Catillac's Extraordinary Journey

Catillac has had a rough life….literally from the moment he was born. His mother died giving birth to him, so he arrived in this world an orphan, in need of human help from his very first breaths. Thankfully a surrogate mare was quickly found to help raise him, and given the difficulty of his first few hours, he started out life in relatively good health. However, as rambunctious youngsters often do, he managed to injure himself in the pasture at just a few months old. It is uncertain exactly what happened, but Catillac dislocated his hip in the pasture overnight and was found unable to move one morning.

A dislocated hip is a catastrophic injury for a horse, because it is nearly impossible to “relocate”, even if treated immediately. After diagnosing his injury, and understanding the lack of opportunities for treatment, Catillac was left to live his pasture life, learning to get along with his injured leg. As he neared two years old, the owner decided he needed more care and oversight, so he was surrendered to MVHR in the summer of 2024. Sweet and surprisingly mobile even given his injury, MVHR immediately went to work, exploring options to give this young horse a real shot at a comfortable life. Local vets evaluated his injury and confirmed the displacement, but still no treatment options were available. Catillac’s condition was further complicated by the realization that he could not reliably get himself up after laying down. This challenge would make it impossible for Catillac to live his life “as a horse” in any sense of the word, and euthanasia was looking more and more like the only option for the sweet, handsome colt.

One last phone call was made, to Dr. Laurie Goodrich at Colorado State University Veterinary Teaching Hospital. MVHR’s question was simple: “Is there any option at all for this young horse?” And Dr. Goodrich got to work. It took many months, and the pulling together of many people and resources both within the University,across the country and even the world, but Dr. Goodrich came back with a possibility that could give Catillac a chance.

Catillac will travel to CSU in Ft. Collins on April 16 for final diagnostics to confirm his suitability, and then preparation for major orthopedic surgery, planned for April 18, 2025 to repair his dislocated hip. This will be the first time a surgery of this type has been attempted on a full size horse, made possible by the extensive planning and collaboration with CSU, led by Dr. Laurie Goodrich. Although currently ambulatory, and even able to run and buck in pasture, Catillac is regularly unable to get up after lying down, making his condition impossible to live with. The team of assembled surgeons have agreed to perform an experimental procedure, toggling his joint back together, in hopes of improving his comfort and mobility, and also gaining experience and knowledge to further the possibility of similar procedures being available for more horses in the future. All surgeons are donating their time for this extensive procedure, costs are only hospital, medical, and rehabilitative costs. But those will be extensive. With experimental equipment and the extensive hospital stay for recovery, Catillac’s care cost is estimated at nearly $35,000, even with the generous donation of time and talent by all of the surgeons who will be assisting. We are hopeful of a good outcome for this wonderful little horse, so that he can live out his life in comfortable.

A detailed surgical description provided by Dr. Goodrich follows:

Hip luxations can end the life of any horse that sustains them. Once properly diagnosed, occasionally they can be reduced but very frequently there are very few options for these devastating injuries. The CSU group is working to optimize a CT imaging and computer assisted guidance system to place implants more accurately into the hip joint of horses to both reduce and stabilize hip luxations in horses to result in long-term life comfort of the equine patients that sustain them. The new system, proSynaptive Medical System, will be utilized for intraoperative navigation to enhance accuracy of implant placement. Preoperative CT imaging will be integrated into the system, and anatomical landmarks of the pelvis and proximal femur will be registered using a dynamic reference array. A tracking system will verify registration accuracy.

Navigation will be used to plan the optimal implant trajectory, guiding precise guidewire insertion and drilling. Real-time feedback will ensure accurate alignment while minimizing soft tissue disruption. When the hip dislocates, often there is rupture of a ligament that holds the hip joint together. Using this guidance system, the procedure is aimed at inserting a cable as a replacement for this ruptured ligament, holding the joint together. Final construct placement will be confirmed through navigation verification before routine closure. If this system can help surgeons optimize accuracy, the lives of many horses can be saved.

4/18/2025:

It is with deep sadness that we must share today’s Catillac update. After additional imaging, and much considerate contemplation, it was decided not to move forward with surgery. Images showed that Catillac lacked even the basic adequate bone structure in his hip joint to support the intended repair, and with a prognosis of almost certain future failure of the planned implant, asking this brave little horse to endure surgery with little hope of recovery was not even a consideration. Catillac was gently laid to rest by the incredibly wise and compassionate team at CSU.

Catillac was stoic and courageous throughout his entire challenging life, most especially on these last miles of his journey. We are so grateful to all of you who made it alongside him. Catillac’s Journey has taught us so much about what might be possible with the support of a caring community, and MVHR remains committed to continuing to further what can be possible in the care of horses, especially those in need. In his honor the Catillac Veterinary Fund has been created, which will allow extraordinary opportunities to be explored for other horses in need.

Catillac now runs in fields of deep grass alongside his mother, completely free of pain.

With sadness that he could not find relief here, and gratitude for all those who supported him these last few months, The Board and Staff of MVHR

Thank you for helping MVHR make this possible!

Marleen BoschApril 17, 2025