? Sesamoid fracture...any experiences.

[flitz02]

Hi,my mare came in from the field a few weeks ago during the freezing cold spell on 3 legs.I had the vet out who hoped she had just tweeked/twisted something,she was box rested & buted.He came out today with a view to scanning the fetlock as there hasnt been an improvement.Intially he was thinking a dft injury but today he cant see any evidence.He now wants to xray as he believes she may have fractured a sesamoid bone.Has anyone had any experiences of this,what was the treatment and the long term prognosis...good or bad
Sadly im not insured for vets fees and im not a fan of long term box rest...so i do have to be practical with regards the longterm.
Thanking you in advance.

 

[cptrayes]

I bought an ex racer who had been rested for 6 months due to pulling the sesamoid ligament right off the bone - a piece of bone came with it, in other words. It rejoined, and he was absolutely fine and we hunter trialled with no problems with it at all.

I hate box rest but a fracture is one time when I would do it even if I had to sedate the horse for the duration, provided the prognosis was good.

 

[MCL]

The only experience I had of this had the horse on box rest for a long time. The prognosis was good however as I have recently seen the horse again several years later doing well with a different owner.

 

[Laramy80]

My mare was diagnosed with an apical fracture of her sesamoid bone in her hind leg. She was never really badly (1 out of 10) lame on it and the vet found it by chance when she was having a loss of performance work up.

She had keyhole surgery to remove the chips but when they got in they saw that the fracture was old and the chips had been there for quite awhile and alot of cartilage had eroded. She was box rested for a couple of months after surgery and then hand walking etc. Unfortunately she never came right and I made the heart braking decision to sell her on to a friend as a broodmare at the tender age of 5. She is doing great and is being put in foal this month - can't wait to see her babies

Sorry this is a bit of a doom and gloom story, but I think our main downfall was the age of the fracture. From what I've read/heard early diagnosis is key.

Good luck with everything!!! Hope your mare recovers well

 

[Fanatical]

I have experience of this and I'm afraid it's not a positive one.

My boy chipped his sesamoid at an event. He was actually placed and came home ok. He was never really properly lame but just felt 'not quite right'. Xrayed and diagnosis made. He spent 9 months on box rest, had key hole surgery and did the controlled exercise. The original prognosis was good but unfortunately he never came right and if anything became progressively more lame.
I eventually re-homed him as an 8 year old to a lovely lady where he lives the life of riley at grass. Apparently he now has some kind of rubber shoes fitted so that he can also be lightly hacked but he'd certainly never be up to more work.

However, don't panic yet, your vet suspects a sesamoid issue but it could in fact be anything! Wait and see and try not to worry (easier said than done, I know). Good luck.

 

[Erin]

My mare has recently done the same as cptrayes exracer. (although they think it was an old injury done as there was some minerilazation of the ligament)
She was box rested

 

[Erin]

cont.. (stupid phone)

she was box rested until they found out was wrong, then had surgery to remove the bone chip and some scar tissue. Then had 3 weeks in a Robert Jones bandage and when that came off we started walking. When she was upto 40 mins twice a day she was allowed TO in a small padlock and we are currently building on that (we are 4 months post surgery) and not sure on what sort of work she'll return to.

the vet said had we not operated we would have been looking at an initial period of 3 months box rest

we have almost reached our £5k insurance limit

 

[flitz02]

Thankyou all for your replies it certainly sounds like box rest is going to be the answer if indeed the vet is right.Lets hope we can negotiate on the time
of box rest and get her out into a small paddock for the summer.If all she can ever do again is hack then i think i would be happy with that.Fingers crossed for me that the outcome is a good one.Thankyou all again. xxx