Caslicks ...

[mikec]

Hi guys,
I'd like to get your input on something I did yesterday that I've been told was a bonehead move. I truly like to be corrected if I'm about to do something stupid or already did it but haven't figured it out by myself yet. But I'd like a consensus before I smack myself in the head.
We found out the hard way last breeding season, which cost us boku bucks to clear up a nasty uterine infection, that our mare requires a caslicks. Now ; the infection may / may not have already been a work in progress when we bought her in 2007 but after we cleared it up she delivered her largest foal to date yesterday so I suppose it was money well spent.
Anyway ; I swore that after she foaled this year I would stitch her up immediately 'cause she gets so filthy so fast ... like 10 - 30 days fast. So I instructed the vet to stitch her up within 24 hours as there was no tearing or swelling.
Now ; I've had 2 vets tell me she doesn't even need a caslicks and 1 said she did so go figure. But ; did I move too fast ? My thought process was if there was going to be a problem post foaling well that's the way it goes but if there's an infection due to my not taking preventive measures then shame on me. Veterinary encyclopedia says okay within 24 hrs. but vet implied wait until right before she leaves for next breeding. Whatcha think ? I'm a bog boy ...I can take it.

[madelyn]

I have a few mares who need Casliks procedures. I prefer to let the vet put in staples, as a temporary Casliks, post breeding, until they are confirmed in foal for the year. It is less invasive and can be popped out by us if we need to for any reason. I would NEVER put in any kind of Casliks before the foal heat, which is the cleansing heat. Chances are you will try to breed your mare back on her first normal heat at 30 days. It seems a bit unnecessary to have stitched her now, undo her again for breeding, etc.

[henthorn]

You're never going to get three vets to agree on almost anything. Pick one you trust, and quit shopping around. You are not the "case coordinator" for choosing which vet to follow. But your horse may become the victim if you try to second-guess every vet's opinions. It's no different for medical decisions for humans.

A consensus is not always best. A "sense" is more what you should expect from the posters on the forum.

For what it's worth, I've had farms that do Caslicks on every mare, on none of their mares, and on problematic mares like yours. I can't speak for the proper timing, but it sounds like your mare is truly in need of the benefits of the procedure for breeding soundness reasons.

[mikec]

Hi Henthorn,
You misunderstood ; I'm not shopping around for a vet. In the past two years we've boarded our mares at two different farms ( one closed ) in two different counties thus requiring two different veterinarians. In the process we've had 3 different vets from those 2 outfits 'cause our primary was once on a prior emergency and a partner showed up so I'm hardly coordinating anything.The more opinions / information I get the better I like it. Additionally I'm not second guessing anyone but myself in this instance so again I've asked for more opinions, on a practical level, regarding what others with more experience than I have done in the past.
Your final paragraph was more in line with what I was looking for so I thank you for that and I will gladly replace the word sense for the offensive consensus. Thank you !

[mikec]

Hey Sharon,
No problem ...you have a pm.

[mikec]

Thanks for your input Madelyn. Although we did suture her up we did so with a breeding stitch, and loose at that to allow for discharge, but it's a lesson learned and I'll remember next year. Hadn't considered staples ... nice idea !