a month in I unloaded her after getting home from the hunt and she was 3 legged lame, some swelling up her leg etc. X-rays revealed chips in both fetlocks, plus one of her sesamoid bones looked pretty funky. Best guess was that she’d put her legs in a gate or something as a youngster.

Vet advice was not to operate - high chance that there was a lot of damage that wasn’t visible on x-rays. After 6mths of paddock rest (big improvement but still not sound) she went to a friend to be a broodmare. She’s actually been ridden & jumped sporadically by my friend over the last 6-7yrs, but she knows to watch out for it.

I learnt a lot from that mare - how to ride a hot horse, how to jump a bigger course - and most importantly, when you have a horse that never thinks of stopping and they start stopping - something is wrong. Even if they don’t look lame.

I know how hard horse shopping on a budget is. Good luck, whatever happens.

[Obsidian_Fire]

@Simkie @findeight @Heinz 57

The films I did receive, which are 2 years old, were finally reviewed today by a vet who’s opinion I respect. She told me they already show significant bone remodeling in the area of the chip and to walk away.

So I am.

End of story.

[Simkie]

Bummer, but certainly the right decision!