Need cheering up. Broke horse (again).

[brightmount]

I'm so jinxed with horses. Long history of disasters but that's another story. So the 5 y.o. comes in from the field yesterday with a cut leg: scraped inside hind cannon bone. Unusually for her she is lame on it, not so much in walk but hopping in trot. Not a lot of swelling, just a bit, but she doesn't generally swell up, she is quite tough. We cold hosed it and put dermobion on the wound, and she is on box rest.

Today it's a bit more swollen and she is noticeably lame in walk as well now. Cold hosed again, more dermobion, the wound is clean at least. Phoned vet - he is coming tomorrow. He mentioned the possibility of a hairline fracture as the lameness is more than you would expect for a cut leg. I know it will be a fracture as with me, it always is the worst thing! She had a sachet of anti-b that I collected from the surgery.

As the vet is coming I'm not after advice really, just wanted to share, and hoping someone might have something positive to encourage me. Feeling carp *sob*

 

[Skhosu]

aww. she may just be being a wimp!
If its bruised it will probably be quite sore. Fingers crossed!

 

[RachelB]

Aww poor pony and poor you! The up side is (not that there is a proper up side to anything like that) at least you know what is wrong! Hope horsey gets better soon and fingers crossed it's not a fracture!

 

[brightmount]

Thank you

but generally she isn't a wimp like the geldings are.

 

[Happy Horse]

Without wishing to cause alarm - an unsupported hairline fracture can fracture if a force is exerted on it i.e. if the horse gets up awkwardly - did the vet say anything about imobilising the horse? Personally if a fracture was suspected I would want it xrayed straight away.

 

[brightmount]

Well yes he did say if you turn a horse out with a hairline fracture it can go ping and you have no horse.

Whenever anyone else on this forum has a problem like this, I always find it easy to visualise the best outcome, but when it's my horse, I think the worst!

 

[annie02]

One of my good friends had a horse with a hairline fracture in her geldings front cannon bone. He healed really well, they put this hard bandage like thing on his leg for a couple of weeks to prevent the fracture from moving and then lots of TLC and walking until the fracture showed clean. He is back jumping like it never happened.

 

[brightmount]

Yes that's what I'm thinking - it's better than a tendon/ligament injury isn't it in terms of prognosis. Racehorses are always getting hairline fractures and they're only out for a season. Anyway I must stop being negative - it's probably only a bruised cannon bone and I'll look a complete pl*nker for panicking!

 

[brighteyes]

Fingers crossed - she may well be hurting and possibly got a bit of infection there.

 

[H's mum]

I've got everything crossed for you that it's something simple and not too major.
Kate x

 

[brightmount]

Thanks everyone for crossing everything! The vet thinks that in all probability the lameness is a bit of cellulitis and swelling. She is on Noridine and Bute, and we will only x-ray if she is still lame after the swelling has gone down. She's quite good at being in, so hopefully she won't get too stressed. I've upped her NAF Magic. I've been instructed to hand walk her as much as possible.

That's all quite positive I think

 

[monstermunch]

Fingers crossed that it's nothing too serious. Don't woory just yet. Even if she has a hairline fracture I know of other horses who have come through it exceptionally well and returned to normal work.
Hope it is just her being wimpy! Wish you luck with the vet

 

[monstermunch]

oops. just read your last post. I'm so dosy. Clearly you have had the vet out. Sounds very positive. Good luck. Hope she heals quickly!

 

[brightmount]

The overall swelling has gone down now, but there is some localised swelling there which has opened the cut up, and it has been quite sticky. We quit the Dermobion and have been using Flamazine. She seems pretty much sound, so hopefully there's nothing more sinister going on. She reared three times when my daughter took her out in hand today, so she doesn't mind bearing her whole weight on the hinds. The only concern now I think is getting the wound to close up and dry up.

I heard a stag had been in the mares field chasing the horses last week, so it could have been that to make her freak out and injure herself.

I'm going to get some Equilibrium Hardy Chaps for both my horses, they could have prevented it (wise after the event).