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At 20:48:56 on 05.01.10, farasi wrote:
My bill was not overly steep for my tendon injury (centre core full length - sheath in tact), I did claim on my insurance, I used adiquain (not sure how to spell it) injected for 10 days I think he also got bute, it was about £300 for the drugs, but I injected him daily myself, which cut costs, not because I am tight just because I am capable of doing it. After 2 weeks the horse was off the buute (my choice) After the first scan and then a rescan at day 10 the vets did not see him again until 8 weeks, this is where my treatment came in, after the injury had stabalised, I removed the bandages twice daily and massaged both tendons and did fetlock and leg stretches with him for 10 mins, I then walked him out in hand slowly letting him pick grass for 5 mins twice a day. I built this up to 30 mins walking and continued the walking at the four week stage I removed the bandages, and they never went back on, I padded the bandages well and recycled the padding and used tubagrip on the legs followed by softban, then the standard bandage followed by gamgee and then a stable bandage to finish, if my vets were to bandage I would be charged £30 for each bandage change plus call out, and the bandage would certainly stay on for longer than 2 days! I am always careful with pressure and at all costs try to prevent pressure sores. The bandage usually covers a high percentage of the cost with a tendon injury. Vets are always very frivolous with bandages. All my bandages were clean and I had no broken skin to deal with. After 3/4 weeks he was sound in walk, at the 4 week stage I turned him out during the day in a small pen in the field (I used the fencing that they use round building sites) at 6 weeks (this is where knowing your horse pays a big part) I turned him out in to a larger area with electric fecing, this worked until week 7 and the day I forgot to turn the electric on, he has got out and was in the 10 acres with the rest of them (I only had two others), so from then on he just lived out with them wander around and working with in his own pain levels. * weeks was another scan and the result were very good and turnout was mention, to which a look of releif passed over my vets face when I said he was already on full turn out with the others, as this is always a difficult bit of advice for the vet to give as they do not know the horse! Another scan at 16 weeks, then I left him for another 8 weeks, then scaned him as I was about to start riding him, he had at this point been sound for a good few months in all paces. There was one tiny spot of unhealed tendon core and no scar tissue, no bow no visable sign of the injury at all. then the road work began and the sore back side! All in all I think my bill was no more than £1000 likely less, but this is due to how much I did myself, so with addtional treatment and vet on site at regular intervals, I think £1500 would be a very fair price. I do not recommend my method to anyone, I am not a vet and it is my own horse who I know well and I am capable of dealing with bandaging and such like I can not stress the importance of being capble at bandaging and padding it enough, as pressure sores can be very nasty and can in fact ruin your horse, so please do not try and save money by bandaging yourself as mine was not as a cost cutting exercise mine was due to my experience and capabilities and the fact I like to play a huge part in fixing my own horse, I always had advice on hand and I would go straight to the vet if I was at all worried. I also took my horse of bute as it was my choice, please follow veterinary advice, I know my horse, and I wanted with my method for him to have full feel of his leg as he had to do things within his own boundries not masked by any pain killers. |
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At 21:43:05 on 05.01.10, farasi wrote:
I could have got on him sooner he was sound at 2-3 months stage, he is just so special to me, and I wanted to give him plenty of time, I also over did the conditioning work with him with walking on the roads, but again he is that one special horse, who owes me nothing. So I played extra safe. My practice know me very well, and my back ground, so I know I am very lucky to be allowed to medicate my own horses. Time wise it could have been shorter, but 7 years or so on, and we have never looked back, I did not race him again after as I felt there was no need we could do other things instead, I'd raced him 4 years already and done 6 seasons hunting, he has hunted and XC again, but now at 19 we do dressage together. I used adequan as it was recommended at the time for being the best thing for him. I never reasearched it, but I certainly do now as I love to find out more about things and try a different way which is less invasive. I can see the time being acheiveable for a complete recovery and back to work, its making sure the ground work is done correctly that seems to be the undoing, I know many owners are too impaient and do not understand the importance of the road work and conditioning work. You will fix the horse in that time frame, but some owners will undoubtidly undo your work in the same amount of time. I know of a horse with a suspensary which got fixed and they are working it again, its ridden twice a week in the school, no conditioning work has been done or consistant work, will not be surprised when it goes again! |
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At 04:29:19 on 06.01.10, Jess128 wrote:
My mare pulled her hind suspensory (moderate injury with disruption to cannon bone). I've lost my bills now but I can give an approximation.
My first bill, which included nerve blocks and ultrasound, was about $450. The follow up, which was ultrasound and lameness test was $150 and a second followup was $500 for lameness test, xrays, and hock injection. The $500 bill was a shocker for me, I was lead to believe that it wouldn't be quite that much but it all added up rather quickly.
1500 pounds, which is about $3000 Canadian, would be a bit much for me to spend. I guess it depends on how serious the injury is and how much work needs to be done. In my case, she had 8 weeks of stall rest with 2 weeks of 20 mins cold hose with poultice and bandaging, then 4 weeks of stall rest plus 20 mins of handwalking daily. Then she was able to be turned out in an individual pen during the day and her stall at night and I was able to ride her walking for 10 mins every other day. Every 2 weeks we increased the amount of walking by 5 mins, and once at 30 mins of walking we started trotting long sides. We're now trotting all the way around the arena and should be able to start cantering next week. By march she will be up to a full work out and able to be turned out in a pasture with other horses, at which time it will have been 8 months since the injury happened.
My biggest expense has been paying for a stall, since she lived outside before the injury. Because she can only be turned out in an individual pen, where there is no shelter and we are currently going through the cold Canadian winter, I kept the stall for her even when the stall rest was over.
All in all I think I've spent about $1200 on vet bills, which is only about 700 pounds. If she stays sound I won't have anymore bills regarding this injury.
In my case, money is tight and I've been in no hurry to get her back to work so I've been taking my time to prevent a re-injury. But I suppose if I was told she would be back to work in 2-3 months and therefore wouldn't need a stall for so long, it may be worth it to pay the higher vet bill and not pay for a stall for 8 months. But even then, at $3000 I'm still spending more than I have with a $1200 and the extra $200/month for a stall. I would say that a package deal at $2000, so about 1000 pounds, would be reasonable for me. |
