Does anyone have any experience of chip fractures?

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LOZHUG

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I know this should be in the veterinary section but was hoping I would get more help on here (more people etc).

As title. Has anyone's horse ever had a chip fracture? What was done? Operation/Arthroscopy? How did the horse recover?

Thanks in advance
 
I have a friend whose horse got a chipped bone at the top of her back leg whilst in her stable one night, still to this day dont know how she managed it but took a while for the vets to work out what it was (understandably as she was in her stable when it happened).
She was on box rest for a few months, first of all could only be walked outside her box to be mucked out and after about 2 months she could be taken on walks round the yard in hand. Back legs were bandaged daily, think she was on bute and vet came regularly to xray to leg to see if any progress was being made.
Eventually was able to be ridden in walk, then turned out in a tiny paddock, and recovered quite quickly from then on. Is fab now, jumping massive courses and hasn't been affected by it at all.
However, think this all depends on whereabouts the chip fracture is?!
 
Also, think the vet did consider removing the chipped bit of bone but wanted to see how the horse got on beforehand before he made any decisions. Didn't end up doing the op and horse recovered fine without it.
Memory of this is a bit hazy as happened 2 years ago while my friend was at a different yard but hope I got most of it right and is a bit of a help!
Good luck with your horsey if they're in a similar situation - know its a scary predicament to be in and all the best for a speedy recovery!
 
Thanks samlovesprilly. My horse has one in the hock area the bottom of the tibia, he has also done this in the stable not sure how etc but I think he may have got cast.
The vet is going to check if it will be worth operating on him and was on about an arthroscopy - but I should find out more this week on what can be done and how much he should benefit from an op if at all.

Thanks again just trying to find out some more info about it.
 
Ah the wording slightly confused me as iv only ever heard it called a chip bone or loose bone fragment :D ... My Gelding chipped his navicular bone whilst on box rest, well thats what we suspect!! His couldnt be removed obviously so he had a cortisone (sp) injection. We never had any further problems from it ... although he was stuffy, (not lame) on hard ground. But as far as im aware if its in an easy to access part of the body it can be removed.
 
Thanks NicoleS_007

The only thing I am worried about is if he has it removed arthritis has already set in as has new bone growth according to my vet which may make operating pointless. But he is going to speak to the vets that would know best about this sort of injury and get back to me tomorrow. I am a bag of nerves wondering what can be done as my vet seems to think he will never be rideable with it still there because of where it is.
 
LOZHUG said:
Thanks NicoleS_007

The only thing I am worried about is if he has it removed arthritis has already set in as has new bone growth according to my vet which may make operating pointless. But he is going to speak to the vets that would know best about this sort of injury and get back to me tomorrow. I am a bag of nerves wondering what can be done as my vet seems to think he will never be rideable with it still there because of where it is.
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I know how you feel!! Its nerve wrecking, there like adopted children! Good luck with him :)
 
hi, slightly different i had one that has fractured (into 2 pieces!) her bone at the back of her knee last year. She was put into a sturdy bandage/cast and box rested for 3 months. We then had her re x-rayed and sadly the bone had not healed, and had stayed in 2 pieces, along with a small bone fragment. Vets said as she was still rather lame(this later we found to be more due to the cast rubbing and had made her sore) that the only option was to PTS, however we are lucky enough to have time and space (she is only 10), so we kept her in for another 2 motnhs, then turned out all winter with 1 other. Over winter she became more sound and i started riding her in march, had her re x-rayed and vet said it was a miracle, the bone is completley split, on flexion opens alot more with a wider gap, but she is 100% sound! Just wanted to say it isn't necessarily a big, thing, your horse may well get over it and heal effectively to copw with the chip without a need for surgery, good luck x
 
Thanks all for posting your similar experiences and advice. I hope it is something he can come through without the need for surgery but will see what the vet has to say tomorrow.
 
LOZHUG said:
Thanks samlovesprilly. My horse has one in the hock area the bottom of the tibia, he has also done this in the stable not sure how etc but I think he may have got cast.
The vet is going to check if it will be worth operating on him and was on about an arthroscopy - but I should find out more this week on what can be done and how much he should benefit from an op if at all.

Thanks again just trying to find out some more info about it.
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Yes, my horse had one in exactly the same place. He was operated on and made a full recovery.
 
Currently have a pony on box rest with this. She is bandaged on the affected leg and has been having antibiotics. She is being re x-rayed after one month. Hopefully the body will reabsorb the chip and surgery won't be necessary. Vet reckons it can be any where from six weeks box rest onwards, we won't know until second x-ray.
 
From my experience I would say go for the surgery, definitely if you are insured.
My horse had a chip fracture to her fetlock some years ago - we think it may have been before I bought her as she's never been lame on that leg since I've had her (12 years). So since then she has been sound on it, competing in dressage and jumping and all the usual things. However, last summer she started to go lame on that leg and x-rays revealed the bone chip. We are only guessing at how long it's been there, but changes to the bone show it's not a recent thing.
The vet offered to either medicate it and see or operate it but said that if it was her horse she would go for the arthroscopy. So we did the surgery - I was nervous as hell but apart from the anaesthetic it is a relatively minor thing. She had to go to Newmarket, stayed in for a few days (general anaesthetic) and had bandages on for a few weeks and box rest for two months followed by walking exercise for a month and gradual bringing back into work.
The reason I am suggesting that you have the surgery now is that although my horse was sound for years, the chip has spent those years rubbing away at her cartilage and she now has arthritis in that joint which has to have joint injections/medication. My vet is rather marvellous and the horse is back in full work doing everything she used to and enjoying it whereas a year ago, without the arthroscopy we would have been looking at retirement/light hacking. If you compare the chip to a stone in your shoe, as my horse's surgeon did, only instead of your shoe it's your joint, it seems to me to make sense to get it out if it is financially viable.
The cost of surgery was 2,500 paid by insurance plus 150 for stabling and nursing that I had to pay. Insurance also paid another couple of hundred pounds for her to have the joint medicated.
Good luck and I hope whatever you choose for your horse works out ok.
 
unbalanced said:
From my experience I would say go for the surgery, definitely if you are insured.
My horse had a chip fracture to her fetlock some years ago - we think it may have been before I bought her as she's never been lame on that leg since I've had her (12 years). So since then she has been sound on it, competing in dressage and jumping and all the usual things. However, last summer she started to go lame on that leg and x-rays revealed the bone chip. We are only guessing at how long it's been there, but changes to the bone show it's not a recent thing.
The vet offered to either medicate it and see or operate it but said that if it was her horse she would go for the arthroscopy. So we did the surgery - I was nervous as hell but apart from the anaesthetic it is a relatively minor thing. She had to go to Newmarket, stayed in for a few days (general anaesthetic) and had bandages on for a few weeks and box rest for two months followed by walking exercise for a month and gradual bringing back into work.
The reason I am suggesting that you have the surgery now is that although my horse was sound for years, the chip has spent those years rubbing away at her cartilage and she now has arthritis in that joint which has to have joint injections/medication. My vet is rather marvellous and the horse is back in full work doing everything she used to and enjoying it whereas a year ago, without the arthroscopy we would have been looking at retirement/light hacking. If you compare the chip to a stone in your shoe, as my horse's surgeon did, only instead of your shoe it's your joint, it seems to me to make sense to get it out if it is financially viable.
The cost of surgery was 2,500 paid by insurance plus 150 for stabling and nursing that I had to pay. Insurance also paid another couple of hundred pounds for her to have the joint medicated.
Good luck and I hope whatever you choose for your horse works out ok.
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Thanks. He isnt insured but I am quite happy to pay for him to have an op. My vet is looking into this for me as he isnt as clued up about this as where he would have to go for his op. Lets hope its good news tomorrow.
The only problem is that arthritis has already set in as has new bone growth in a matter of 3/4 weeks.
 
mine had a sequestrum - chip of bone floating loose - mid outside cannon bone on a hind leg. She was rested for a couple of weeks and it came right by itself with no further action. I have no idea if it rejoined or if it stayed there, or what. It was the size of a 1p piece and about 3mm thick.
 
our friends pony fell x country and chipped a bone on stifle i think,this was in november. he was operated on and had box then paddock rest. he is now back jumping again..
 
How timely

we're off for a hock xray/scan tomorrow as I have a suspected case in my filly. Fingers crossed it isn't and the three week old swelling is just her being a pansy. Still good to know the surgery is mostly successful at least.
 
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