Post-Surgery Prognosis in Horses

When a horse needs surgery, what’s his prognosis for a full recovery? What problems can occur during recovery?
Share
Favorite
Close

No account yet? Register

ADVERTISEMENT
Know what to expect when the unexpected happens.

"He needs surgery."

This assessment is one no horse owner wants to hear from his or her veterinarian. Surgical intervention can be costly and risky, and a horse’s response to anesthesia and surgical procedures can be unpredictable. Plus, after your horse has gone under the knife, what’s his prognosis for a full recovery? What obstacles might you face and what should you expect during the recovery process?

To answer these questions, we consulted three veterinarians who handle a considerable number of emergency referrals: Bradford Bentz, VMD, of Bluegrass Equine Performance and Internal Medicine in Georgetown, Ky.; Langdon Fielding, DVM, Dipl. ACVECC, who runs the intensive care unit at Loomis Basin Equine Medical Center in Loomis, Calif.; and Liberty Getman, DVM, Dipl. ACVS, a surgeon at Ocala Equine Hospital in Ocala, Fla. With their help, we’ll trace the typical course of treatment and prognosis for four equine emergencies that often require surgical intervention as well as other common procedures

Create a free account with TheHorse.com to view this content.

TheHorse.com is home to thousands of free articles about horse health care. In order to access some of our exclusive free content, you must be signed into TheHorse.com.

Start your free account today!

Already have an account?
and continue reading.

Share

Written by:

D.J. Carey Lyons is a lifelong resident of Chester County, Pa. She also has written for USDF Connection, Practical Horseman, Equine Images, and Dressage & CT.

Related Articles

Stay on top of the most recent Horse Health news with

FREE weekly newsletters from TheHorse.com

Sponsored Content

Weekly Poll

sponsored by:

Where do you primarily feed your horse?
267 votes · 267 answers

Readers’ Most Popular

Sign In

Don’t have an account? Register for a FREE account here.

Need to update your account?

You need to be logged in to fill out this form

Create a free account with TheHorse.com!