Nail penetration injury coffin/ DDF tendon Any recovery stories?

[thea243]

5 weeks ago my 12yr 17.2 wb novice eventer trod on a screw out hacking and it went through his deep flexor tendon, navicular bursa, coffin joint and laminae, infecting all the above and damaging the tendon. He had an op to flush out the infection and 2 weeks at the vets to check it was healing well. Hes now had 3 weeks at home with a farrier plate on and has a further 3 to go. Vet check last week seems to be healing ok and vets positive. He is off antibiotics and bute from last week and is more or less sound in walk now. Prognosis is uncertain to weather he'll return to eventing but sould be pasture sound.

I know its a very serious injury hes had and a long shot that he'll return to work but has anyone had any similar cases or know of any where the horse has returned to exercise and to what level? Or any that did not return to work?

Also can anyone recommend any joint/ tendon supplements to aid recovery. ie. NAF Superflex/ Global Herbs Movefreeplus/ Tendoneze/ Cortaflex reviews?

Any help would be much appreciated

 

[MadisonBelle]

I am so sorry for you and reading your post it could be a carbon copy of what happened to my 5yr old except her's was a roofing nail!!!!

Mine did eventually come back into work after a year of box rest but some 3-4 months in, (we had just got to the canter stage) she felt unlevel. vet's were great as it took her being lunged on a 10m circle on concrete to see it but due to her history they MRI'd her and the tendon had "gone" just below the original injury so she was retired at the grand age of 6!

It was a long road as she had almost a year of box rest, with in hand walking and a dozen MRI scans and as she was so young she just could not handle the box rest and was also a nightmare to walk and to this day I wonder if that contributed as she turned from a placid horse into a bucking, leaping, rearing monster

So sorry I couldn't be more positive but if I had to do it all over again I would make sure I could keep them as quiet as possible with all 4 feet on the ground to have the most maximum chance of healing......

She did come field sound even with this 2nd tear and used to regularly jump into other fields!!!!

Oh yes and I gave her tendoneze......

Good Luck.......