Head, meet Desk

[Safira]

Just a rant.

It's that time of the year when all my animals need their check ups and shots and rabies and coggins and blood tests and whatever else, so vet bills vet bills vet bills since Janurary.

So I finally got done with the birds, I only had one little vet bill left. 2 Coggins pulled on my horse (a blood test of sorts, required.) should have been cheap enough considering what I just spent on my feathered friends, right?

Well, my coming 2 year old gelding (castrated male horse, for those that don't know) has certian male 'parts' dropping that SHOULD NOT BE THERE. So now I have all the mare owners at the barn up in arms (rightly so) that there may be a stud on the property.

All his paperwork says he was gelded. He's registered as a gelding. His coggins and health cert when I got him last summer said he was a gelding.

I checked underneath him and there is.. a sack.. it feels squishy.. I don't FEEL any round nutty things.. But that doesn't mean they aren't there.

So, now I have to ask the vet to feel my horse up and tell me if I need to pay for him to have surgery to remove any left-over male bits.

*Twitch*

Did I mention I love animals?

Rant over. But GAH. There goes the new bird cage I was gonna buy

 

[Molcan2]

Oh that sucks. My two are also due for their coggins, vacc and one needs a dental. Well the horses are past due because one of them was bitten by a rattlesnake in Dec. and I had to take him up to UF (university of florida). He happened to be one of the worst snake bite cases they had ever seen(not good when this is coming from the head of the veterinary department who has worked there a gazillion years). They had to do an emergency tracheotomy as soon as he was unloaded from the trailer (he almost didnt make the trip). Needless to say that was not a cheap trip $$$. On top of that I had to pay for spring classes, equally not cheap $$$$. Then tax return comes, yay! Money right? No Rome gets sick, upper respiratory, cultures and re check liver values $$$$$. Then the re check exam, another culture (results pending) $$$$. Then I have my boards to take in a month $$$$ (yes the test you have to pay for), oh and the study guides that cost $$$ so you can pass the test that you have to spend $$$$ on. Oh and one of the dogs is due for full vacc $$$.

Didn't mean to take away from your rant with my own, just figured if you were going to open the door might as well come in.

Hope your gelding doesnt have to be re-gelded. My gelding was done at a year old, they thought they were going to do him standing.... He had to have 4x the recommended sedation and the proceedure ended up being finished 300 yards from where it had been started. Yes the same horse who at 12 couldn't leave the rattlesnake well enough alone (honestly we think it was because of his tenacity that he pulled through).

 

[Safira]

Oh man, Snakes are never something I think to worry about with horses. It's a hidden danger! I'm always worried about broken bones and the idiot scratching his face open (again, he's done it twice, requiring stitches and or staples.) I couldn't imagine a snake bite.

I bought this baby a year ago and am already selling him due to his height (he's 13.hands, I need 15) and I hope he's gelded and its just some left over scar tissue making it look like a bag.

Rant away! we need a rant section, ha. I'm glad your boy made it, I would have been panicked.

 

[Mayden]

I know how you feel, don't you just wish money grew on trees? Half theses situations would be so much less stressful if we had more money.

 

[roxynoodle]

That happened with a colt I bought, too. Here only one had come down when he was gelded but no one told me that. Then I realize he is getting very stallion like with the mares and doing things he should not have been doing, and I found out he still had one testicle left. I don't remember what it cost as it was a long time ago, but I could only let him out with the geldings until it was taken care of. Even then he was at the stall windows trying to get it on with the mares.

 

[Molcan2]

Panicked wasn't even the word, I was inconsolable. When the decision was made to take him to the university, mind you we were broke to begin with (now were just broker), it was a moment where the look on my face said there was no other option and he said nothing (hes not a horse person either - he is legitimately allergic to them), just helped me load him into the tailor. He never once said anything about it being too expensive, I think fire would have spewed from me if he had. He ended up being hospitalized for a week, and literately took every last dime we had and some other peoples dimes as well.

Uploaded some pics for you, mind you they can be graphic. Oh he is 14.3 hands and the pink halter that is on him in the pic is normally worn by a 18 hand Percheron, its an adjustable one and wouldn't fit around his muzzle on the largest setting, we had to tie it together with string. The horse with the green halter is his dam, they were amazed that I still owned his mother (he is 12). It worked out because we were able to use her as a blood donor twice (shes 15.1 and at 12000lbs) saving us $800 dollars. He has made a full recovery, with the slightest permanent swelling on his muzzle that only I notice.

 

[roxynoodle]

I'm so glad your horse made a full recovery. I haven't had one that bad, but my TB gelding was stung by a hornet and had an allergic reaction. Scary stuff to be sure.

 

[KatherineI]

Oooh man!! I can't imagine dealing with the cost of horses any more. My Mom still has my horse because I couldn't afford to board her, let alone to trailer her from one side of the country to the other. At this point, she hasn't been ridden in so long that I think it'd be like breaking in a filly.

But to have to possibly geld twice?!?! I can't even imagine. That just... sucks.

Molcan - I know the feeling. I'd do anything for my babies and Hubs knows better than to say anything. I'm glad your baby recovered.

 

[luvmytooo]

Sounds like a testical may not have been descended or maybe it's just the sac and it needs to dry up yet , just like the dogs do ?

 

[Safira]

Molcan I am so glad he healed up good! Terrifying.

Lovemytoo, I'm wondering if its a late arrival as well but If it is I'm going to have a word with the breeder for not telling me they didn't cut him fully. It's been over a year since he's been done so he really shouldn't have a sac, but its there :/ Waiting to hear from the vet so I can go ahead and get it checked out and ease my mind LoL.

 

[luvmytooo]

Yes, it's time for that conversation. D you have a foal handy ?
I would take a picture of it and then ask him if there is possibility
they missed one , then show the picture , lol.
Seriously , I know it's not funny with the amount of money involved .
My horse was a walking accident her whole life !

 

[roxynoodle]

Safira, I really hope it's just some scar tissue or something and not as bad as it might be. It was certainly not an expense I had planned on either, and I'm lucky actually that none of the mares got pregnant. I would have had half Hackney pony/half Appy and half Arabian babies and I doubt there's much market for those. And it would have been really crazy if he had gotten the Clydesdale mare!