My horse has a leg injury and vet suggests euthanasia. Any hope?

Without seeing Milly in person, I can't say if her leg can be fixed in any way. Surgery may be an option for her, but her vet has to evaluate if that can be done. I suppose the other option would be to put her to sleep if this can't be fixed, as she cannot stay in this condition.

Hello. This may be a sarcoid, but without a biopsy there is no way to know definitively. Unfortunately, this site prohibits us from giving out any kind of medical advice, & ethically, it would just be wrong to do so. There are other advice sites that are more generous with information since we can have an actual chat. You might try to access one of these & see if someone can help you there. Good luck & thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

It does look OK overall but the part that’s not healing is due to proud flesh growth (excessive granulation tissue). Usually the proud flesh needs to be trimmed off to get it to heal and the vet can give you something to put on it to keep the proud flesh down until it heals completely. So, I suggest a vet take a look at it. ( https://veterinarypartner.vin.com/default.aspx?pid=19239&catId=102907&id=4952518 )

I would be extremely worried that this laceration went into his pastern joint on his worst cut leg. The only way to know is this is for a vet to do a joint tap. I know you said there are no vets around but I'm not really sure what you expect us to be able to tell you over the internet. He needs to be examined in person and have some testing done to figure out why he is so lame. It could also be that tendons in the back of the leg have been cut or it could be both. If the joint is infected it needs to be flushed sterilely under anesthesia otherwise it will never get better, only worse. I have no idea what antibiotics you are giving him or even if it is the correct dose. Do you have anti-inflammatories to give him like Bute or Banamine? How much does this horse weigh so we can tell if you are dosing him correctly? I'm not sure we can be of much help without a lot more information. I strongly recommend you do a private consult with me or one of our vets so that you can get more one on one help and we can chat back and forth asking you the questions we need answers to.

Poor Gigi! If she is non-weightbearing on the affected leg, I would recommend calling out an equine vet right away for an emergency visit, as this is often a sign of a serious injury such as a fracture. If she is bearing weight and acting normal otherwise, you could try stall rest for the next few days with lots of soft bedding to see if the lameness resolves. You can certainly try icing or cold-hosing the hoof, but it's hard to say if this will be helpful or not without knowing what is causing the lameness. If there is no improvement in the next 3-5 days, or if she isn't eating or having any other symptoms, she needs to be seen by a vet right away to find out what's wrong. Your vet can take x-rays or do other testing if needed to help diagnose the problem and see what can be done to treat it.

Without knowing why she is lame I see no indication to put her down. It is quite possible that this lameness is not related to the former injury. This could be a simple hoof abscess or a minor lameness that can be overcome with stall rest. I suggest you contact your veterinarian for an exam and then discuss options with him. 17 is not old age for a horse yet. Your horse should have many good years ahead of her.

This sounds like a bad situation. Yes euthanasia may be the most human option, however, if that is not an option for you than it is VERY important to involve a veterinarian so that the puppy can be protected with antibiotics and something to help with pain. Your veterinarian may advise a surgery to remove any bony remnants if the traumatic amputation left behind parts that could lead to pain and arthritis. Please, please take her in for some antibiotics at the very least. She could develop a life threatening infection.