Chip fracture in fetlock

Yes, my TB whacked his fetlock on a show jump at an event in April 2006 at the age of 6. He wasn't lame in walk but was in trot. Had surgery (still have the bone chips in a test tube!) immediately and he has been sound as a bell ever since.

He raced 9 times before I got him as a 5 yo so joints would have taken a hammering from a young age and not sure whether hitting the jump exacerbated an old injury as vets said was possible but no regrets in having the op (he was/is insured as was expensive and he stayed at horspital for 5 days afterwards). He was plastered and had 9 weeks box rest followed by t/o in small paddock etc.

Had fetlock re-xrayed 4 years ago and there were arthritic changes but keep him on joint supplements which appear to work.

He does Elementary dressage and still jumps for fun as well as hard hacks with good gallops. He hasn't evented since but was more to do with his brains blowing under pressure than his leg.

Good luck!
 
Thanks so much for your quick reply. That's really good news, I'm so pleased it's been a success for you. My vet is confident that it's the right thing to do. He's not lame in walk and it came on rather suddenly (having just done our best ever dressage test getting 74.35% a week before he went lame). The vet thinks it's an old chip as the edges are smooth but there's only a small amount of new bone growth so he feels that surgery will prevent damage to the joint. Where did yours have the surgery done and what joint supplement do you use?
 
Hi thanks again and was in Ireland but now Southern England so not far from Bell at all :) My vet has recommended Royal Veterinary College at Potters Bar, I wonder if Emmanuel operates there too as it's not a million miles from Bells? That's great re the joint supplement too I will speak to my vet to see if it's worth getting him on it now before the surgery. x
 
Yes, mine had the surgery for that a few years ago now. I think she was 21 when she had it and she is 23 now. Like nicnac's horse the chip had been there a good while (think 10-15 years) but arthritic changes meant it needed to come out. She has stayed sound on it and is still in work although it gets puffy from time to time especially when she is in in winter. She also has spavins so I don't really jump her much any more but she did some big jumping sponsored rides since the surgery, and has been on riding holiday in the last few weeks.
 
As for who - I kept my horse in Barnet at the time so was about 10 mins from RVC but my then vet advised me to avoid them and take her up to Rossdales at Newmarket. Tim Greet there did the surgery. Not sure why to avoid RVC but was happy with Tim Greet. Talk to your vet because it could be specialisms, who was there at the time or just politics for all I know and I don't use the vet I was seeing at the time anymore as I have moved county.
She also had steroid injections into the joint afterwards and had tildren and adequan (which was a combined approach for the spavins as well).
 
Thank you so much that's really put my mind at rest as he's 15 and I was worried he may be quite old to have a general anaesthetic but its so nice to know yours had the op at 21 and is still ok. I don't care if I never jump him again but would be nice to do a bit more low level dressage and hacking x
 
I had a bone chip removed from my TBs fetlock in December 2010. She was actually slightly lame on that leg, and when the x-rays found the bone chip, it was described as an "iceberg" it was so big! It was removed but she has arthritis in it now - described as moderate. As it was, she didn't come sound on it as it was subsequently found out that it was the suspensory ligament that was causing the lameness as well as spavin! Horse is now in work, but does drag the toe very very slightly if I have a little trot on the roads. She did have cortisone and hyaluronic acid injected into the joint about 18 months ago, but didn't notice any significant difference as a result of this.
 
My mare has ocd which caused her fetlock bone to chip as under xray looks cauliflower shaped she had the op and is totally paddock sound she does have arthritis in the joint and so is semi retired the op was very painful for her and I wouldn't put her through it again but just glad to still have her with me three years on she's 12now x
 
Apparently age doesn't really cause an increase in risk for anaesthetic. I was very surprised by that, but the way it was explained to me it is that if they are healthy the risk is the same (1 in 100) whether they are 5 or 25. If they have any conditions - the most obvious being colic I suppose, but I guess the big age related one would be cushings, then that would increase the risk (mine didn't have the cushings diagnosis when she went for it so I have no knowledge of whether that's a factor or not, he just said if they're sick or not). Other risk factors are things like size (bigger horses are riskier than ponies) and length of surgery (arthroscopy is very short so that is good for you).
 
Also - second what nicnac said about joint supplements. My vet put mine on synequin while insurance was paying. We have cut back to riaflex now for the good of my wallet but to be honest it works just as well.
The box rest was about one month then we had hand walking and small paddock rest for another two months. I got on her three months after the op.
If you can find my album all the pics except the one with the reflective sheet were taken since this surgery.
 
Thank you again its great to hear your experiences and at least I can prepare myself for what's to come. He's having blood tests done to make sure he's healthy before the Op so at least we've done as much as we can as regards the risks x
 
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