Kissing Spine

[cphillipsball]

My mare has just been diagnosed with Kissing Spine, given bute for 1 month and go back to riding jumping etc all I was doing previously. This is good as everyone seems to think she is written off, but getting back on tonight to see how things go. Only question is someone suggested I couldn't compete? Is that completely? Or affiliated or what? Tried a serach but not very helpful

[BethH]

Not sure what vet you have but bute is definitely not the correct treatment.

KS is a bone problem, bute might provide some pain relief and reduce a bit of inflammation but the only thing to solve the problem is if it is a minor case of KS or your horse is not suitable for surgery, correct working of the back to strengthen muscles, this is usually carried out under vet supervision with steriods and anaesthetics injected into the back to allow your horse to cope with the work regime and failing that, an operation which my horse has had.

Would strongly suggest you refer to a vet with experience in this field, KS can deteriorate, cause your horse considerable pain and discomfort when ridden and is best tackled sooner rather than allowing the problem to worsen, it can also become dangerous for both you and your horse so please consider both of your safety and get a good vet to guide you.

Not sure where you are based but Bell Equine in Mereworth, Nr Maidstone Kent are great for diagnosing and the best surgeon for this is Svend Kold at Willersley Equine in Gloucestershire.

Hope that helps

[bailey14]

I completely second what Beth H says and to be honest find your vets answer extremely worrying. The horse needs physio, strengthening exercises, and work to lift its back up by strenghtening its stomach muscles in the correct way. There are no shortcuts. You should also get your saddle checked out to ensure it fits your horse correctly. Kissing spine horses may take many months to fix but it is worth it in the end.

[HayleyandBob]

was the bute given to minimise any pain to help the build up of the correct muscles or as a treatment? if that makes sense ...ditto the above

[cphillipsball]

Apologies didn't make it clear, she has lost condition and started rearing and they thought it was gastric ulcer which they scoped and didn't find anything this is when they did an xray and found this. They are not sure if this is causing the problem so thought this would rule out any pain and then we can go from there. It appears to be inflammed so thinks bute will reduced this and it may solve itself. I will obviously consider surgery once we have identified if it is actually pain related. Saddle has been checked too.

[bounce]

Mine has just gone through the op for kissing spine and when I took him to the hospital the first thing asked was whether I had tried buting him to see if there is an improvement so sounds like your vet is doing the right thing. You won't be able to compete affiliated competitions whilst on bute as it is a banned substance. If you need to find out if your horse is happier on the bute then you do need to be doing the same amount of work as previously.
I didn't bother with the bute as it was obvious my horse was in intense pain and needed surgery pretty quickly.
The other thing they can try is injecting local anaesthetic to the back and then you ride and see if there is an improvement. If it is the back then there will be a significant change. Feeding bute may stop the pain but you won't know for sure if it is the back as it could be a lameness elsewhere.
Anyway, hope all goes well.

[HayleyandBob]

Ahh i see it might be worth gettign a second opinion as mine was diagnosed with kissing spine and was given cortisone etc however he still was uncomfortable so he went to Liphook for a full body scan, turned out he doesnt have kissing spine at all but has a sacroiliac injury which made him stand differntly to compensate which made it appear as though his spines were "kissing" in the x ray ! This couldnt have been diagnosed without Liphooks facilities so im in no way suggesting the vets made a mistake, they were all very understandign and helpfull!
Hope all goes well !
X

[BethH]

Lord you had me worried there for a moment!

I personally think your best bet to see if it is KS, is to have the injections into the spine. Within 30 seconds of Ryan having that injection, he floated around his pen like a dream, i have never seen him move like it before or since!!! There was absolutely no doubting that it was that area that was the problem and from there we were able to move forwards. It's a long and emotional rollercoaster ride, but my beloved boy has gone from a baby nearly PTS as he was unmanageable, to a cracking little horse who is going out to do novice dressage next wk and I have been told he will soon be ready to try his hand at elementary! I am sure his marks won't be great but none the less we are able to go and have a go which is something I never thought I would be able to do!

[Annieann]

My mare has KS. She has had the steriod injections, and we are currently working on building muscle and bringing her back to work after 5/6 months off. I do not compete or do any jumping on her and I feel it is unfair in her case, but I do know of others who do so, but obviously it is all dependant on how bad it is in the first place, mine has arthritis too in the spine. Because I only really hack and have the odd canter on her, my vet an physio suggested that it would be better not to use her saddle and ride bare back, as she is less restricted. But I do know of others who have used a surge panel saddle (Kay Humphries/Barry Swain I think).

I hate to say it but in my case it is only a matter of time, before she is retired.

Good luck

[orin]

my thoroughbred was diagnosed with kissing spine. luckily he was quited mild so surgery was not need but he was also a rearer(had been since i bought him).
with him i made sure he has physio at least every 6 months. well fitting tack which again was checked every 6 months and was in constant work to keep the muscle up on his back. i also used to use aprolite pad under his saddle. he was always in full work and with the right routine he never had a problem