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 Expert
Posts: 1218
 
Location: South MS | Has anyone had a splint bone removed before? Cost, recovery time, any issues after having it done? |
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The Advice Guru
Posts: 6419
| Depends on what procedure is used and how old the horse is
My vet would rather inject bone marrow, stem cells, or insert a plate in to stabilize the bone.
Historically vets used to remove splint and to stabilize the remainder of the splint they inserted 2 screws through the splint ino the cannon.
Research showed 15 yrs later the screws would back out and cause pain the vet would have to go back in a second time.
Then the vets reduced the number of screws to one.
Research showed the remained of the splint would crack into two at 10 yrs
Currently best practice vets do not stabalize the splint so now it moves. Research is showing arthritis is developing in the knee. The timeline for this is dependent on the horse. |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 600
Location: Oklahoma & Texas | I had one removed in a mare that got kicked hers broke a piece ( got kicked in the pasture) off the size of a chicken wing bone and wouldn't fuze back together...surgery went great mare was 14 when it was done...cost about 1500 ...she was on stall rest after for about 6 weeks then hand walked a couple more then I turned her out for winter...came back fine. |
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Location: Midwest | Yes, my gelding! He was 17 at the time it was a few years ago. He got kicked outside. Total cost was $1200. My vet actually put the piece in a jar for me to keep LOL if I knew how to post a pic off my phone I would
He had 3 months off. Just kept it clean and stalled him in straw until stitches healed and got taken out. Waited 2 more months to put him back to work. I always have polo wraps on his back legs when he is on the hot walker, trail riding, exercising, or at a rodeo just for more support.
Only thing.... I am having the ultimate brain freeze right now but something to do with after the surgery he started dragging his hoof just a little on that leg because a certain ligament connected wasn't? Ahhhhhh I'll have to look back on my old vet papers!!! I know I'm totally getting that wrong! So I put heavier horse shoes on and he doesn't drag it as much. It never affected his performance. He's 22 now and I still run him. I'm really glad I got it done.
Every horse is different. My guy is tough as nails but I don't see a reason why any horse wouldn't recover back to normal! Good luck!!! |
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 A Barrel Of Monkeys
Posts: 12972
 
Location: Texas | Mine had a broken splint bone (outside front), and had surgery and the plate about six months ago. It was expensive, and my horse is still not sound. Last vet visit, he injected the soft tissue with cortisone, and I've seen some improvement but not 100%. I am afraid I have a very expensive pasture ornament. |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 300
| I had a 10 year old mare get kicked on rear outside leg. It shattered her splint bone. I was recommended to go to a University and they said I had to do the surgery due to the fact that part of the bone was pushing on her tendon, which would more than likely cause a tear in the tendon. I paid ALOT of money to have the procedure done. 6 weeks stall rest and then started hand walking. She never did come back sound. A local vet said her hock was fusing the last time I took x-rays. I went with where my vet recommended and had I done more research first I could have paid a fraction of the price and probably not had any worse outcome.... |
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