Weanling with hernia

[Jean]

Do all hernias need to be operated on or do they subside with time?

[nythoroughbredvz]

my filly had one and i was told in time it should go away, not the case! google equine hernia belt! and you can buy a belt to use, its a few hundred dollars but you have it to use again instead of paying for surgey every time!

[amanda1]

Hernia's in young foals can often be banded with a lot fo success, have your vet check it out either way, they can tell you whether it can be banded or will need surgery.

[madelyn]

I have had a few foals with them, and they closed up over time and vanished. Have your vet look. But our rule is if you can't fit two fingers in the space leave it alone.

[LB]

We've had good luck with having our vet band them.

[Shammy Davis]

I know the secret to getting them to close. No surgery. No clapping. No belts. Just patience. It takes about 30 days. Massage it. With your fingers massage the area for about 10 minutes each day. With a hard to handle weanling, try two or three times a day for shorter periods. Push your finger into the opening gently. Swirl it around. You won't hurt it anything. There is nothing vital in the area of the opening. It works. I'm working on a filly right now. She loves it. It's a good gentling tool also. I learned it from my vet. He was at Castleton in KY during its hay days breeding standardbreds. He tells me all kinds of useful stuff. I just love him. He comes out in shorts and a beach shirt and looks like he is going surfing, but he's seen it all. If you remember Crosby, Stills, & Nash, the singing group. He looks like Crosby.

You have to be persistent, but it will save you a couple of hundred bucks.

Want to save money on Banamine? Don't buy the paste. Buy the injectable. At the same dosage level that you inject, you can syringe it orally. If you don't feel comfortable IV, this is the way to go and its cheaper. The IM injection is suspect. Banamime injectable given orally works just like the paste and you get 10 applications vs the three in the paste tube. He told me that too. I just love this guy.

My other Vet is Canadian. He was at Woodbine. He was giving me some real deals until the Canadian $ became equal to the US $. Now I have to bargain.

[spex4me]

Hope your horse's hernia is a small one!!

this:

Want to save money on Banamine? Don't buy the paste. Buy the injectable. At the same dosage level that you inject, you can syringe it orally. If you don't feel comfortable IV, this is the way to go and its cheaper. The IM injection is suspect. Banamime injectable given orally works just like the paste and you get 10 applications vs the three in the paste tube. He told me that too. I just love this guy.

I can personally vouch for. The IV thing freaks me out a bit and my vet said to do orally. Worked !! Took a tad longer, but still same result.

[freshman]

Nope, some hernias will resolve with no treatment, some with conservative treatment (belly band or gently pushing it back in with your fingers several times a day), and others will need surgery to repair it. No way to tell without having a vet evaluate the hernia, because the best course of treatment depends on the size, location, age of the foal, etc.

The risk with no treament or conservative treatment is that intestine can slip into that opening in the body wall (the hernia), become stranglulated, and then the horse would require surgery (colic surgery) on an emergency basis to free the entrapped bowel and resect what portion of the bowel is too compromised to recover.

Much more complicated and life-threatening than a routine surgical hernia repair on a young horse. Get it evaluated by your vet now so he/she make recommendations now and advise you as it goes along.

[Jean]

Thanks everyone. The banamine tip is invaluable we have done that with bute for years but always wondered about banamine also. I have been massaging the hernia and yes we have had a vet evaluate. Of course they want to do surgery but al $1100 we want to wait and see that's why the question.

[madelyn]

My vet quoted me $150 to operate on a hernia. But, as I said, it closed up on its own.

[Shammy Davis]

Jean wrote:

Of course they want to do surgery but al $1100 we want to wait and see that's why the question.

Forgive me, but your Vet is a thief. Madelyn's quote is consistent with the reasonable services.

[Jean]

We checked with 4 different vet clinics and the cheapest we could get was $600. Not sure if cheap is the route to go!?

[nythoroughbredvz]

its not a complicated surgery, I was told the cost goes up with the growing of the horse, so I wouldnt wait. 450.00 is average here for a foal, if you wate expect to pay 1,100 . i waited for it to go away, try the belt, taping, pushing it in for a few weeks, if it doesnt work id get the surgery done and over with. here is a link to the makers of the belt system..

http://www.cmequineproducts.com/id23.html

[Shammy Davis]

Jean replied:

We checked with 4 different vet clinics and the cheapest we could get was $600. Not sure if cheap is the route to go!?

Sorry, but at $600 the Vets are still thiefs. It is uncomplicated surgery and Madelyn's quote is out of KY. Unless you are grazing this weanling in Manhattan, shop around. If the Vets will take you to cleaners on a hernia, god only knows what they will do to you during a serious emergency. I'm sorry, IMO these professionals at these prices are crooks. I hope you will tell them so. Find a Vet like mine. He/She will be someone you can trust and depend upon.

[LB]

I'm also in KY and hernia surgery where I am runs about the same price that Jean has been quoted. I don't consider my vets to be thieves.