Am I doing everything right? Advice please re fractured splint bone

[Cazza525]

3 weeks ago fractured splint bone, deteriorating in the last few days and vet has given more antibiotics for possible bone infection. Mare is systematically well with no body temp and looking well. Very tender and painful leg where initial trauma was. Her knee and part way down splint is hot and swollen. More able to weightbare today than yesterday but still moving gingerly!

I am giving brekkie at 7 containing 1 bute, antibiotic, joint supplement all in topspec topchop lite. I then remove stable bandages and cold hose for 10 mins. Muck out whilst her leg drying and then rebandage. Check at lunch and add more hay if needed. Give tea at 4..30/5 containing all the above plus regumate. I then cold hose again and reapply bandages. Final check at 9/10.

She is happy, content and being a good patient! She has straw bedding, solidly banked and not too deep on the base so she can move easier rather than lifting her leg more than necessary. Her hay is good quality and adlib. I have hung a stable licket but she takes no notice really, more interested in the hay before going back to sleep! She's very placid!

Please could I have some feed back that I am doing the right things by other peoples experiences? Are there better alternatives for swelling and heat? ie. ice boots???

Mare is 20 and generally not really stabled unless horrific in winter....she is homebred and by no means a stressy type.

I'll pop this in vet section too.

 

[liz4949]

Mine had the same injury a couple of years ago but once his pain relief started he was weight bearing on it and wasn't obviously causing pain. We just had to boxrest until it stabilised, which as he is extremely stressy was no fun!
Would it be worth asking your vet's opinion again as to whether she is getting enough pain relief? Good luck, mine made a perfect recovery.

 

[Natch]

The only thing I wouldn't be sure about is bandaging - you want cold, not warmth, surely?

20 minutes cold at a time, be it cold hosing or ice boots or whatever. Any more and the body goes into preservation mode and heats up the area regardless, which is completely counter productive.

Is it an open wound?

 

[Tnavas]

Sounds like you are doing the right thing - plenty of hay and lots of TLC. My step sons horse broke his splint bone and was operated on to remove the pieces as there was infection in the break. Recovered really fast and was sound and back in work within a couple of weeks.

One thing I've donein the past is to use hand towels as an under wrap, fold in half, wet with water, place flat in a plastic bag and put in the freezer. Place around bandaged leg and bandage over.

I keep a couple in the freezer ready for use whenever the les are swollen.

 

[Cazza525]

The original puncture wound has healed nicely. I have been thinking that the bandaging must be creating heat, but she seems a lot happier to have the support of them tbh. I leave bandages off for an hour each time i cold hose but within half hour of the end of cold hosing she's swelling again. When bandages were removed this morning I thought her leg looked less puffy.....after an hour its swelling again.

Its a bit of a catch 22 I suppose.!