Posted 2007-05-18 6:33 AM (#60952) Subject: What's Your Diagnosis?
Member
Posts: 11
23 year old large pony mare, you have owned for 11 years. No previous health issues. For the past 2 months or so she doesn't seem 100%. but nothing you can put your finger on (doesn't trot same distance as normal when coming in for supper, not quite as fiesty as normal. May 9 you notice bright red blood in urine, with 102 temp. Vet feels maybe urinary tract infection.....outside chance of tumor. She is on Tribrissen for 5 days, and bute to keep temp under control. After 5 days, no change. What do you think is going on???...Scroll down for answer..........................................................................................
Our Little Ginger was taken Tuesday, May 15 to the Marion M. Dupont Equine Center in Leesburg, Virginia. A sonogram revealed a 6" x 6" tumor on the "left side of the abdomen, of irregular echogenicity with indistinct borders." The distension of the ureter was imagable back to the level of the mass..." The vets indicated this a rare tumor. I could not bear to have her put down in the sterile, strange environment of the hospital. We brought her home, had a great afternoon together, and our vet euthanized her in the middle of a hay field, where she was buried the next day. I am glad I found out exactly what the problem was. Losing a friend is always hard.
Posted 2007-05-18 9:43 AM (#60962 - in reply to #60952) Subject: RE: What's Your Diagnosis?
Veteran
Posts: 243 Location: Maine
So very sorry for your loss. It's never easy, even when you know that you've made the right decision.
We had to euthanize my daughter's pony and two years later, her horse. More sadness than a kid should have to deal with. She handled it better than I did. I still tear up when I think about them.
Posted 2007-05-18 1:11 PM (#60965 - in reply to #60952) Subject: RE: What's Your Diagnosis?
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 350 Location: Newton, NJ
Condolences on you loss... We too lost a wonderful Hackney pony a few years back who exibited similar symptoms. He was a combined driving pony getting ready to compete in the first International Pony Championships in Austria in 2003. Shortly before the scheduled trip to Europe he began to display signs of dimished endurance, some pain in the spine around the kidney area, then blood in the urine. He was sent to a local equine hospital and diagnosed with a "probable" kidney tumor. Needless to say, he did not make the trip to Austria, but my daughter was able to go with the two other ponies who make up her pair. We kept him medicated with a combination of pain and fever reducers and an anti-coagulent. Over the course of the next few months, there was some minor improvement, but as the cold weather sent in his condition again began to deteriorate. We were able through the assistance of our local vet to transport him to New Bolton (U of Pa) where their very thorough workup diagnosed Leukemia - apparently quite rare in horses. My daughter brought him home again, but the University hospital requested that if we were comfortable with the idea, that they would like to do a complete necropsy on him when the time came that the illness advanced to it's final stage and euthanasia was the only alternative. My very brave daughter made the decision that this research opportuity would be the pony's "legacy". There was no longer any quality of life for the little guy, but perhaps something good could be derived from his death. He was 18 when he died and she had owned him since he was 3. It was a terrible loss and we still miss him...
Posted 2007-05-18 10:59 PM (#60981 - in reply to #60952) Subject: RE: What's Your Diagnosis?
Location: KY
My heartfelt sympathies to you all. Found my miniature horse dead in the pond about 3 to 4 weeks ago (kinda lost track of time). Kind of takes the heart out. But when I go out in the pasture and one or more of the horses comes up and breathes down my neck, figure I would not trade the joy to avoid the pain
Posted 2007-05-21 7:09 AM (#61058 - in reply to #60952) Subject: RE: What's Your Diagnosis?
Elite Veteran
Posts: 690 Location: missouri
Heartfelt empathy for you... I work with human grief and healing, but I tend to love our companion animals more than people...it is hard to deal with loss of either.
What's Your Diagnosis?
