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Leg fractures in horses
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Does a leg fracture mean your horse must be euthanized? Many horse owners have never had experience with leg fractures or breaks in horses. A majority of horse owners have only heard about leg fractures or breaks in the racing industry, and these are often bad injuries. There seems to be a common assumption that since surgery is expensive, that a fracture, or break, is the end for a horse. The answer is no, a fracture does not mean a horse must be euthanized, even if you cannot afford surgery to have a pin put in the bone. While this is old news to some, it may be good news to others. Whether a fracture can heal with simple stall rest, surgery, or even heal at all, depends on what type of fracture it is.
There are six types of fractures, which are in order of least life threatening to most life threatening: Hairline Fracture, Simple Fracture, Incomplete Fracture, Compound Fracture, Comminuted Fracture, Open Fracture, or even a combination of two different types of fractures. Hairline or simple fractures can often times be healed with a period of stall rest, while compound fractures, comminuted fractures, open fractures, or a combination of two types are much more devestating injuries.
If your horse is lame or has swelling of unknown cause you should ask a vet to take a look and make a diagnosis. Some simple symptoms that seem like they could not possibly be caused by something so serious may end up needing immediate care. However; if the diagnosis is grim and the recommendation is euthanasia, you may want to get a second opinon or even do some research of your own. Horse owners should make sure to find out what type of fracture their horse is diagnosed with and keep the x-rays so that you can get another opinion.
Recently a friend of mine noticed that her horse's leg was swollen, but he had no obvious injuries. She never expected her vet to tell her that the swelling was caused by a fracture, and was concerned by the vet's recommendation. He told her that her best options were to either euthanize the horse or take him for surgery to have a pin placed in his leg. Since she loves her horse, but surgeries are expensive, she turned to other horse owners for advice. This is how she learned that for some fractures stall rest can be sufficient as long as the horse is cooperative. Another horse owner who trains and races his thoroughbreds said that he has had horses that experience fractures and fully recover with simple stall rest.
The eventual outcome of a leg fracture in horses depends on the type of fracture and where it is located. After recovering from a leg fracture horses are often limited to light exercise, but it is wonderful to know that a leg fracture does not always mean losing a beloved friend.
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