Horse retired due to "cannon bone fracture" thoughts?

[RegentLion]

[HR][/HR]I finally got the guts to call my horse’s breeder/trainer. She was super kind and very forthcoming.

He was retired because he “fractured his cannon bone.” Apparently it was not displaced and they did not do surgery. Radiographs at 60 days you “couldn’t even see it.” Further, she thinks he will be fine for a low level (3’ and under) jumping career—although I’m heavy on the dressage.

The breeder/trainer said she disclosed this information to the person she sold him to–who did not disclose this to me.

Of course I’m the idiot that didn’t vet him first.

Anyway, he’s been retired a year now and looks sound. No heat, swelling, etc. I will have the vet X-ray him next time she’s out (she was just here today!!) but in the meantime I can’t stop my head spinning.

Can any of you guys shed any light on this and what it means for him long term, or direct me to what questions I should ask trainer/breeder so I’m not wasting her time? Thank you!

[merrygoround]

A non displaced fracture, a year later is, depending on its location, quite likely to heal well and be no problem in the future.

A radiograph though is definitely in order, to determine, if possible, its site. Another case of “Caveat emptor”. If she is willing to send you copies of either the radiographs or the diagnostic report that she got from her vet, it would be helpful.

[RegentLion]

[QUOTE=merrygoround;8612981]
A non displaced fracture, a year later is, depending on its location, quite likely to heal well and be no problem in the future.

A radiograph though is definitely in order, to determine, if possible, its site. Another case of “Caveat emptor”. If she is willing to send you copies of either the radiographs or the diagnostic report that she got from her vet, it would be helpful.[/QUOTE]

The breeder/trainer (not the person I bought him from) said the vet is out of her area now and was not sure if the X-rays are still available. Can I assume that if a new X-ray shows no sign of a fracture (is that possible?) we are in the clear? Guess that’s a question for my vet.

[betonbill]

Perhaps it was a condylar fracture of the cannon bone that has since healed? My OTTB had one at two before he even started, and is still going strong at 21. If it makes you feel better, ask your vet. I believe lots of horses are even able to return to the track after recovery.

[Palm_Beach]

What they said. I’ve rehabbed 3 fractures, all of which were on horses I did not own but took on because the owners wanted to put them down. On all of them, the vet said they will heal fine, and they did. I found homes for the horses (with full disclosure) and they went on to hunt and show and event. Good luck, don’t worry too much!!

[beaujolais]

“The breeder/trainer (not the person I bought him from) said the vet is out of her area now and was not sure if the X-rays are still available.”

Have you called that vet yourself, wherever they are?

[beaujolais]

“The breeder/trainer (not the person I bought him from) said the vet is out of her area now and was not sure if the X-rays are still available.”

Have you called that vet yourself, wherever they are?

[RegentLion]

[QUOTE=sonomacounty;8613765]
“The breeder/trainer (not the person I bought him from) said the vet is out of her area now and was not sure if the X-rays are still available.”

Have you called that vet yourself, wherever they are?[/QUOTE]

Not yet. I will get the name though and try… But either way I will get new radiographs.

I’m hopeful it was as a straightforward/non issue as it was presented to me by his breeder.

Ya know, I didn’t vet this horse. So joke’s on me really. But in all honesty I would not ever have probably thought to X-ray cannon bones. But maybe in OTTBs ankles/fetlocks/hocks would be a good thing going forward. This guy was really cheap and we do have the means to retire him and let him live out his life here indefinitely if the need arises. Hopefully not though, but hope is not a plan.

[gumtree]

[QUOTE=betonbill;8613313]
Perhaps it was a condylar fracture of the cannon bone that has since healed? My OTTB had one at two before he even started, and is still going strong at 21. If it makes you feel better, ask your vet. I believe lots of horses are even able to return to the track after recovery.[/QUOTE]

Exactly.

A “non displaced condylar fracture” is far more common than people realize. Depending on things sometimes screws are used to make sure it doesn’t displace, fracture worse or just to make sure it is stabilized heals faster.

There isn’t a lot of “re-hab” work to be done. 3 months in a stall and take another picture. Give them a couple of more months of turn out and start legging back up. Many top horses have returned to racing successfully and retire sound.

The majority of will not even show up on a PPE after healing. I would only have my reservation about buying a horse if it did show up on PPE x-rays. Even then I would have a vet that specializes in this type of injury to review the pictures.

A displaced fracture of which there can be several “types” that required a lot of screws would be a deal breaker as a performance horse. Not that big a deal for a tail, or Sunday driver.

[Montanas_Girl]

The exact location of the fracture will have a lot to do with this horse’s prognosis, I would think. My old hunter suffered an avulsion fracture of the cannon bone in 2009 - the first one his very experienced vet had ever seen in a non racehorse. :no: His fracture was at the distal end of the cannon bone, near the insertion point of the fetlock joint capsule. Initially, he rehabbed well and even returned to jumping low fences about two years after the diagnosis. Unfortunately, he didn’t stay sound for long and now has lost most of his range of motion in that joint. He is pasture sound, but just barely. I would think that a fracture in a non-joint region of the cannon bone would be much less likely to cause long-term issues.