Fractured Splint Bone- advice please

[silvershadow81]

So xrays have confirmed my suspicions and horse has a fractured splint bone with a callus pressing on the suspensory :-( :-(

I am waiting to hear back from referrals on if it is operable, the cost and rehabilitation required (understand this can be months of box rest)

Horse is not something to do box rest AT ALL. She cannot be distracted with a treat ball when unhappy and instead will throw her front legs over the top bars in the stable (and cause further injury)

Currently she is paddock sound and lameness is only noticeable in trot on one rein.

ive searched this forum and all posts on this were from a few years back, so wanted to see if there was any latest things available, or hear peoples experiences on treating this please

From what I understand I have a few options:

1- operate with box rest and long rehabilitation (latter will not suit her)- any updated idea on costs please?
2- turn out 24/7 and wait and see
3- option 2, but pop her in foal before she is turned away (she has very good breeding and has only got this fracture due to an injury she caused being a tit in a stable!)

ive also been told about DMSO? any experiences?


Thanks

 

[acw295]

Don't panic!

Mine had one in 2012, hda the op, fully recovered, all is well (well actuallyshe is currently lame on a different leg but unrelated in every way). Happy to PM if that is useful.
Insurance paid for all of mine, bar 50% of stabling whilst an inpatient and the excess. Total cost was a smidge under £5k

I was so worried about the box rest - it was actually fine. First 2 weeks were hard, but post op she was good as gold. I think it hurt and the cast was annoying so she just got on with it - and she is a very feisty, bargy opinionated madam so I was expected hysterics. We weren't kept in for long - it was 4 weeks I think post op. As soon as wound was nicely healed and bandage off she was allowed small paddock turnout so it needn't be months and months. Ours was about 6 weeks in total I think as op was delayed due to an allergic reaction.

Ours was misdiagnosed for 5 weeks (not vets fault - completely atypical presentation), she had her op in early July 2012, started walk work in Oct and full work by March 2013. So from diagnosis to complete recovery was 9 months - and I was ultra careful. My friends gelding had the same at a similar time and also had a perfect outcome. I remember the stress very well but it turned out fine.

Definitely not the worse thing that can happen

 

[Casey76]

I would not put a horse which had leg problems in foal.

 

[Happycat]

My boy sustained a communited fracture to his offside hind lateral splint just below the hock in March. Following X-rays it was decided best to heal naturally with Robert Jones bandage and strict box rest. Unfortunately at the six week point after everything had been going well I found him back on three legs. A portion of bone had moved and we had no choice but to go for screw fixation. This was beginning of May. He had 7 weeks of box rest in a soft cast following surgery and then began gentle walking. He is now turned out in a small paddock all day, stabled at night and is having regular Physio and I do his exercises daily. He is also walking out in hand several times a day.
Still very slightly stiff but this is expected to be temporary, (fingers crossed!). If all continues well we are to walk him out under saddle from mid October. Still a long rehab ahead.
I do hope things improve for your horse.

 

[Auslander]

I would not put a horse which had leg problems in foal.

The mare has a fractured splint bone, caused by an accident! No reason whatsoever not to put it in foal if the owner so desires!
OP-you might be best off going for specialist rehab/box rest livery (I'd recommend myself if you were closer, but there must be similar options near you). Box rest is stressful for owners, as well as horses, but a facility that's set up or it, and used to dealing with angry, frustrated horses will take some of the stress away from you. Horses are best kept as unstimulated as possible, with little activity going on outside, and a very quiet, minimal intervention management strategy. They soon realise that titting about doesn't get them anywhere, and opt for bored resignation instead. It's not nice, but better than risking reinjury.

 

[Erin]

Mine has fractured 2 splint bones. Operated on both times (once under GA, then second under standing sedation)
Bandage had to stay on for 2 weeks so she had to be box rested for that time (was allowed hand grazing) but was then turned out again pretty much as soon as the bandage came off. (Vets initially said 6 more weeks box rest with hand walking, but she doesn't do box rest so they agreed to turn out)

 

[spacefaer]

Friend of mine had a horse at grass livery with me while he recovered from a tendon injury. He was a fool in the field and managed to break his splint bone (inside foreleg). It was pressing on his suspensory. Her vets operated to remove it and he recovered well enough to go back eventing at Adv level.

We had a hunter whose lf splint bone had been completely removed at some point in the past - he had a big scar and I have no idea how or why - didn't stop him!

 

[Doormouse]

The mare has a fractured splint bone, caused by an accident! No reason whatsoever not to put it in foal if the owner so desires!
OP-you might be best off going for specialist rehab/box rest livery (I'd recommend myself if you were closer, but there must be similar options near you). Box rest is stressful for owners, as well as horses, but a facility that's set up or it, and used to dealing with angry, frustrated horses will take some of the stress away from you. Horses are best kept as unstimulated as possible, with little activity going on outside, and a very quiet, minimal intervention management strategy. They soon realise that titting about doesn't get them anywhere, and opt for bored resignation instead. It's not nice, but better than risking reinjury.

I would agree completely with this. Box rest for any horse on a busy livery yard is very hard.

Mine fractured his hind splint bone and he was a complete nightmare on box rest. I moved him to a yard completely on his own, no other horses therefore no coming and going and he settled really well. He managed 6 weeks without damaging the bone then he was turned out for a few months. He was back in work in about 5 months post injury. His was a simple break though and healed well.