Serious question about horses>>>>

[gouldc]

do they always put a horse down if it breaks it's leg?

If so, why? Can't they put a huge splint on it or does it simply not work that way?

I know this sounds like a joke question, but I'm curious

[bubba28]

It depends on where the break is and how bad a break it is. There was a race horse in the past year or so that broke its leg and the managed to fix it.

[gouldc]

Well I didn't know that (hence asking the question). May just be that every time I've heard of a horse breaking a leg, they've put it down - thought that was a bit stupid!

Thanks for that

[Noweia]

As bubba28 says, it depends on the type of fracture. Small chip fractures, or small fractures in certain bones, can be repaired. Big nasty ones often can't. Horses aren't very good patients for fracture repair as they get infections into the fracture site very easily. They're huge animals on tiny legs (horses walk on one toe!) and don't cope well with one leg out of action. Often the leg on the other side develops a problem if the horse puts all its weight on it.

For most fractures an attempt can be made to fix it. But certain fractures, for example comminuted fractures where the bone has shattered, usually have a hopeless prognosis and aren't repaired. However it is very expensive to fix a fracture in such a large animal - the time, loss of performance, equipment like slings to hold the horse upright, and veterinary costs - and even after putting all that effort in one can't guarantee that the broken bone is actually going to heal. There's also the case of damage to the other leg while the horse is recovering. In many cases the horse won't return to full function afterwards.

In A Pickle, for many racehorses, the fracture occurs during the race and is traumatic in origin - often you get comminuted fractures (poor prognosis) and there may also be an open wound over the site (even poorer prognosis). Unless it's a very valuable racehorse and there's a chance of recovery sufficient for breeding, the best option for the horse is euthanasia.

The same applies for many pet horses - the cost of treatment can be so high that the owners simply can't afford it. For me euthanasia is a perfectly acceptable option and owners shouldn't feel bad about not being able to pay.

[kita1]

Or of course there is this option:

http://www.metro.co.uk/news/article.html?in_ar ticle_id=160920&in_page_id=34

This horse has an artificial leg! No kidding!

It looks quite happy too.

[kita1]

Molly's (the pony above) MySpace page:

http://www.myspace.com/mollythepony

[woofgang]

"In A Pickle, for many racehorses, the fracture occurs during the race and is traumatic in origin - often you get comminuted fractures (poor prognosis) and there may also be an open wound over the site (even poorer prognosis). Unless it's a very valuable racehorse and there's a chance of recovery sufficient for breeding, the best option for the horse is euthanasia.

The same applies for many pet horses - the cost of treatment can be so high that the owners simply can't afford it. For me euthanasia is a perfectly acceptable option and owners shouldn't feel bad about not being able to pay"


try telling the horse that!!

[lankeela]

I think you would find that due to the pain and distress and not being able to be exercised for maybe months, most horses would opt for euthanasia if given the option.

Only if a mare or stallion is good enough to warrant being bred from (either through their bloodlines or their performance on the track) are they likely to pay the high cost of veterinary treatment, and then in many cases there is no question, the break is so bad that trying to repair would be futile.

[terambulan]

It would be cruel to splint a horses leg. Best to put it down humanely. For goodness sake, have some respect for your pets and dont let the vets prolong their agony for your satisfaction.

[gouldc]

wow - thanks for the responses - come in to work to a full inbox with the replies!

I had a feeling it couldn't be that straight forward.

Thanks all

[woofgang]

I agree that if the cure is going to be distressing in the extreme for the animal then euthanasia is the best option...its the not being able to afford it bit that I find hard to swallow...