Just a question. If you have done all sorts of tests (nerve blocking, x-rays, etc.) wouldn't that really narrow it down? If something comes back on the MRI which you can't afford (although somehow being able to ship him from Puerto Rico to the US at some point?) how would you be able to afford the cost of whatever comes next?
we’ve done nerve blocking, ultrasound and x-rays. nerve blocking helped narrow it down to something beneath the fetlock. but as to what it is, we have no idea. it could be any number of things, and ultrasounding and x-rays gave us no definitive answers. the vets’ (vets plural, as in i’ve gotten multiple opinions) best guess is that he has something going on in a tendon or ligament on his left front that is not showing up in the ultrasounds. an MRI is a far more in depth diagnostic tool than x-rays or ultrasounds, so if either of those missed anything, it will show up on there. at this point an MRI is needed to appropriately diagnose so we can develop a better treatment plan than just stall rest with the standard rehab plan which we have already tried and didn’t help.
also… you do realize that he shipped from puerto rico to the US all the way back in august 2012? back when my parents supported me, and when puerto rico’s economy hadn’t collapsed due to government corruption and a hurricane, and when my mom hadn’t gotten cancer? back then my parents were well off enough to help me pay for half his ticket to the US as a graduation/christmas/birthday present. that is no longer my family’s reality. a lot has changed in six years and my parents no longer support me or charlie. they CANNOT afford to help me with this.
i’m not gonna lie… the tone of this question is hurtful. i’m trying my best to get a diagnosis so THEN i can focus on saving up for treatment, no matter what the treatment. will it take some time? yes, absolutely. but at least a diagnosis will help me and the vets develop a plan to better manage the injury until i can afford treatment.
i don’t care if the MRI tells me charlie can’t do anything more than sit in a pasture for the rest of his life, i will still pursue treatment. charlie is my family, and i intend to treat him as such for however long he’s on this earth.
you don’t have to donate if you don’t want to to, i don’t expect you to and nobody is obligating you to.
hey @ the fucker who asked this question! in just a few days it will have been two years since charlie had his MRI, thanks to my hard earned savings, and the incredibly amazing people who didn’t judge me and helped pay for it (aka not you).
you know what happened in those two years? he was diagnosed with DDFT injuries, collateral ligament injuries, navicular disease and a navicular cyst that hadn’t shown up on x-ray. within a week the farrier and vets had developed AND implemented a management plan, within a month he was more comfortable than he’d been in 3 years, within SIX months he was pain free despite significant remodeling to his navicular bone.
and since then? he has been sound. in a year and a half he has not taken a singe lame step after having been lame on and off for THREE years before his MRI. you know why? because i made the choice to ask people for help to pay for his MRI at a time when his condition was becoming critical–this ended up being a fantastic diagnostic tool which gave us a definite diagnosis, as well as gave us insight on how to manage his issues. coming up with the right management plan helped him heal because we FINALLY understood what was going on and how to fix it.
if it hadn’t been because of us doing an MRI, charlie would probably be in his grave instead of celebrating his seventeenth birthday out in a paddock whilst playing with his buddies and living his best retired life.
i’m so glad i didn’t let your tone discourage me from my plan of action. and i’m so glad your tone gave me even more drive to help others in their time of need without casting judgement.
