Popped Splint in 12 YO Horse - Update w/ X-rays - Post 29

[Stitch_In_Time]

Looking for some experiences/advice on splints in older horses.

My 12 year old mare has a hard bony swelling on the inside of her left front canon bone under her knee. In a young horse I would suspect a popped splint, but because of her age I’m concerned that it could be a fracture.

I already called the vet. The horse is on stall rest, standing wraps and poultice for 48 hours, then just standing wraps until Thursday when the vet comes to x-ray.

The horse is intermittantly very slightly lame at the trot on the longe line (I only longed long enough to determine if she was sound).

So what is everyone’s experience with this? Could it be a minor injury, or am I dealing with a long rehab? From the pic I sent the vet she is estimating a 4-6 week recovery before bringing her back to work. Pics below:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/125205613@N05/sets/72157651082282472/with/16055178444/

[flyracing]

Very well could be a fractured splint that is already remodeling. Might need a month off, but the rehab after is minimal to none. Jingles for you!

[red_mares]

It happened to my mare when she was ~15. There was a drought that summer and everything was HARD. She was on & off lame, ran off with the vet when she came out & finally popped it the day before a show.

I wasn’t sure about it at that age either. I did read in my favorite Care & Training of the Trotter & Pacer, that it does happen in older horses worked on hard ground. Not super common, but does happen.

I kept her in standing wraps for 4-6 weeks & did a lot of walking. She came back sound.

[DJohn]

Looks like a splint for sure. Paint some DMSO on it and wait. Time is best for things like that. Once it heals, horse should be back to normal. I’ve never stall rested for a splint (I try not to stall rest unless 100% necessary). What did the vet say?

Is your horse worked on hard ground? Carry heavy weight for long periods of time? Have any deformation in the hoof/leg?

[Stitch_In_Time]

[QUOTE=DJohn;8034981]
Looks like a splint for sure. Paint some DMSO on it and wait. Time is best for things like that. Once it heals, horse should be back to normal. I’ve never stall rested for a splint (I try not to stall rest unless 100% necessary). What did the vet say?

Is your horse worked on hard ground? Carry heavy weight for long periods of time? Have any deformation in the hoof/leg?[/QUOTE]

Horse is worked in an indoor with good footing, I weigh 125 lbs so I don’t think it’s from carrying too much weight, and she has good conformation.

The vet recommended minimum 2 weeks stall rest with standing wraps, possibly longer depending on what the x-Ray shows on Thursday.

I just hope I’m not overreacting by having her x-rayed. I’ve never dealt with a splint and I figure it will at least give me piece of mind one way or the other.

[DJohn]

Never hurts to be safe. If you google the splint bone, you will notice that the splint starts at the knee and then tapers down to just above the fetlock. Hers may be a break because the splint is thicker there. The closer it is to the knee, the more you would want an x-ray to be done just to make sure there is no interference with the knee.

If it is just a splint and not a fractured splint bone, it will calcify faster than if it is a splint fracture.

[findeight]

Not over reacting. In fact most who post for advice under react and waste money and time treating what might be wrong or hoping it will go away when a simple X Ray would answer so many questions. So could a vet who is actually there.

You do have a visible change. You do have lamness. This is not a wait and see, this is a call the vet and get a proper diagnosis. Good for you.

[Renn_aissance]

Kid sister’s horse popped a splint at age 12 or 13, looked just about like your horse’s. X-rayed to confirm no fracture and then applied DMSO and a standing bandage when inside. Did not stall rest- not a good idea for this horse and vet is a big believer in Dr. Green. I think six to eight weeks before he started tack walking again and he’s now back to work. Another mare in the barn has an old splint that acts up similarly every once in awhile. Good on you for doing the diagnostics to rule out a splint fracture or something more complicated.

[Stitch_In_Time]

Thank you for making me feel better. I just don’t want to be that owner that calls the vet for every little scratch, lol!

I’ll update when I get the x-Ray results. Will probably be Friday because the x-rays are not digital.

[UrbanHennery]

Not over reacting at all. My gelding will be six in a month. Last fall he popped one high on the inside of his right hind. I called the vet, did conservative rest and rehab, and then ended up doing x-rays 60 days later as it hadn’t really gotten smaller and we wanted to confirm that it was okay to put him back to full work (it was). Should have just done them at the beginning for the peace of mind.

[Sansena]

I also don’t think it’s an overreaction to wait for the vet to radiograph before returning to work or regular turn out.

My memory’s shot, but if there’s a chance of the fracture in the splint bone interrupts or gouges the suspensory branch, that can impact soundness of course and require surgery.

FYI, all the horses I’ve known personally, even aged ones, recovered without the surgery. I have teched surgeries where client’s horses had to have fractures of the splint bone cleaned up for interference with the suspensory. But in nearly 4 yrs as a tech, I think I remember 2.

[Stitch_In_Time]

Another question from a worried horse mom.

If her splint bone is fractured wouldn’t you expect more pain/swelling/lameness? There is no heat in the bump, it does not seem painful to palpate, she is very mildly lame at the trot, and there is no swelling anywhere else in the leg.

Ugh… I’m going to go nuts waiting for Thursday to get here.

[Sansena]

I’ve known horses who’ve popped splints and never took a lame step. Granted, it was just location and presentation and not validated with radiographs. But honestly, I’ve known more never-took-a-bad-step popped splints than ones that went lame from it.

Some had heat that lasted less than a week. There was rarely swelling elsewhere in the leg.

Relax. Worrying won’t change Thursdays outcome. Take this time a spa-day sessions with your horse. Super groom with hot towels, pull mane, trim ears/ muzzle/ coronet bands, clean her teats, bang her tail if you wish, baby wipe the gunk out of her ears and organize your tack/room.

Best of luck Thurs.

[DJohn]

I have seen many a splint go unnoticed by beginner owners, actually. Some horses dont take a lame step. They come in from winter and a splint has come and healed! They’re probably the “best” injury a horse can have to their legs, provided they fuse correctly to the cannon.

[Stitch_In_Time]

[QUOTE=Sansena;8035707]
Relax. Worrying won’t change Thursdays outcome. Take this time a spa-day sessions with your horse. Super groom with hot towels, pull mane, trim ears/ muzzle/ coronet bands, clean her teats, bang her tail if you wish, baby wipe the gunk out of her ears and organize your tack/room.

Best of luck Thurs.[/QUOTE]

Plenty of spa days in her future :yes: (not that she was lacking them before!)

I’m more worried about keeping her quiet in her stall for 6 weeks,:eek: Luckily the weather is crappy all week so the other horses will be staying in. Not sure what we’re going to do when she has to stay in by herself, she’s a boss mare, she wants to keep watch over her girls. I guess we’ll cross that bridge when we get there.

[findeight]

Don’t assume she has to stay in until the vet advises she should stay in. Splints are funny, some are red hot and the horse 3 legged- and, yeah, those need to stay in. Others don’t bother them much and if using the leg is not going to risk further damage? They can go out if they aren’t nuts and likely to go thru the fence and hurt something else because they are too fresh. Little pharmaceutical help greatly reduces that risk.

[Kyrabee]

I would expect more swelling and lameness with a fracture but that location is close to the suspensory so regardless of how lame (or not) I would do exactly as you are doing:encouragement:.

Jingles it is just a run of the mill splint and she is back to work soon.

Susan

[Sansena]

I might ask the vet for some Ace tabs if she starts getting snarky after a few weeks on stall rest. Having said that, I doubt extended stall rest is in your future. But many horses I’ve known tolerate daily ace tabs in breakfast… horses who’ve been in for literally months recovering from fractures/ DDF resection, etc.

You can ask your vet about Reserpine if she really gets wonky, but be sure to ask about negative side effects as well.

Of course, be smart, use a slow feeder net for her hay and cut her grain wa-a-a-y back.

[Huntin_Pony]

You are doing what I would do, BUT I have had things that looked like that and turned out to be “whacks.” They resolve much faster than either of the other possibilities you have discussed. Xray should be conclusive.

I agree with findeight that after the X-rays and depending on the diagnosis, you may be able to go back to light work/turnout sooner than you might think. It seems that you have a good eye/sense of your horse, so listen to the vet and then go with your gut.

[quietann]

Sounds like you are doing the right thing.

My mare came to me with a healed splint on her RF, which has the worst conformation of all her legs (offset cannon bones, toes in, etc. – very common for these to pop a splint and ultimately if it heals well, doesn’t it help support the leg?)

A few months later she must have whacked it pretty hard, as it was big and a little warm. Kept her in for a couple of days, didn’t ride her, and went right back to our regular program after 4 days. The splint was a tiny bit bigger once it healed.