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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 1079
 
Location: MN | Has anyone dealt with a broken/fractured splint bone? Just wondering the outcome of your horse IF you had surgery done and/or if your vet told you to just let it be and let it heal itself.
THANKS in advance!! |
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 Not Afraid to Work
Posts: 4717
  
| My old horse chipped his splint bone. No surgery and was healed up in a very short time (cant remember the time frame). |
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| My mares healed up on it's own. I think I was told to give her 3 months off, but since it was already June and I live in the frozen tundra, I let her sit until the next spring. Never had a lameness issue with after it healed. |
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 Off the Wall Wacky
Posts: 2981
Location: Louisiana | My farrier has a horse that broke his a couple years ago. After time off, he uses him to pick up broncs at rodeos, every type of "cowboy" work, team rope, ranch rodeo, and his wife runs barrels on him. |
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 A Barrel Of Monkeys
Posts: 12972
Location: Texas | Yes, I have a horse that fractured a front lateral splint bone. He had surgery and the bottom half of the bone removed, and a metal plate put in to stabilize it. The vet said if he hadn't had the plate, he may have injured all the structures attaching to the knee, etc.
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 600
Location: Oklahoma & Texas | I had a mare get kicked in back leg broke a large piece off her splint bone size of a chicken wing bone ...wouldn't Fuze back so we had surgery n had it removed...surgery went well ..she was on 6 weeks of stall rest after and retired to broodmare although she was sound once it healed....I'll see if i can find a pic of it... |
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 Saint Stacey
| After about the age of 3, the splint bone becomes a non weight bearing bone so they don't haveto have it. The success of rremoving it depends on if it's front or back and how high up the break us. The best scenario is back leg, outside, high up. Worst one is front, inside, down low. Sidekick broke his back, outside, midway. I had it removed and he was healed in 3 weeks. He came back from that injury 100%. |
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Saint Stacey
| If the fractured pieces are touching, there is a good chance it will heal on its own. In my case, there was a gap between the two pieces so it couldn't heal. Surgery was my only option. It cost about $1,500 but that was mainly for the anesthesia. |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 452
Location: Texas | My friend had her barrel horse break hers. Had to do surgery though as a part was sticking thru the skin. But they removed the entire splint bone. Have her 6 wks off and was back to running. 3 yrs later still clocking where she was before and no one would have ever known. |
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 Expert
Posts: 1210
Location: Kansas | My gelding that I ran in high school broke his front splint bone after we tripped bad at the barrel, reins went over his head, he hung a leg in the reins, and he tried "running" home. He was on stall rest and I THINK we brushed a DMSO mixture on that leg (might be another injury I'm thinking of.. so long ago), and after that I hosed that leg really good or iced it every time after I rode him. |
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Expert
Posts: 2685
| I currently am dealing with an "angry splint bone" lol. Not broken but the lining on the outside of the bone has been "roughed up" I was told ice, cold hosing, stall rest, wrapping. Basically keep as much swelling away as possible to save the suspensory from being killed by the inflammation from the surrounding angry bone. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 1079
Location: MN | Makes sense! Originally my vet thought it was broken straight across, in that case he definitely would have had surgery. Pulled him off of the trailer yesterday with him prepared to go into surgery and my vet looks at me and says "I thought it was going to be 4x the size that it is, swelling wise." Which in the beginning it was very swollen and aggravated. After 3 weeks stall rest/light turn out and more xrays yesterday, he determined it was a vertical fracture and the bone is actually healing. So he sent us home and no surgery! And its is his front left, midway fracture on the splint bone. |
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Expert
Posts: 2685
| Kay-DRacing. - 2014-08-21 2:48 PM
Makes sense! Originally my vet thought it was broken straight across, in that case he definitely would have had surgery. Pulled him off of the trailer yesterday with him prepared to go into surgery and my vet looks at me and says "I thought it was going to be 4x the size that it is, swelling wise." Which in the beginning it was very swollen and aggravated. After 3 weeks stall rest/light turn out and more xrays yesterday, he determined it was a vertical fracture and the bone is actually healing. So he sent us home and no surgery! And its is his front left, midway fracture on the splint bone.
That's exactly where mine is. I was just lucky enough (about time lol) for it to not actually be broken. My mare hit herself with her hoof long trotting. Craziest thing ever. Today is like day 3 of treatment for us 0.o we have weeks to go. Good luck! |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 1079
Location: MN | Yea you too!! My horse hit himself during a run on some very hard ground. Dang rodeo ground! Just an unlucky thing. My horse had splint boots on as well. He just hit his self that hard! Crazy stuff. |
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Veteran
Posts: 152
| My mare broke her LH splint bone years ago, had surgery to get the piece removed (about an inch and a half) and she healed up quick and easy. No issues since. |
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Expert
Posts: 1419
| Mine broke her right rear about 6ish years ago, had bottom removed and she has a screw through the top part they left in, was on stall rest a few months but came back just fine! |
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The Advice Guru
Posts: 6419
| SKM - 2014-08-21 6:21 AM
After about the age of 3, the splint bone becomes a non weight bearing bone so they don't haveto have it. The success of rremoving it depends on if it's front or back and how high up the break us. The best scenario is back leg, outside, high up. Worst one is front, inside, down low. Sidekick broke his back, outside, midway. I had it removed and he was healed in 3 weeks. He came back from that injury 100%.
I was told the complete opposite of you.
If the fracture is up high by the knee the splint bone cannot be removed, as the suspensory tendon still attaches to the splint bone and cannot be removed from the knee.
To remove a splint bone measuring from the knee best case scenario is 2/3 of the bone intact, so lower 1/3 of the splint break is best case.
I was also told the upper 1/3 breaks the splint bone cannot be removed, and must be plated.
The history of the surgery of the splint is interesting 20 yrs ago they used to put 2 screws to attach the bottom of the splint to the cannon bone, but were finding 10 yrs post the incidence of arthritis in the knee increased compared to a normal horse.
10 yrs ago they changed to putting one screw in to allow some movement of the splint, problem was the screw couldn't handle the load and were breaking off.
Currently the splint bone is not anchored down.
I have had 4 horses break splint bones, all 4 horses I had injected bone marrow into the splint as a one time treatment, all 4 horses splints healed in alignment, and resumed legging up in 6 weeks.
To the op I would suggest asking your vet about bone marrow injection, as it is the least invasive treatment, and the least costly. |
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Expert
Posts: 2685
| cheryl makofka - 2014-08-23 9:12 PM
SKM - 2014-08-21 6:21 AM
After about the age of 3, the splint bone becomes a non weight bearing bone so they don't haveto have it. The success of rremoving it depends on if it's front or back and how high up the break us. The best scenario is back leg, outside, high up. Worst one is front, inside, down low. Sidekick broke his back, outside, midway. I had it removed and he was healed in 3 weeks. He came back from that injury 100%.
I was told the complete opposite of you.
If the fracture is up high by the knee the splint bone cannot be removed, as the suspensory tendon still attaches to the splint bone and cannot be removed from the knee.
To remove a splint bone measuring from the knee best case scenario is 2/3 of the bone intact, so lower 1/3 of the splint break is best case.
I was also told the upper 1/3 breaks the splint bone cannot be removed, and must be plated.
The history of the surgery of the splint is interesting 20 yrs ago they used to put 2 screws to attach the bottom of the splint to the cannon bone, but were finding 10 yrs post the incidence of arthritis in the knee increased compared to a normal horse.
10 yrs ago they changed to putting one screw in to allow some movement of the splint, problem was the screw couldn't handle the load and were breaking off.
Currently the splint bone is not anchored down.
I have had 4 horses break splint bones, all 4 horses I had injected bone marrow into the splint as a one time treatment, all 4 horses splints healed in alignment, and resumed legging up in 6 weeks.
To the op I would suggest asking your vet about bone marrow injection, as it is the least invasive treatment, and the least costly.
if you don't mind me asking- what did the marrow injections run? |
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The Advice Guru
Posts: 6419
| Bone marrow injections I believe was around 500 for the entire procedure |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 300
| SKM - 2014-08-21 6:25 AM
If the fractured pieces are touching, there is a good chance it will heal on its own. In my case, there was a gap between the two pieces so it couldn't heal. Surgery was my only option. It cost about $1,500 but that was mainly for the anesthesia.
OMG I spent almost 3 times this much for my mare to have surgery. Same spot, back leg, outside, midway up but hers was shattered due to a kick. I had no option really but to have the surgery and its a good thing I did cause when they went in there they found piece of bone pushing on her tendon. 6 week stall rest than start with hand walking. My mare did not come out of surgery well though. When I went to pick her up her eye/side of face were banged up and her knee was very swollen. She also never recovered sound from the surgery and a different vet tells me now her hock is fusing. |
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Expert
Posts: 1419
| mine was broke about right in the center on the outside. It tore up her hock pretty good too and that was why they were leary about her ever being sound enough to run again, she has 1 screw in her leg and is still sound! |
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Industrial Srength Barrel Racer
Posts: 7268
| I didn't have surgery done on mine, just stall rest and he healed just fine! |
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Broken splint bone anyone?