fetlock injury due to accident... and a "has any one" question

[Angua2]

there was a slight mishap on an hack saturday which involved two unmounted horses ( both mine) going home at mac 10 . Unfortunatly my 14 yr old gelding lost his back end dong a handbrake turn through a gateway onto a tarmaced road. He has managed fairly superficial damage, but his worst is a 50p sized hole on his hind fetlock that had gone down to the joint. The vet reckons that the joint and associated tendon is fine, but he is on Box rest for 6 weeks with a compromise on very gentle walking in hand every day to stop his seizing up totally.

How they got across a busy main road and down another busy road with just that is beyond me. Actually I know how they got across the main road.... sheer lucky timing ( the traffic had stopped to let two other horses across) but you know what I mean.

unbelivably the youngster was unscathed.

when i walked back onto the yard I was expecting to have to call the vet to have one/ both PTS..... the fact that I walked back to find the gelding standing under the shoeing bay with relativly minor injuries was..... well such relief. The vet was still called, but to patch him back together not the other.

I just have to get the horse that doesn't do stable toys through 6 weeks of box rest!


Has any one had experience of this type of injury and if so what was the result.

I think I am just looking for reassurance that things are going to be OK.

Thanks

 

[brightmount]

A similar injury occurred to a horse on our yard. I found her in the field with the fetlock open to the tendons and bone. It was thought she would have to be PTS in the field. I had such a shock to see her the next day with her head over the stable door. The tendons and joint had escaped injury but the wound was much bigger than yours: probably 4-6 times the size.

It was a long haul, and all credit to the patience of the owner, but this was a much loved horse. It took about a year in all, but the horse returned to 100% soundness and went back to all the things it did before.

Hopefully your road to recovery will be a shorter one.

 

[Doublethyme]

A friend's young arab did what "sounds" like a similar injury in her stable (went nuts at something). Prognosis wasn't fab at the start and there was talk of tendon damage I think, but despite the little mare being VERY unsettled during the box rest and rocking back and forward on it constantly in the stable and the wound splitting open on more than one occasion when it had started to heal, plus when she was eventually turned out, she was pretty manic in the field (and continues to be!), the little mare is now absolutely 100% fine, has such a small scar its unbelievable and is now being ridden normally (for her age and education). I can't quite remember how long its been since the accident, but it did take a good while to start to look anything like reasonably healed.

Good luck with your boy, hope everything works out.

 

[ecs]

Hi i feel sure your horse will be ok its time and patience, a mare on my yard did a similar thing a few years a go, she is now 100% sound, and expecting a foal in june

 

[Angua2]

Thankyou all. your comments have really helped and I am feeling far more upbeat about the damage. I changed the dressings yesterday and the hole looked rather good (!) condsidering, so onwards and upwards so to speak.