Price for joint surgery?

[vineyridge]

Since this is such an active board, I thought I'd ask here.

How much do you guys pay for chip surgery where you are. I've been given a price of $2500 to have it done at the Mississippi State University vet school.

I reckon that it might be cheaper in states with large racing industries.

Do most of you use private vets or state vet schools? When I called about this several months ago, LSU was $1200 for one joint, with a discount if more than one was worked on.

Also, if a horse has bone spurs in the hocks, is surgery an option? Are shock waves an alternative?

[Lei Owen]

I don't have a clue what chip surgery cost around here. Never had to deal with chip's or bone spur's. I can tell you how much impact surgery cost though.

We don't use vet school's due to the fact we are closer to better facilities and doctor's for the same price. If I were closer to Texas A&M, Kansas University or Missouri University, all who have good equine reputation's, I'd use them.

In my opinion, your best bet is to check out the equine surgical facilities in your area. Ask around for satisfied customer's and see if they'd use that facility again for the same procedure.

[vineyridge]

Problem is that I can find only one private vet who does surgeries in this area, and I don't know if he does joints. All I'm sure he does is colic. Most of the others refer their surgical candidates to either LSU or MSU.

Lei, you're not all that far from me. Would you mind sending me a private message telling me who you use? Little Rock would be closer, but I'm up to hauling a couple of hundred miles for a good surgeon.

[jL]

OSU College of Veterinary Medicine is suppose to be one of the finest Equine medical facilities in the nation. They are located in Stillwater, OK.

You might give them a shout.

Oklahoma State University
College of Veterinary Medicine
Stillwater, OK 74078 | (405)744-6595

[ckaye]

This is SO HUGELY based on where you are. Colorado State charged me close to $4k to do Ya-ya's fetlocks. Someone on COTH (Bensmom?) said her local vet school only charged her something like $1k.

Your best bet is to call around. I couldn't ship Ya-ya anywhere for her fetlocks (I live in Fort Collins, didn't even realize it was cheaper elsewhere) so I wound up paying $$$.

[austique]

We had a horse done at OSU several years ago and paid less than $1000, but this was like in 1993.

[vineyridge]

Somebody in the mid atlantic coast said the going price in Maryland/Pa was from 600 to 800 bucks. Is that wishful thinking?

Is the LSU vet school no good for racehorse ailments?

[Lei Owen]

Problem is that I can find only one private vet who does surgeries in this area, and I don't know if he does joints. All I'm sure he does is colic. Most of the others refer their surgical candidates to either LSU or MSU.

Lei, you're not all that far from me. Would you mind sending me a private message telling me who you use? Little Rock would be closer, but I'm up to hauling a couple of hundred miles for a good surgeon.

You betcha...I'll give you the information to the doctor who did surgery on Kelly Yates horse Firewater Fiesta after she fell at the NFR in Las Vegas. Ms. Yates hauled Firewater from Pueblo, Co.

[hpkingjr]

Daddy once told me not to look for the cheapest eye surgeon. With the cost of keeping a horse in training at about $1,500.00 to $3,000.00 per month whether the surgery costs $1,500.00 or $2,500.00 pales in the cost of merely keeping them on the track for another month. Look for the best surgeon, with the best chance of success. Your choice may mean getting your horse back in training as opposed to making him a yard ornament.

[vineyridge]

Daddy once told me not to look for the cheapest eye surgeon. With the cost of keeping a horse in training at about $1,500.00 to $3,000.00 per month whether the surgery costs $1,500.00 or $2,500.00 pales in the cost of merely keeping them on the track for another month. Look for the best surgeon, with the best chance of success. Your choice may mean getting your horse back in training as opposed to making him a yard ornament.

That's precisely why I don't want to use Mississippi State. I don't think they would do enough to do a good job.

I'm willing to send her anywhere within reason to have the surgery done. She's in north Mississippi, so I'd like to keep it within a two or three state range. Don't want to ship her to the Atlantic seaboard for surgery, but I would like to find a place that does lots of joint work on racers and exracers.

[madelyn]

LSU is supposed to be pretty good.. they are doing that new tendon stem-cell procedure. Horses ship there from here sometimes.. There is always the Lexington vets.

[aurora]

Stay away from Oklahoma State Univ. Terrible reputation. They're liars too.

[austique]

OSU does a good job on these types of surgeries and they are the go to place in Oklahoma for equine sports injuries. Edmond Equine is also supposed to be pretty good, but they tend to be more expensive across the board.

Point to be made: Aurora's issue is with the OSU College of Vet Med Ranch which is located about 10 miles away from the Vet School and is a reproductive research facility and breeding farm only.

[adrienne]

I know the farm where I work sends horses from the Chicago tracks to Oklahoma. Must be good/reasonably priced.

~Adrienne

[Joe]

We do have a very varying price structure in the Mid-Atlantic. There are a lot of good vets, including U of Penn at New Bolton. they are generally the highest priced option, but very good, in fact, nationally known. The price difference can be in the thousands and for the same work and results. Follow where the track people go, they know the best for the best value.