These advancements allow surgeons to get a much more complete clinical picture of each case. ![]() “The advent of standing MRI and CT now allows for surgeons to have an improved 3D image of a fracture configuration before the need to put a horse under anesthesia (for surgery),” she says. ACVS-LA, a surgeon at Wisconsin Equine Clinic and Hospital, in Oconomowoc, deals with fractures on a regular basis. While X rays are the quickest and most practical way to diagnose a fracture in the field, technology has gotten much more sophisticated over the years. These fractures might be too serious to treat, and humane euthanasia is some- times the best option for the horse. A comminuted fracture, one of the more serious types, occurs when the bone breaks or splinters into two or more fragments. A simple complete fracture is a break across the entire bone surface. ![]() An incomplete fracture is a partial break that does not travel through the entire bone and offers the best rate of recovery. Radiographs can help the vet not only diagnose a fracture quickly but also obtain vital information about its location and severity. In these circumstances your veterinarian will likely reach for the X ray machine. Even the kindest of horses resents palpation of the broken leg. Horses that suffer limb fractures can be in immense pain, reluctant to bear weight on the affected leg, and have extensive swelling around the site. Certain diseases can weaken bones and leave them more susceptible to breaks called pathological fractures. Falls during competition, on slick surfaces, or from a romp can all result in fractures. Kicks from pasturemates or simply stepping wrong and stressing the limb are likely causes. While bones just about anywhere in the horse’s body can break, limb fractures are most likely to cause sudden lameness. But with advancements in diagnostics, imaging, and surgery, a fractured leg is no longer a death sentence. Two or three decades ago, owners and veterinarians were limited in helping horses unlucky enough to suffer fractures. Veterinarians might prescribe anti-inflammatory medications to decrease pain, though some believe this hampers abscess drainage. Routine remedies include soaking the foot with Epsom salts, poulticing the hoof, and placing it in a boot or wrapping it with self-adhesive bandage and duct tape, sometimes even with a diaper underneath. If the tract is too deep or the hoof too hard, your veterinarian might recommend other treatment methods. Your veterinarian or farrier will attempt to pare out the tract with a hoof knife (never try this yourself). ![]() Treatment is aimed at draining the abscess, which relieves the pressure and makes the horse immediately more comfortable. While subsolar abscesses can be painful for the animal and frustrating for the owner, horses typically recover from them well. Horses with subsolar abscesses regularly have increased digital pulses and usually respond positively to hoof testers. RELATED CONTENT | At a Glance: Horse Hoof AbscessesĪbscesses can be secondary to hoof bruises, penetrating injuries, or tight shoe nail placements. Therefore, afflicted horses are reluctant to bear weight on the abscessed hoof. Pressure builds and can be immensely painful as the pocket migrates through hoof tissues. The debris can cause inflammation, and the hoof reacts by forming a pocket of pus. This condition occurs when foreign debris gets inside the hoof capsule, usually where the sole meets the wall. Many veterinarians, myself included, will say subsolar abscesses are the most common source of sudden non-weight-bearing lameness.
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