my horse is a 3 year old, he was kicked by another horse at an agistment property, he has a fractured stifle, it is a displaced fracture. he has been recovering for 3 months and can walk around etc with a limp. Surgery was not recommended by the vet who said it could make not much difference or in fact he could end up worse. I would like to know if anyone else has had a horse recover from this injury? Was the horse ever a ridden horse? Thankyou.
Awww, so sorry you are dealing with this. I think if you post to the Horse Care forum you might get some replies.
Thankyou
Bummer.
Itās hard to tell what the prognosis is since you havenāt described the injury in detail.
But I, too, had a horse with a badly hurt stifle that did require some surgery and she was walking but gimpy at 3 months. She was also on stall rest at the time.
Again, not knowing exactly what has to heal, I can tell you what Iād do as a conservative course of action. First, Iād feed Osteon-- a product made of bio-available silicon (I think itās pure zeolite) made by Platinum Performance-- to aid bone repair. Second, Iād keep the horse in a small paddock where he couldnāt do much for 6-8 months, at least.
My mare is now 7 months post-op and sheās sound at the walk, but rests that leg more than the other. She is still in a stall and an attached run thatās 48ā x 12.ā She may buck once or twice or trot a few steps, but sheās pretty contained. Also, sheā has lost all kinds of muscle, so she doesnāt want to be wild.
At 9 months or so, weāll start hand-walking.
IMO, these injuries take longer to really heal than youād think. The vet I had as a kid would say āIgnore twice dailyā and call me in 6 months. Hang in there and be patient. Itās worth giving the fracture an adequate chance to heal.
great advice mvp. imo, these injuries do take longer to heal than many think.
have read that in humans, remodeling of bone fractures can take a year or more for remodeling to be complete.
op, give him lots of time and good care and great nutrition.
