I drove Copper Kid, our young very wobbly horse, to Washington State University’s veterinary teaching hospital today. After watching him for the past couple of weeks confined to a stall and not getting any better after the sudden relapse of his Wobbler’s Syndrome, we finally decided to pursue the surgical option for spine stabilization. I took this photo of 4th-year vet student Kate F. checking Copper’s heart rate. Kate was there to welcome us, check us in and take Copper’s case history.
The first step is to find out if Copper is actually a candidate for surgery. So Copper will have a myelogram done, a procedure in which a contrast fluid is injected into the spinal column and then X-rays taken as the fluid moves down the spine. This process "illuminates" the trouble spots where the spinal cord is being compressed. The equine surgeon who does this operation will review those images to determine if he thinks surgery can help.
There are risks to the myelogram procedure itself. Because Copper is already very neurologically impaired, it’s possible that the myelogram might worsen his condition. He will also have to undergo general anesthesia, which is always a bit worrisome with large animals, let alone one with a neuro problem.
The internal medicine specialists I met with this afternoon at WSU, Dr. Macarena Sanz and Dr. Melissa Hines, also cautioned that in some cases the myelogram does not show the localized areas of cord compression — and without being able to pinpoint them, the surgeon can’t operate.
So we have quite a few hurdles to get over before we’ll even know if surgery is truly an option.
If we can proceed to surgery, Dr. Sanz told me that in 80% of those cases, there is at least a one-grade improvement and in 40% of the cases, there is a two-grade improvement. The scale ranges from Grade 1, barely noticeable, to Grade 5, recumbent and unable to get up. Copper is a Grade 4 … as bad as you can get and still walk. Thus any improvement for him would make a huge difference.
Of course, there is that other 20% of cases that see no improvement at all.
The myelogram is tentatively scheduled for this Friday. Depending on when the surgeon can review the images, we may know as soon as that day … or early next week.
If Copper becomes a candidate for surgery, we will launch a medical fund to help raise the money to pay the considerable cost of his operation.
In the meantime, please keep your fingers crossed for our youngster. As wobbly as he was when we arrived at WSU this afternoon, it didn’t stop this affectionate boy from nuzzling the vet students … who of course loved him right back. I warned Kate and her colleagues that Copper would try to sit in their laps if they let him.
(Click on photo for larger image.)
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