Possibly Cracked Pelvis

[HRF_Second_Chance]

I know I’m probably shooting in the dark here but… I think my new horse has cracked his pelvis. I’m taking him to get x-rayed tomorrow and make sure but I wanted to hear everyone’s take on this.

The story goes something like this - get a call from my BO who is saying he’s acting not right, not sick, but not right. When I get there he’s clearly hurting. I find a small wound on his hip so I cold hose, walk him, bute him, put some DMSO on the hip and he’s greatly improved. Next day, second verse same as the first.

I decide to call the vet. My vet BARELY touches him and said ‘he’s got a dropped hip and EPM.’ I’m not totally sold on either but she’s the vet right? I’ll play along. I guess I could possibly see the EPM so I start treatment. We start previcox. Horse improves to about 90% of his usual self but is still a little wonky but I chalk that up to EPM. He’s on EPM treatment. Things still improve.

Get a call about 4 hours after I left when the horse was happy and playful. Horse won’t move. Call the vet who responds with ‘what do you want me to do about it?’ Vet claims that he’s got an abscess. I treat for an abscess for a week, all the while feeling my colt is getting worse. Call in a 2nd opinion yesterday. After some blocks, a lot of thorough examination (my poor colt is no longer a virgin) the vet says he needs an x-ray and he never had EPM he was just in pain.

2nd opinion vet feels there’s a fracture of some kind happening. My horse is in an extreme amount of pain and has lost every single bit of weight and fat he had on him in a week. He’s eating non-stop but it’s not going anywhere. We put him back on Previcox but he’s only a day in.

Am I totally hosed here? My gut tells me he’s not pulling through this but my heart wants to hear that he could…

And then there’s the part of me that wants to call the other vet and demand a refund of the money I’ve paid thus far on treatment I knew he never needed.

[beowulf]

Spring for the x-ray. Trust your guts. Next month marks the 2 yr anniversary of one of my TBs absolutely destroying his pelvis (multiple breaks, in multiple places). Vet couldnt feel much on rectal palp but x-ray told an entirely different story. His symptoms were very similar. Lots and lots of jingles.

[HRF_Second_Chance]

Thanks. I wanted to x-ray when this first happened but then he improved. Needless to say I don’t feel hopeful and to be frank I don’t think the 2nd opinion vet did either. He was like ‘you can leave him a stall for a full month and see if he improves or you can get an x-ray. I suggest x-ray.’

[Highflyer]

It’s not an automatic death sentence. I’m a young horse it’s not necessarily even career ending. We had one that broke hers as a weanling and raced as a 3 year old and retired sound.

[IPEsq]

I’d get an x-ray. It could for sure be something he could heal from and be ok.

Older horse at my barn must have slipped in turnout or something and cracked her pelvis. Stall rest (basically a run with some cover) for a while. Then she was allowed to go into a small turnout because this was the only place she’d lay down to sleep and she was so quiet she didn’t move much. It was just that she could finally walk up and down the slight grade to this paddock. Now back in ridden work, which to be fair was low level to begin with.

[HRF_Second_Chance]

I think what concerns me most is that he went downhill in a second and never really recovered. We switched him to bute and he’s lost a ton of weight. He eats non-stop (except for when he’s sleeping standing up) and he’s still a rack of bones. If we could get ahead of pain I’d feel much better. He’s in so much pain when he walks, he’s like a crab.

We have an x-ray scheduled tomorrow at the big clinic in our area. I’m trying to remain hopeful. I do like him quite a lot and have only had a him a few months but watching him be in so much pain is breaking my heart.

I appreciate the positive responses. He is only 5 (which is kind of how I deal with everything ‘He’s just being 5!’) so hopefully that works in his favor.

[arabiansrock]

If he has a fractured pelvis he should NOT be walking. try to keep his movement as limited as possible until you get the xray. We’ve had 2 definites and 1 possible (mine of course) fractured pelvises at our ranch. Co-incidentally they all lived in the same paddock (*but at different times). No horse of mine will ever live in that paddock again. Vet said minimizing movement gave the best chance for healing. In all of our cases, we were unsuccessful. As you are finding out, pain control is crucial.

Good luck, I wish I knew of better outcomes to tell you.

[HRF_Second_Chance]

That’s the kicker. When I first found him and called the vet she was like ‘oh you can leave him out.’ I think that’s what caused it to get worse because I, like a fool, believed her.

[poltroon]

In ye olden days we did not x-ray these horses because the act of getting them to a machine powerful enough to do it was itself a risk for displacing the fracture. I suggest a real assessment if this could be true in your case. I don’t know enough about the current state of diagnostic options nor how long this trailer ride is for him. I do think you might want to call the clinic or your vet about whether that risk concerns them and how these diagnostics might change what they suggest next.

It’s not necessarily that terrible a prognosis. You do stall rest. I have known two horses who fractured a pelvis, one as a young horse on the track, one as an older horse. Both made full recoveries and were very successful high level show horses after.

If you can control the pain and keep him quiet and comfortable, and the fracture is not displaced, he may well do fine.

[poltroon]

@HRF Second Chance

That’s the kicker. When I first found him and called the vet she was like ‘oh you can leave him out.’ I think that’s what caused it to get worse because I, like a fool, believed her.

Yeah, that happened to me too. We thought my horse was sore in his hocks and they had me ride him, to try to keep him moving. I trotted him around a few times and then refused. I was horrified when we had the diagnosis. But, he did heal up well and a year later he was jumping 3’6" and winning hunter under saddle classes. I think he actually moved better from all the time off.

[beowulf]

Hoping for a positive update today, good luck.

Do not beat yourself up (or your vet) over the leaving him out for a bit; that is one of those things that 99.99% of the time is very solid advice, and 99.99% of the time is something I follow as well. You caught it now, and that is all that matters.

Re: future soundness/career… My gelding was 8 when he did it, and it wasn’t just a wing (tuber coxae) fracture - it was also the ischium and the acetabulum rim, it was a whole gnarly mess with a massive hematoma, broken rib and my vet was very guarded on prognosis…

This was a very stoic horse, and the amount of pain he was in was just awful to watch. He wouldn’t even move over in the stall and he is as obliging a horse as you could want. I felt very bad for him because he was just so shut-off and despondent… not at all like him, and euthanasia was on the table… but my vet felt the pain could be managed, and it took a lot of pain-killers and sedatives, but once we finally got the fever controlled it went uphill from there… but the first week was absolutely awful and I was certain for a while he might not get better. Then it was like overnight he was back to himself again.

But… horse in question is two years post injury and is back to his previous level of work, if not harder (Novice eventer / 1st level dressage) – although he has had an easier summer than normal because everyone in my family decided to get married this summer

[HRF_Second_Chance]

I appreciate everyone’s kind words and supportive advice. He’s scheduled for a 4:30 pm appointment to get films shot. He’s currently walking like a crab and on his toe. I bought him from a bad situation and wanted to fatten him up, give him a job and then resale him. I frequently pick up off track projects for resale and when I buy them, I know they are meant for someone else. However, this little cutie has really stolen my heart though he’s ZERO of the things I normally like in a horse.

Thankfully my BO is the best and there’s a lady at our barn who is a professional hauler and has a nice rig with air ride to take him to the clinic which is only about 5 miles from our barn since we’re in Horse Country. I’m hoping for good news and a way to manage his pain so we can give him a shot at a better life than where he came from. I found him to be more talented than the last horse I sold who that went on to a successful career as an ammy adult hunter.

I’ll keep everyone posted…

[Jungle_Monkey]

My mare fractured her hip and pelvis. Ultrasound at a big clinic (we were close by at a horse show) showed the damage much better than the x-ray that they said they got lucky getting.

Pain management, leaving the horse in the stall and not bringing them out and lots of time are important. I also had her massaged once every ten days to keep the muscle atrophy at bay and it worked like a charm. It took a full 2 1/2 years to get her back to normal but she is sound and jumping again, apparently she is a miracle, and you can only see a little hip drop if she’s tired or unfit.

good luck…

[Marla_100]

I’ve taken care of 2 that fractured their pelvis’s. Mine was broken off tubera coxae- no long term problems after healing. The other was more severe- he rammed the stall door rolling and became lodged overnight. Took a long time to heal, but overcame the problem and went back to showing dressage.

don’t lose hope. With proper care many pelvic fractures can heal just fine. Good Luck to you.

[HRF_Second_Chance]

I just wanted to say thanks again everyone. The vet called and said it was a fractured hip. He said with rest (6-12 months) he should fully recover. We changed his pain medicine back to previcox and he’s already feeling better. Thanks again for all the encouragement.

[MissAriel]

Glad to hear the relatively good news. Jingles for a full and uneventful recovery.

[Hayburner]

Glad to hear you got a definite diagnosis. Mine had a pelvises fracture and it was 7 mo this of complete stall rest. Luckily, he did well with it and smart enough to know that for a few months he had to be very still. He actually would only pivot to eat and drink. Went one to live many more years pain free.