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 Money Eating Baggage Owner
Posts: 9586
   
Location: Phoenix | Looking for experiences of people who have done the surgery to remove bone chips. How much did you pay? What was recovery time like? What was the outcome?
There's a chip that's not quite floating yet in the upper joint of the knee. Typical "racehorse" injury. He was lame on it a year ago, so we injected it and he was sound. Just came up "off" again so we injected again today after a full lamess exam and X-ray review. Vet advised to inject for now, and then do surgery in 3-6 months to remove the chip and I'm thinking I should. He's my only horse, one I've had forever. He's 17, but with his current workload, consistent exercise, and how I take care of him, I expect to be able to ride him for 6-8 more years. Plus, for the cost of surgery, I cannot buy another horse of his caliber.
Please share experiences! |
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 My Heart Be Happy
Posts: 9159
Location: Arkansas | Bump |
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| You have enjoyed and used this horse forever and he gave you warning
a year ago of having a knee problem and the vet's answer of a typical race
horse injury doesn't float with me.
You vet needs to come clean and say this older horse has worn a groove
in the bones of his knee and has some permanent cartilage damage that
will never repair itself. We can inject him with fluids to act as a shock
absorber on this knee as we did before but it is worse and needs surgery.
His age and amount of groove or fragmented bone I find will lessen his
ability to recover to any type of stressful riding. It is time to consider
selling him as a young beginner barrel racers horse so he can lope
and take care of a younger lighter rider while maintaining his knee
problem or making someone a good steady trail horse.
Less than 20% of floating bone chips or scrunched cartilage on 2-3
year olds make it back to the track and then their trainers are very
selective of placing them in higher dollar races because they know
they will only get 4-5 more races out of them over the next 2 years.
These young horses get bone chips and cartilage problems due to
wearing a groove in their knee joint while the bones are soft and
still growing.
When asked for speed the knee joint wobbles and knocks a piece
of bone or cartilage off the side of a groove ... very similar to your
horses problem ... both due to age and use.
Of course the operating vet is going to say the surgery went great
and then reality sets in that horse needs a 1 year layoff and then
1 year of slow legging up and maintenance during this time.
And then each time you run him ... his problem could show up
just because the machinery is worn out ... keep in mind there
were no new parts added like you would do a car ...
You have to evaluate him like you would a car that needs new
wheels, tires, brakes, wheels balanced and bearings replaced
while anticipating having engine and transmission problems.
So... is it time to find that young pilot to buy the horse with much
lower stressful runs which would give you a down payment
on a newer model .... ????
We all have had similar decisions to make ... now it may be your turn!!
FYI: Race vets start at $1000 for a simple reach and grab or laser
operation to $5000+ if it is a slag still attached ... horse needs to
be in excellent shape to recover the knockout drugs ...
Edited by BARRELHORSE USA 2016-12-15 12:27 AM
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 Saint Stacey
| How old is the horse? Chip surgery becomes less likely for a favorable out come as a horse ages. I'm confused on "it's not quite floating". It's either floating or it's still attached. There really isn't an in between. You might want to get a second opinion in this case. How are the edges? Are they rounded or jagged? If they are sharp, it's a new chip. If they are rounded, it's been there awhile. If it's still attached and the edges are round, I'd think long and hard about trying other things before sending him under the knife.
I knew a gelding at the age of 14 was having problems. The one vet said it was a chip that needed to be removed. It was actually a very old slab fracture. The track vet they went to for a second opinion told them to leave it alone, inject as needed and sweat the knees the night before a run along with a shot of dex the night before. He never had a problem following this recommendation. They retired him at 18. |
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 Shelter Dog Lover
Posts: 10277
| We found a chip in my 17 year olds knee. He did not have anyone using him st the time and I had not started riding yet. When I decided I wanted to do the surgery he had developed arthritis and the vet said surgery would not do any good. I wish I had done the surgery he was the perfect horse for me to ride but I've turned him out. Definitely ask about arthritis developing and how that will affect the outcome |
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 Take a Picture
Posts: 12841
| My best horse developed a knee problem at about age 15. Farrier said it hurt him when he was shoeing. I had him xrayed and found a bone chip. I had him injected several times but I was afraid he would fall while running so I quit riding him. He is 19 now and doing chip surgery on an older horse is really not an option. Let the poor guy retire |
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 Best of the Badlands
Location: You never know where I will show up...... | I had one done on a 4 year old mare (that had not been on the track or ever even been in hard training). It cost around $1800 but I had major medical insurance on her that paid for all but my deductible. Had the surgery done mid July and was back to running her by the end of October. She came back 100% from it. |
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 Veteran
Posts: 129
Location: South | My mare came up 2 years ago with a bone chip. She was 16 years old at the time and my Vet recommended we do the surgery on her. We paid $1600 for the surgery on her at Oakridge. She came back 100% sound 6 month later. Fall of the following year when the weather got cooler she started to show signs of arthritis in it. I keep her on Pentosan now monthly for the arthritis. I do not regret the surgery at all. |
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 You get what you give
Posts: 13030
Location: Texas | I am thinking you will pay around $2000 for it without complications.
One of my horses recently had a head CT and had a horrible recovery with anesthesia. She blew out her knee in recovery. I too am trying to figure out if its worth doing surgery to remove all the fragments. She is surely not comfortable right now, but I'm afraid if she has a bad recovery again she will break a worse bone in her leg and I'll end up putting her down. Really have to think hard on it :/.
Edited by casualdust07 2016-12-15 3:43 PM
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Money Eating Baggage Owner
Posts: 9586
Location: Phoenix | Thank you for all the replies. I definitely have some thinking to do. And will probably get a second opinion. |
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Bone chip in the knee -- surgery advice