Vets WWYD?

Jessey

Jessey

Well-Known Member
Dec 20, 2004
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Suffolk, UK
So after 3 weeks Jess hasn't got any better or worse, is still 98% in walk, but moderately lame in trot. Rest, work, foot trims & bodywork have made little difference so next stop is the vets.

I just got off the phone with my vet surgery and the earliest I can bring her in for a work up is next Thursday, they are fully booked until then apart from emergencies and they can't give a referral without seeing her first.

So my options are;
a) put in for an emergency appointment though I will probably need to take her in there or be referred anyway
b) wait until next Thursday, at which point I will probably be referred to Newmarket
c) see if another vet practice will look at her
d) something I haven't thought of yet???

I obviously want Jess to get the best care possible but I don't want to fritter away money for the shear hell of it either, I will put a claim through my insurance but she is excluded for anything relating to cushings, so if it were to be put down to 'laminitic changes' or something random like that they likely wouldn't cover it so I need to be mindful not to run up a huge bill assuming the insurance will cover it
 
Difficult isn't it? Specially with your big ride looming in the not too distant. Why would they refer her to Newmarket just out of interest? Do your practice not have lameness diagnostics? How will that work bill wise if it's not covered on the insurance? (Sorry for all the questions, I'm just trying to build a picture here).
I personally would be reluctant to involve another vet practice at this stage given that she is not hobbling lame and it isn't an emergency that they can't cover.
I know it's a bit of a wait until next week and you are obviously keen to get a diagnosis. Have you told them to give you a call should anything become available at short notice? Can you get time off work quickly?
 
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Just because Newmarket is on the doorstep and they have the best diagnostic facilities, special lunge pens, trot up alleys etc.
They do have them but no free apps until next Thursday and I really dont want to leave it that long.
If the insurance wont cover it then the bill is all mine to pay.

Ive called the surgery of one of the Newmarket hospitals, they may have a vet available to see her tomorrow, one who used to look after her some years ago, just waiting for a call back.
 
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Do you mean this Thursday 16th or Thursday 23rd?. If the latter thats a stupidly long time to have to wait:eek:, I'm afraid I'd be calling a different vet
 
Jessey said:
Just because Newmarket is on the doorstep and they have the best diagnostic facilities, special lunge pens, trot up alleys etc.
They do have them but no free apps until next Thursday and I really dont want to leave it that long.
If the insurance wont cover it then the bill is all mine to pay.

Ive called the surgery of one of the Newmarket hospitals, they may have a vet available to see her tomorrow, one who used to look after her some years ago, just waiting for a call back.
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Fingers crossed the insurance cover it. Do hope the vet can see her tomorrow. What a worry. Will keep everything crossed.
 
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I was just wondering if it was going to cost you more sending her to Newmarket - but if you have insurance fingers crossed they will pay.
 
Actually last time she was in (that sounds awful) she spent 5 days there being investigated for pyrexia (fever) and the total bill was about £1100, the bill from my vets for everything for the 2 days before referral was over £600, her previous 5 day stay for sand colic was about £1500 so I dont think its badly priced in the grand scheme of things.
 
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Box rest between now and vet visit. You would have ten days to see if total complete rest helps.
Unless you have been on box rest for three weeks already?
 
Jessey said:
Actually last time she was in (that sounds awful) she spent 5 days there being investigated for pyrexia (fever) and the total bill was about £1100, the bill from my vets for everything for the 2 days before referral was over £600, her previous 5 day stay for sand colic was about £1500 so I dont think its badly priced in the grand scheme of things.
Click to expand...

When I lived in Norfolk I actually found it far more cost effective to send a horse down to Newmarket than faff about with my local vet. I did allow my local vet to operate on Solly's eye (carcinoma) at huge expense, but eventually when he was referred to Newmarket, their bill for his stay, another eye op and further meds and contact lense etc. was several hundred less than my vets!

I think as the whole newmarket vet ethos is a teaching hub, this does help to get the very best treatment at a reasonable price, as anything that comes in is providing fodder for the ongoing research and education of up coming vet students. Same as the vet college when I lived in Hertfordshire.

Based on my experience I would be getting her into one of the Newmarket facilities ASAP. ;)
 
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Jess doesnt really do being stabled, she is more likely to injure herself more dancing about and box walking. If push comes to shove we will but im more likely to just put her in my little corral which is about 5m x 10m.

I've got Rossdales coming out at 11.30 in the morning armed with xray and ultrasound in case we need to go that route, and they will refer us in to the horsepital if they think it needs further diagnostics.
 
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Tufts is a vet school. I have never had a horse there but did have a goat (Bucky) there many years ago that blocked and needed to be operated on.
Bucky was with Sunny( the first) from 30 days old and did not know he was a goat - as far as he was concerned he was a horse.
They were great he was terrified in the farm animal are so they kept taking him down to the horse area and he made friends with a gigantic draft horse.
When Matty blocked I wish we had taken him there and not to his vet. Maybe we would not have lost him.
I have known of people that had taken horses to Tufts and they were pleased as well. I think its the largest most complete facilities in the area.
 
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The vets been and gone and my lovely farrier came out yet again in case he could be of any help. The vet also thinks it could be a bruise but as usual jess wouldnt react much, no exacerbation of the lameness on felxion test, the vet didnt see the point nerve blocking as she is convinced, what ever it is, is in the foot. Unfortunately although I asked for her to bring xray and scan equipment she didnt, so we have been referred into horsepital as predicted for a work up (she did suggest going back to polticing and tubbing to see if it would shift it but I just want some answers now with Wales only 6 weeks away) and they'll do xrays, we have an appointment for Thursday morning.

I'm so grateful to my awesome farrier, hes been out about 5 times trying to figure this out with me, came to meet the vet today AND he's coming to horsepital with us on Thursday, and not only all of that but he's doing it on his own dime as he pledged his services until after the ride by way of sponsorship :D I have never had such a fantastic dedicated farrier.
 
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I am hoping it's not what we had collateral ligament. I had had farrier out, done poultice etc etc. Nothing.
I would want the full works not mobile xray, just because they took about 8 angles of the foot and moved onto radiography.
I know they are better these days but people I know have had inconclusive results. I pay for answers.

If you have a stubborn abscess it might show up, you could see the hole clear as day on my results.
 
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