Fractured splint bone?

EquestrianFairy

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My horse has somehow fractured his splint bone, it’s stable and vet wasn’t particularly worried.

he’s sound (unless you touch it) and quite happy but very sore on palpitation and the leg is nice and fat-
X-rays confirmed.

I was told to just box rest and Bute.. but not for how long or what happens next?
I’m guessing it’s not treated like a normal new splint?
 

milliepops

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Be guided by your vet.
Mine took ages but did heal well. I was expecting about 6 weeks rest but it was 3 months before the x rays were good enough to start work. My horse was mid teens at the time which may have had an impact on healing rate.
 

Equi

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For any bone its usually a minimum of 6 weeks. So i would do that then reassess/xray. If vet didn't tell you how long, phone and ask.
 

blodwyn1

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Mine had a displaced fracture in three places so they had to operate and remove the pieces. It was a six month slog to recovery.
 

BBP

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Splint fractures can vary quite a lot i think. Mine fractured the distal end of his last year, he basically snapped the 'button' off and the piece of bone was floating around. He had been turned out in a muddy field, ran around and we think the ligament or whatever it is that attaches it to the cannon further down overstretched and basically pulled on it so hard that it snapped the bottom end off. His leg had filled for about 24 hours and then returned to normal and wasn't sore on palpation but was unsound. We made a judgement call on seeing if it would reabsorb into the body, and so the only advice was to rest him until x ray looked good and he was sound. He was probably off from May to October, but I didn't really follow instructions on rest in that i turned him out on a track. It may have healed faster if I had confined him, but I know that does not end well with my horse. Eventually it did reabsorb and he is absolutely fine, but it sounds a bit of a different story to your horse as yours sounds more sore to palpate? I think the proximal end is more challenging than distal as I think it plays a more active role in stabilising the knee (I don't know a lot about this so someone may come along and correct me!)
 

Goldenstar

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Mine had her operated on to remove fragments and remove the rest of the splint bone .
she has six weeks box rest then a gradual return to work and was back to normal in three months .
they usually do very well .
 

EquestrianFairy

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Definitely no mention of operating (at least nothing mentioned to me today).

just that it’s Re-fractured and to rest and Bute, we think he did it as he kicked the stable wall in a tantrum against the horse next door but can’t be 100% sure.
Vet was adamant there were signs of a previous fracture also and he’s actually RE-fractured it.

not what I wanted after only 5 weeks of ownership :-(
 
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