Any experience of a horse with a skull fracture?

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katefc55

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Our horse suffered a substantial head trauma eight weeks ago when he ran into a branch in his turnout field. To cut a very long story short, he had seemed to make a miraculous recovery, back to his old self and showing no signs of any neurological problems, the only outward sign of the trauma was a lump on his face where he had shattered his sinus bone. We took him for a ct scan on Monday thinking we were assessing the damage to his sinus, but were devastated to find that he had fractured his skull and that fragments of bone were embedded in the frontal lobe of his brain. The vets have never seen a case like it. He presents as being completely normal, but of course as yet he has not been ridden. He is currently at the vets awaiting a test to assess his spinal fluid for infection. Any experience of this type of injury?
 
Sorry no - but could not read and run. A friend's horse fractured the back of the skull when she reared and fell on a walker (long story..) but there were no fragments in the brain tissue. She made a full recovery - although it was long.
 
katefc55 said:
Our horse suffered a substantial head trauma eight weeks ago when he ran into a branch in his turnout field. To cut a very long story short, he had seemed to make a miraculous recovery, back to his old self and showing no signs of any neurological problems, the only outward sign of the trauma was a lump on his face where he had shattered his sinus bone. We took him for a ct scan on Monday thinking we were assessing the damage to his sinus, but were devastated to find that he had fractured his skull and that fragments of bone were embedded in the frontal lobe of his brain. The vets have never seen a case like it. He presents as being completely normal, but of course as yet he has not been ridden. He is currently at the vets awaiting a test to assess his spinal fluid for infection. Any experience of this type of injury?
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How is your horse doing? I have nothing useful to add apart from wishing you both all the best and hoping he comes through this.
 
God poor you and him!
Not personally experienced this, but I ride a horse who had a shattered skull a few years ago and lost her eye, and had metal plates across her face (field accident too). She had bone fragments coming out of her nose for weeks after the accident. If it's any help, she is now just hugely amazing, and pretty normal to ride. She competes succesfully at endurance. She has ratty days which may be headaches or something, but other than that she's healed incredibly.
I know someone else whose horse got kicked and had a skull fracture, and that one also did heal and he was fine.
I'm sure every case is different but at least that's two success stories..... wishing you and your horse all the best!!
 
Blimey not surprised the vet's haven't seen that before :eek3:! Mine had a kick to the head as a 3 year old, caused a giant nosebleed (lasted a few days) and then it abscessed but she is now completely fine. She's now been backed and ridden away and apart from a dinty face you'd never know, hope that gives some hope of a good recovery...
 
Thanks everyone for your thoughts and concern - Max spent a week with the vets and they ran every test possible. He still presents totally normally and is a miracle! He is such a beautiful and talented horse and we felt he deserved a chance as he had fought so hard to get to this point - we have turned him away until September and are monitoring his progress. Expect to see him in a veterinary journal at some point. xx
 
I had a horse who bolted head first into a wall at the gallop. Fractured is skull in several places.
It all healed well and he was "normal" or at least what passed for normal for him.
 
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