Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Quarter Horse with broken hoof bone treated without surgery
By Sherlock, Ceri E et al.·Published in Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association·2012·Department of Large Animal Medicine, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Conservative management of a transverse fracture of the distal phalanx in a Quarter Horse.
- Species:
- horse
Plain-English summary
A 7-year-old Quarter Horse gelding suddenly developed severe lameness in his left front leg that lasted for four days. After a thorough examination and X-rays, the vet found a fracture in the horse's hoof. The horse was treated with rest and a special cast to stabilize the hoof, which helped improve his lameness significantly. Over the next few months, he was gradually exercised and eventually returned to normal activity without any signs of lameness. Unfortunately, he was later euthanized for unrelated reasons, but tests confirmed that the fracture had healed well.
People also search for: horse leg lameness treatment · Quarter Horse hoof fracture care · horse recovery from hoof injury
Abstract
CASE DESCRIPTION: A 7-year-old Quarter Horse gelding was evaluated because of sudden onset of severe left forelimb lameness of 4 days' duration. CLINICAL FINDINGS: Clinical evaluation and diagnostic perineural analgesia localized the lameness to the distal portion of the left forelimb. Radiography revealed a transverse fracture of the distal phalanx of the left forelimb. TREATMENT AND OUTCOME: The horse was treated conservatively with stall rest and stabilization of the hoof with fiberglass cast material and an elevated heel support. These treatments improved the lameness considerably. Over the following 4 months, the horse was exercised at an increasing level; external coaptation of the hoof was removed, and the horse was gradually shod in a flat shoe. At 6 months after injury, the horse had no signs of lameness when working at its previous performance level, but it was euthanized for reasons unrelated to orthopedic disease. Radiographically, the fracture was unapparent; however, results of magnetic resonance imaging and histologic examination of the cadaveric limb confirmed the presence of tissue changes consistent with a healing fracture. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Conservative management of transverse fractures of the distal phalanx of a forelimb may be effective and enable affected horses to be returned to their intended use.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22171760/