Hairline fracture - supplements to support?

[crackerjack]

Two weeks ago I received “that” call. The one where your horse may have catastrophically hurt themselves. In the end it turns out he has a hairline fracture. Today we did the second set of xrays and found a couple more inside the bone. I did ask about putting him to sleep but vet is confident at this point that if nothing gets worse he should be ok. So he is on complete stall rest until who knows. He may also need surgery for a “sequestrum” which will need to be debrided. The xrays have been sent to the surgeon to look at but we think it’ll probably have to wait until the bone has had more time to heal.

I’m sure this is a dumb question because we spend way too much money on supplements that just result in expensive pee… but are there any supplements that promote healthy bone growth that I could look into?

He is a very special boy and I’ll do whatever even if it ends up he’s a pasture puff - which would be a-ok with him be cause napping and snacking are his favourites.

And if I may ask a favour- no stories with bad outcomes. Things are still a little raw.

[GraceLikeRain]

I’m so sorry.

No horror stories from me.

It was soft tissue but I know someone with an older gelding who suffered what should have been a catastrophic injury. Combo of luck and good minds working he came back amazingly. In part the owner felt that a home alder made a huge difference. I believe even the intro home ones are four figures but I wonder if anyone in your area rents them for 30 days (with vet blessing of course).

Where was the fracture?

[endlessclimb]

Would cloud boots maybe help with day to day concussive forces, as it heals?

Jingles, and more jingles.

[crackerjack]

Above his knee. The joint is not affected.

What’s a “home alder”?

[crackerjack]

I do have access to soft ride boots. Would they be similar?

[IPEsq]

If there is sequestrum, that needs to be taken care of right away. That’s necrotic bone and will negatively affect healing.

Limit movement as much as possible in the beginning to minimize bone callus formation, bruising, or displacement. Sometimes the horse needs to be in a sling, high line, or the limb casted. Certain locations that need surgery also might benefit from plates or pins. Depending on location, shockwave might be recommended, though spaces farther apart than you might do for other issues. Your vet and the surgeon should guide you on things like that.

There’s Platinum Osteon, but it can be hard to get horses to eat a full dose of that, especially if you reduce food while he’s on stall rest. HorseTech has a liquid silicon supplement that I’ve used. You could also try something a little broader nutrition like OCD Pellets.

Later on in the healing process, PEMF like Pulse or Magnawave could help.

Here’s my boy who had a very large fracture in his scapula, away from the joint. This is now over 3.5 years since injury.

[endlessclimb]

I’d think anything would help, but I’d double check with your vet.

[crackerjack]

The X-rays have been sent to the surgeon and we should hear back in a couple of days. They’ll advise as to what they want to do.
Apparently my vet clinic sells the platinum Osteon. I will ask her about it. Good to also know about the OCD pellets.

He has laser treatments scheduled and he will be getting pemf and my barn owner has a machine. (She’s a massage/pemf person)

I am assuming I was a terrible person in my former life.

[GraceLikeRain]

Brain, fingers, and autocorrect malfunctioning. My apologies. Home laser like a red light laser.

[crackerjack]

Ohh haha! Now worries.

The chiro has a laser she’s bringing so we will do him with that. A few appointments are booked. No chiro though!!

[MapleFarm]

My vet recommended Osteon for my mare’s coffin bone fracture. She ate it no problem (and at a double dose due to her size) and Platinum is good about refunding if your horse won’t eat a supplement. Maybe PEMF as well?

Jingles for a strong recovery!

[crackerjack]

Oh that’s good news!

We will be doing PEMF later.

[IPEsq]

My guy wasn’t going to eat Osteon as he’s not a fan of powder texture unless you can soak more food. He was injured in winter and doesn’t really get enough hard feed to hide the big scoops of Osteon even on a normal for him ration (easy keeper). I have fed Osteon in the past to another horse. He had no issues with the HorseTech OrthoPur SI.

[Red_Dust]

no horse story
30 years ago my husband shattered his leg and it took forever to heal (to the point drastic measures came into the conversation)
The doctor prescribed a bone-growth stimulator, a small gadget, about the size of a remote control, with gel pads to stick on the leg. As luck would have it, I found the unit cleaning up last week. back then the gismo was expensive, I am sure there are cheaper options these days.

Just don’t throw too many things at the problem, so you won’t lose track of what does what.
Keeping fingers crossed there for you.

[SBrentnall]

I’ve had success feeding Osteon mixed with applesauce. I took it myself when I fractured my tibial plateau and although it’s nasty, it’s easy enough to get down when mixed with applesauce. And my ortho couldn’t believe how quickly my fracture healed, even at age 55.

[FjordBCRF]

@MapleFarm

Maybe PEMF as well?

I know a couple anecdotes that PEMF/BEMER helps a lot with bone repair. I have a BEMER myself, and know a couple that has the horse set as well. The husband of the couple ended up with a broken femur a couple years ago and he used their BEMER regularly. His doctor was shocked at the speed in which he was healing.

Big jingles your way OP!

[crackerjack]

I’m lucky that I do have access to a Bemer and PEMF. I’m also looking into renting a Centurion PEMF blanket to keep his body happy on stall rest. When talking to my vet yesterday we decided we’ll wait to see what the surgeon says before using anything like that on the break but we should hear back very shortly.

[luvmyhackney]

Red light therapy was remarkable when my son broke his foot. Healed in 4 weeks.

Used it 3x a day and very non-invasive.

Honestly good nutrition, instead of cutting grain, try switching to a ration balanced or vitamin mineral supplement.

[crackerjack]

I’ve always wondered about the red light therapy and if it actually works.

[SolarFlare]

I know a horse who had a hairline fracture in the cannon bone and it wasn’t correctly diagnosed right away (symptoms could have been from several possible causes). He went on to do Grand Prix dressage.

Sending healing vibes to yours!