Likely you can find info with a google search. Freeze firing succeeded hot (or pin) firing, an invasive and painful procedure used decades ago for similar purposes. With freeze firing, a blunt probe is cooled in liquid nitrogen, then touched onto the skin in an area that needs to attract blood and inflammation to the area to drive healing to completion, with an injury like this that is not healing fully over time. The skin is not broken but the freezing of the skin and localized tissue under the cold probe incites the inflammation, brings blood to the area to repair the damage from the freezing, and as a side effect also drives the healing in the troublesome injury that is the actual problem that is not healing adequately on it’s own. There is little discomfort with this procedure for the horse, during or after the treatment when recovering. The localized nerve endings are also frozen, which allows the horse to use the limb naturally during recovery. This procedure works very well on localized issues that are close to the outer skin layer of the leg column, issues that are not going to become a catastrophic injury should the horse over-use the limb due to it feeling so much better but before healing has actually finished. When used on bucked shins (as some race trainers do) the chance of the cracks in the shin breaking the whole way through the cannon bone is real, so the use of the treatment is not recommended for those who care about their racehorses’ future. But using it on injuries like yours that do not have this potential issue for catastrophic injury, it’s a very useful, effective, non invasive, economical, and pain free solution. I’ve had several done, for splints just like yours (that have a small crack in the splint bone under the boney callus that is failing to heal fully), and on curbs in the hock. A few white hairs will grow in the spots where the probe touched, as a result of the procedure. If these bother you, you can put some hair dye or shoe polish or felt pen over them for competition purposes if you wish.
The Standardbred race industry does a lot of freeze firing, often for things that I, personally would perhaps not use it for. Vets who service this industry have the equipment and the experience. It is less common in the TB race industry, but it depends on the individual vet whether they use it, and have the equipment. Vets who want to give you the bill for surgery may not have the freeze firing equipment, or have experience with the procedure. So you need to do some enquiries in your area to find the right practitioner… A) to ask about the procedure and satisfy yourself that it often works well, and B) to perform the procedure should you decide this is what you want to try… at least before resorting to attempting surgery. Cost for the freeze firing procedure is low, under $200 even these days, I would guess.
Good luck with your enquiries!
