[Langfuhr]

Watermark, I looooove Yarbrough!!!

[sid]

With a femur fracture there is a big concern with laying down..turning the fracture into a catastrophic break and/or frequent "unsettling" of the fracture when it needs be stable to heal -- for a long time. It's a BIG bone.

Again, no meds to mask pain. Horses tend to know how to take care of their injuries if we don't mask the pain for such a horrible injury to such a major supportive stucture.

It's tough to watch, but have to do it so they can naturally help the healing process if there is a chance of that.

[Worstalteryet]

With a femur fracture there is a big concern with laying down..turning the fracture into a catastrophic break and/or frequent "unsettling" of the fracture when it needs be stable to heal -- for a long time. It's a BIG bone.

Again, no meds to mask pain. Horses tend to know how to take care of their injuries if we don't mask the pain for such a horrible injury to such a major supportive stucture.

It's tough to watch, but have to do it so they can naturally help the healing process if there is a chance of that.

It's an avulsion fracture, not a fracture of the body, so no risk of catostrophic displacement.

Op, I can't see the radiograph. Is the avulsion displaced? What percentage of the tendon is with the alvusion? If it's not a complete avulsion the prognosis is probably pretty good. May not even need surgery for a full recovery. It aslo means that surgery with a partial tenotomy (cutting the tendon to reduce it's strength for several months) and avulsion fixation might be successful.

[tisor]

hi jr eventer. he's now been on stall rest 6 months. re xrayed. may need 6 more. unbearable. evidently there's some work being done at davis on injuries like these and the thoroughbreds are healing way faster than the sport horses.

[sid]

So what is another 6 months, if the horse will heal? Hard, yes, but there can be a good, sound long life ahead. Tough love. They adjust. If YOU are patient, and follow instructions he may heal well and there will once again be freedom for him and riding him for you. Good thing horses habituate quickly.

My Calli who I posted about turned 21 this year...6 years after the fracture, sound.

This is a BAD injury that can take a long time to heal with the correct mgmt. What is 1 year out of your horse' freedom and your riding, when being patient can give you and him a lifetime of health and fun again.

Hang in. Ain't easy. Been there, but it was worth the effort and wait.

[tisor]

oh i know and he'll get the additional time. what supplements do you recommend for bone healing? OCD pellets and osteochon are on their way to him now., he was on them but i was just informed by the barn manager that he ran out and no one bothered to inform me? not even sure how long.

he's now moved to my friend's place in oregon. unfortunately she was planning on just pasturiung him 6 months and is now having trouble dealing with a big bored baby that gets upset when the other two horses get out... i fly up this weekend to help figure it out. he may need to be boarded somewhere again.

[tisor]

worstalteryet - the fracture is just of the trochanter, no avulsion of soft tissue, only bone. it's not displaced and does appear to be calcifying per last xray but isnt closed yet so he needs more confinement to stop him from moving that big butt and therefore that trochanter fragment around.

[sid]

Since he's on stall rest, I assume no sunlight. Vitamin D. But research the dose as it is fat soluble, not water soluble.

I supplemented my stallion who had a serious injury (subchondral bone defect) on the phantom, as his stall didn't get much light.

My mare with the femur fracture had a bright sunny stall with the top of the dutch door open facing south, so I did not give it to her.

Just a thought.

[tisor]

He will also get paddock access. Will fly up this weekend and help build it if need be. that is, shrink it since his paddock is too large right now

[kookicat]

No experience, but sending jingles.

[tisor]

thanks all. he's up there in oregon at a nice training barn with the sunniest indoor stall in the barn but not going out into the paddock. he'll run. I've located a great vet up there who also happens to do acupuncture which my horse loooooves so he's getting shockwave alternated with acupuncture every two weeks. he's getting osteochon and ocd pellets as well. anything i can throw at him. he also just grew an inch in the last two months. he's now 17.3 barefoot. sigh.... we'll ultrasound him again in march and hope to see some changes, specifically less or no movement. we just need that thing to ATTACH., the bone has calcified so nicely and with no displacement that the xray techs thought it was healed. it was only through ultrasound and manipulation of the leg that movement of the trochanter piece was detected.

I'll say too, it's nice having a vet that doesn't just poopoo holistic treatment. I'm not convinced that this and his previous fetlock injury and what now looks to have been a long history of a shorter step on one side and his deformed right frog (until he was on layup - now its normal) aren't all related.

and the acupuncture just really mellows him out. he falls asleep during it, the doc can crank up the electricity as high as it goes and the beast just drools and sleeps in the cross ties.