He is home! God had his hand on the wheel! We bout was in a wreck with semi! I felt every bump in the road hope Dually didn't feel them like I did! It was a rough ride home! He did give me a look when I opened trailer door "What the crap!" Lol

He wanted to load but wasn't sure how and he just leaned back and elevated but he unloaded really nice. 

I can already tell a difference! He is dragging me to the barn! He doesn't look skinny or that he lost much! I just knew his top line would look awful. I'll post his before and after xrays later! But what a difference!!! 
also only been to the clinic 1x and when I came back they knew who I was and which horse was mine! And they knew my horse by name! Amazing facility and staff!

he did come home with the towel. It's got 2-3 more days and then I cut out and I think 2 more days later the staples comes out. I'll have to look at paper. 
he is to be stalled for 45 days I can hand walk him

he goes for recheck oct 15th

i will also post pice when towel comes off!!!

These are not all xrays but here is the before

Here the after

I think he happy to be home! No pain meds and his eye not so crinkling!!! 

I say again, relief in that eye!   It's amazing what they can do.

I pray he continues to do well.  

A friend of my granddaughters is having issues with her breakaway horse.  She started kind of crow hopping at the end of her run last year and last night it was a lot more than a little crow hopping.  This is an older mare. Her mom said they think she has KS and have done several things to try to keep from having the surgery.  My comment was which is going to cheaper, replacing horse or the cost of surgery? I know she is worried about the cost.  The concerns are obviously recovery, recovery time and cost.  

Is there an approximate cost and recovery time?

I wont/cant disclose my cost.  Im sorry but you can call whoever vet clinic and get the base price. 

I'm going to fix if I can.  It truly was a huge blessing that I was able to do this! and with the right crew!

I had seen so many people post to not try to get by just get the surgery done bc you spend so much on injections and therapies that surgery would have been cheaper and you would be glad you did.  Vet had told me that if I had not given him his history and just basing off the xrays that the only hope for him was surgery. 

I too don't have alot of money and I work 2-3 jobs and sell some stuff that I have accumlated to get what needs to be done. 

Where there is a will is a way and I am finding out how true that is!

Anyways, for me it was either fix him and giving a 95% chance of surgery  working or turn him out to pasture bc I get toooo attached.  So how could I not fix? and Time off will be worth it if my horse is going to be not hurting.  and who knows maybe I will save money in the long run bc I may not have to inject hocks and ankles again! Time will tell!

I'm too early in the game to tell you it worked, but when I seen the pics from the clinic and seen his face I knew instantly that we made the right decision! and when I brought him home and I walked him across the gavel in driveway and on the asphalt to get to the barn I knew again I did right!  He has always been really gimpy on gravel and asphalt he walks so slow that I had to put barefoot boots on him just to get to trailer to saddle but on grass he was fine.  and I thought it was just a fluke bc of being at the vet clinic a week and it being the first day home but i had to take him back the 2nd day and he is dragging my everywhere we go no matter the ground! another thing I noticed is he no longer has one back leg slightly behind him bout 6-8 inches. and he looks like he standing with even weight on all 4 legs.  He always had pretty good stride well now he really reaches when he walks!  He has always walked a couple feet behind me and now he in front of me at just a walk! So one thing bout this hand walking its going to help me get in better shape!  

I had the vet give him a shot to help him for being in the stall and the shot supposed to last bout 3 weeks. It hasnt made him dopey or anything but has taken the edge off him to be chilled while he stalled.  He wants out! and I hate that he has to be stalled for so long!

The first time I saw him poop I bout panicked! bc he kinda put all four feet together and rolled himself up like he was constipated really bad and I thought uh-oh bc of him being on meds at the vet, but his poop came out easy and it must be the ligament in the back and he just making it easier on him til he heals more. its not really a negative but thats all that I have seen so far that not normal. 

I really hope that this helps someone with their horse! 

One more thing do the xrays and now for sure dont assume its kissing spine or anything else without concrete evidence! Bc my other horse that I have been having trouble figuring out what wrong with him I would have bet money he had kissing spine bc he was doing the same thing that Dually was doing but turns out nerve damage from EPM. I know for sure that my first horse has EPM but I didnt know if what he was doing was from EPM or Kissing Spine or something else.  I would have lost that bet!   

The recovery time: Not sure yet.  Right now from vet is 45 days in stall.  His recheck in 3 weeks.  I am hoping that he rechecks so nice that he shortens the stall time! but I dont want to rush it either.  He said its not the bone that takes so long to heal its the ligament.  after the 45 days he gets stall and run for so long and then pasture. and he said probably bout 2 mths of legging him up and he will be checking him every 30 days and give me the exercises when the time comes.

My vet called Iowa State university about exrays .

She told me about $300.

If confirmed KS.

She said base price on surgery would be $900 minimum. 

I have not confirmed personally. 

How many places on spine?

Has she done very many? 

That sounds really cheap bc my bone chip surgery wasnt that cheap.  It worries me when I see that surgery was only 500-1000 bc there alot goes into surgeries! but I dont know.

Please post on what you do please  Im also interested in others experiences on this!

Last night he slipped on his front feet on a small incline but he just kept walking.  I pushed on the towel very lightly on ea hump of the towel and there is one hump that is very tender.  He wanted to roll in his stall last night but he changed his mind  so I dont know if the slip made him sore, he was able to roll on the first night which I dont want him to roll but I cant stop everything. He wants to roll in his sand so bad, He gets mad at me bc I wont let him!   I know he going to be sore Im just overthinking it! 

Tonight that towel and stitches comes off!  Ill post the pics tomorrow!

This is what my vet said Iowa state university  charges. 

They have been a veterinary college for a long time. 

I think it's part of their training program. 

Surgery is $1,500 here (out the door total), but thats for the ligament snip. Not bone shave. For the ligament snip they just sedate them like they would hocks, and do it standing. It's also always significantly less if you let a college do it, but I prefer paying the extra for an experienced specialist and not a guided student doing that sort of thing. The ligament cut is what they want to do on mine, since she's more mild than yours. But glad yours got home safely and best of luck on the recovery process!  

  Just wanted to take a moment and say GREAT JOB on taking care and responsibility for your boy:)))( Hoping all continues to go smooth for you!!!

Checking to see how things went tonight with removal of towel and stitches. . .

He handled taking stitches out like a pro! and there wasnt hardly any blood! 

Now I gotta figure out how to get them staples out.  I forgot to get the tool from vet, which I can get from my local vet.  I didnt realize that there be so many staples!  But no swelling or heat! and he still looks really good as far as weight and when we go walking he is moving really nice! and he still wants to roll so bad in his sand! he is always trying to drag me to that area and he does get a little ticked that I wont let him!

Friday is when I'm supposed to pull the staples. 

The more I'm around him the more I am so glad I did this!  Seeing such a difference to now is a wonder that I even got to ride him much less exercise and turning and backing the whole works!  He was never bad! He always tried!

By the things he was doing I would never have thought kissing spine! and the difference it would make! and we are not even doing anything yet! 

By the way I know its still early but another thing I noticed is no biting!!!

When I first got him 2 years ago he would try to nibble or bite every time you was aroung him!  He got trouble so many times (didnt matter to him)! Even from his previous owner! and he does play like that too, it wasnt all meaness.  After his bone chip was removed it was less but you still had to really watch him!

Since this surgery no bite at all!!! not even nibble!!!  I have been in his face and stuck my hand all around his mouth and nothing!!! I pulled stitches out and couple of them got stuck and I had to pull hard nothing he just looked at me! 

I never would have thought that would go away!!! I am his 3rd person and he has always been a biter with all 3 of us!

I'm really curious if the biting will stay away! lol  time will tell

If it does quit and he starts again later I will know without a doubt something wrong!!!!

That looks great!!!! And really itchy!!!! LOL...

This past Friday been 2 weeks since surgery

took staples out this past Friday. 41 of them!

He has lost some top line and in his hips. But I know it's from surgery and no exercises. His his pics from this past Friday   He doesn't look bad just not as good as the day before surgery and the few days after

Couple of the staples bothered him when taking them out but still no biting! Scary we are going on 2 weeks of no biting!!! lol

I highly reccoment getting a shot from the vet to help with being in the stall!

I didnt know/or do this with the other surgery and he ripped out the stitches bc he would run around the stall and acting all crazy! Bout 3 days is all he would take in a stall.  The vet gave him a shot of Prozac and supposed to last 3 weeks and it has made a difference!  It hasnt made him look doped up and he doesnt run in circles but just walks in circles in the stall.  Now when we go for walks he wants to walk as fast as he can or take off but very controllable. 

Maybe he not biting bc of the Prozac!!! lol