Broken knees :-( (horsey) what should i expect?

Cadfael&Coffee

Cadfael&Coffee

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So, my lad just went and broke both his knees :(

his joints seem to be ok (fingers crossed) but he's on box rest, and looking at 3-4 months off work.

Has anyone had these before? What should i expect during the healng process?

(also in vets)
 
Oh no - how did he do that? Did he fall on a road or something? I guess it will depend on the break, if just a minor fracture then i would imagine it would heal fairly well but I think the issue being that it is on the joint is that you could be looking at possible arthirtic changes down the line which could cause a problem. But that would all depend on where in the knee the breaks are I would imagine.
 
he tripped and went right down on gritty concrete at trot :-( silly bugger was grotty cause his friend was ahead!!

i don't think it's fractured (fingers crossed) but the vet hasn't xrayed him yet.

he's missing 2 inches of flesh over the knee itself, and any soft tissue is gone- it's right down to the joint
 
Crikey that sounds awful!! Hope he is ok soon. My first pony went down on his knees on the road and made a right mess. We didn't box rest him at all, just kept the wound clean. My current boy also went down about 2 years ago for no reason, think he fell asleep!! Made a bit of a mess, again no box rest just kept an eye on it and clean etc. He now has one scared knee and is always ridden out in knee boots now.
 
Ah - my friend said her mar did a very similar thing years ago - both knees bloody and horrid. I think she did as charlie007 did, just kept the wounds clean and treated the horse as usual - ie didn't box rest. Guess it depends what the vet says. I think you'd be very unlucky for him to have actually fractured anything but the concern would be infection I suppose.

i think the best think you can do is to keep the wounds clean - bathe in hot/warm salted water etc etc.

He may end up with some scarring but my friends horse never suffered any adverse effects.
 
My mare did a very similar thing years ago. Back then I was advised to bandage in a figure of eight around the knee and to box rest. As they healed we put honey on them (by vets advice). They healed well- there was a scar but no further joint problems in the following 15 years orso.
 
Yes Manuka honey is the best healer going, not cheap but effective. Make sure they dont scab over as the wound has to heal from the inside out. My mare did it a few years ago due to a bad farrier, allowed her feet to get long and flat. Takes time but not a disaster. The figure of eight bandages aswell.
 
thank you magichorse and pastie2- that is exactly what my vet has told me. whilst id do trust this one, i just want to make it as comfy as poss for the poor laddie :-( he's in so much pain even after the pain killers it's awful to watch
 
My Clydesdale got kicked when he was out in the field when he was 3.

The vet arrived that night and did a joint tap. I can't remember if it was to check for fluid or to make sure there was no blood in the fluid...Anyway she could tell there and then if the joints had been affected.
She came back the next day and did an x-ray which confirmed that his knee was fractured.
She was quite positive that the bone would heal and wouldn't cause future issues once it had healed.
He was on box rest for 3 months on soft, deep bedding. He wasn't allowed out his stable...not even while i mucked out...which was quite hard when you had a horse that likes to knock over the barrow!! anyway he had 2 further x-rays and then the all clear.
He was on bute for a couple of weeks to help with pain and inflammation but once the cut had healed (about 3 weeks) he didn't need a bandage.
He was on Sedilin to keep him calm in his stable and to stop him walking around on it.

To stop him from being bored i would hide carrots in his haynet, make him veg kebabs (swede, carrots, apple, parsnip and pears on a lead rope) and hang them up and left a radio on for him!!!
 
My first mare did this when I was a kid, she was on working livery and the rider was cantering on a grass verge after galloping on stubble fields - funny she didn't stop when the verge ran out. Anyway other than scar tissue there were no lasting problems and she lived to a ripe old age.

However a lady at my current yard had this happen to her lad and it wasn't until years later that they discovered a small piece of gravel in the wound after his knee blew up like an orange. So please make sure your vet checks very carefully that there is nothing in the wound before it is allowed to heal.

JDx
 
My horse fell on the road and he was on box rest for 15 weeks, he had to have a cast on as the wound wasnt healing due to the movement of the joint. He now has scars fronm bandage sores, I strongly reconmend using tubigrip!
 
About 3 years ago my horse came in from the field with a leg like an elephants - he'd punctured the joint capsule of his knee.
Vet flushed it out to make sure nothing in it, bandaged and was told to box rest for a few months. After a month though, horse going loopy for being in, and woman from local therapy centre told me the worst thing with joint injuries is to restrict their movement (after the initial period of healing of course) and so started walking out in hand and then turned him out with Sedalin.

Been fine ever since, bar a slightly swollen knee still, but that won't ever go down fully - doesn't cause him any problems though.
 
i was advised not to bandage my my pony did this..fell as he came off the lorry :(..

it took about 4 months to completely heal...he wasn't box rested either.

and the phrase "broken-knees" is very misleading..it just means the skin is broken..not bone
 
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