Foal with a fractured cannon bone, wwyd?

[You Wont Forget Me]

Hi all,

Ok so last week my lovely new haflinger foal/yearling 6 months old was delivered, a week before he was due to arrive breeders told me he had an incident where he cut his leg, I was told that it was quite bad, it was a splint, at the time I was offered my money back or if I still wanted to take him knowing he had a splint that was fine.
So he arrived a little lame as expected but wasn't too bad, although throughout our fist week he has gotten worse. My own vet was out today to X-ray and has confirmed its not just the splint but also a fractured cannon bone, she's assured me if I keep him on strict box rest ect up to at least 3 months, that he will make a full recovery all bar the lump of swelling which will be stuck with him for about a year.

What would you do in this situation?
Tia

 

[jrp204]

I hope you renegotiated the price before he was delivered? If not I certainly would be now, send the seller the vets reports.

 

[stormox]

I had a friend with a foal who fractured (a crack ,it wasnt splintered) his cannon bone, got a kick. The vet strapped it up firmly, it healed and he was fine.Not even a lump.

 

[Goldenstar]

I would contact the breeder and negotiate a substantial reduction in price ( or indeed he ought to perhaps be free )then I would box rest him and give him a chance .

 

[Equi]

You bought it anyway knowing it was injured. Put it on box rest as suggested and hope for the best.

 

[ihatework]

I would contact the breeder and negotiate a substantial reduction in price ( or indeed he ought to perhaps be free )then I would box rest him and give him a chance .

Ditto, give them a call and send them the report.
A stable fracture at that age really shouldn't cause a long term problem. But will require some lengthy box rest and more intensive labour, plus vets fees incurred.

If the breeders are willing to negotiate substantially on price then keep, if not, strap it up well/support bandage and return.

 

[smellsofhorse]

You bought it anyway knowing it was injured. Put it on box rest as suggested and hope for the best.

In would go back to the breeders.
Ask for a reduction and help with vet fees.
Did they not get the vet to look/X-ray?
I know sometimes fractures can not be seen straight away due to the swelling. But surely he should have had a thorough examination and treatment plan before moving.

 

[HelenS]

I bought a mare some years ago that had fallen in a ditch when a foal and had broken the right cannon bone and punctured her left eye. The broken leg mended well, but the immature body weight as she was growing caused the left leg to bow outwards. I bought her as a broodmare at 3 years old with a foal at foot (accidental covering at 2). She went on to produce many more lovely foals but could never be ridden as she was permanently only paddock sound.

25 years on from that I know there is much better success at rehabilitating youngsters who have broken bones and go on to being useful riding horses, but I would let the breeder know what has happened.

 

[EQUIDAE]

Not a cannon but a fetlock at 5 months. He was splinted for 2 weeks and on box rest for 4, then was allowed out in an area the size of the stable him and his dam were sharing (24x12) for another 4 weeks. His final 4 weeks were spent in my garden - he went nuts when I turned him out so was obviously feeling OK.

My main concern with him was that he would develop behavioural issues due to being stabled but he's now 5 and a little love (despite still being entire).

He is totally sound but may have arthritis in the future due to the location.

Try not to worry too much but I would be asking for a partial refund from the breeders - that's really bad that they didn't diagnose properly

 

[Pearlsasinger]

I would be absolutely livid! What on earth did the breeder think they were doing, allowing a foal with a broken bone to travel? It is very fortunate that the bone hasn't shattered during the journey.
If the vet 's prognosis is good, I would be negotiationg a serious discount on the price. If prognosis is poor or if something goes wrong, I woud expect the breeder to pay for pts. Is there a British breed society? If so, I would let them know about their irresponsible breeder.

 

[be positive]

I would be absolutely livid! What on earth did the breeder think they were doing, allowing a foal with a broken bone to travel? It is very fortunate that the bone hasn't shattered during the journey.
If the vet 's prognosis is good, I would be negotiationg a serious discount on the price. If prognosis is poor or if something goes wrong, I woud expect the breeder to pay for pts. Is there a British breed society? If so, I would let them know about their irresponsible breeder.

I agree with this in theory but to put another side this, and we only have limited information on what the breeders did, if they had their vet then the vet may well have made a mistake with the diagnosis and the breeders acted in good faith, they did offer a refund which was declined, I think it unfair to call them irresponsible without knowing the whole story.

Vets do make mistakes, even if it had been xrayed within the first few days the fracture may not have shown, my own horse was injured and I wanted xrays asking several times each time the vet said it was not worth it, there was no reason to suspect a fracture, eventually he was xrayed and the fracture, only to the splintbone fortunately, had by then displaced and required an op to remove, the vet had almost made me feel stupid requesting the xrays so I would not blame the breeders unless they had not got a vet in to treat in which case I would be furious.

 

[Goldenstar]

No I would not blame the breeder or the vet without knowing more , broken splint bones can be easily missed at first.

 

[Pearlsasinger]

No I would not blame the breeder or the vet without knowing more , broken splint bones can be easily missed at first.

Indeed and I know a person who has been eventually called back to hospital after the 2nd x-ray of her foot has been reviewed and the "tendon injury" which she suffered over a month ago has been found to involve a broken bone. This isn't a splint bone though.
TBH, I think there are faults all round. I know we only have the OP's version and and the benefit of hindsight but I like to think that if I had been involved I would have wanted the foal to stay with the breeder for rather longer until the diagnosis had been confirmed over time.
I, too, have experience of vets being convinced they are right and subsequently being proved wrong, GS. These days, I choose my vet very carefully and insist on my views being taken into account/acted upon. But, like you, I have been doing this a long time and have met a lot of vets along the way.