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  Discussion on Rear leg splint
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Member:
catsmeow

Posted on Friday, Apr 6, 2007 - 12:55 pm:

Dr. O, my 5 yr old warmblood mare popped a splint about 6 weeks ago. I was not concerned in the when I first noticed the bump because it was on the rear leg and I had always thought splints occurred on the front legs. The bump was rather large and located on the outside of her right rear leg just below the hock joint. I felt no heat and she was not lame. I assumed she had knocked her leg into something - as she is prone to do - and worked her normally. A week later, I realized the lump had not gone away and was not changing. At that time I became concerned that it may be a rear splint - though I had never heard of them before. I decided to have the vet look at her. He examined her and took x-rays. The x-rays were clean but the vet felt heat where I had not. He prscribed stall rest for a week and cold hosing, poulticing and hand walking twice daily. This program continued until the vet perceived there was no more heat in the leg about a week and a half. Once he felt the heat was gone, he injected the splint with Corticasteroid and again she was left on stall rest for a few days. After that she was allowed turnout and light riding for her sanity more than anything. Since then her riding has been kept light - mostly a few min of walking and some trotting down the long side of the ring. Shortly after the injection the outside area of the hock joint swelled considerably and heat was apparent. The vet said that the injection was a reactive type of treatment and just made sure we continued to cold hose and poultice. This week (about 5 wks since injury) she was cleared to ease slowly back into work but the cold hosing and poulticing is to continue until the splint reduces in size.

My main concern is that it is a large splint relatively close to the hock joint. I read on another post that rear leg splints were almost always the result of trauma but in my research since her injury I have read that splints on the outside of a rear leg are caused from stress - which is it? I am confused by so much conflicting info on splints. I am also concerned that it seems my mare's treatment is progressing faster than what might normally be prescribed (according to your article). Now, she was never lame and never really seems to experience any discomfort related to the injured area - even on palpation - but she has always been a very stoic mare so I am not sure what to think about that. Its just that the splint is really rather large - and so close to the hock joint - I want to make sure that I do everything possible to prevent further injury. Is there anything more I should be doing? Should I be concerned about returning her to work? (no jumping for another month - but start reconditioning her - according to the vet) The splint has not changed in size at all over the last 5 weeks.
Member:
catsmeow

Posted on Friday, Apr 6, 2007 - 1:56 pm:

Dr. O, I suppose another cause for concern with my mare's splint that I failed to mention was that the splint has occurred on the same hind leg as a previous suspensory injury. Two years ago April my mare was diagnosed with desmitis of the lateral suspensory branch on her right rear leg. We followed, to the letter, the treatment and there have never been any problems. But after reading the article and following reports a second time I realized that perhaps the previous suspensory injury may have made her predisposed to her current splint injury. Should I worry that the splint is an indication that there is some new inflammation in the suspensory area? I know from experience that ultrasound is the only way to be really verify inflammation in this area if there are no other physical symptoms.
Member:
jewel318

Posted on Saturday, Apr 7, 2007 - 2:27 am:

Wow and this is a Warmblood mare right?!! I have an eight year old WB mare that had the same splint on her right rear leg, we have done ultrasound but it was determined since she was not lame on it and there was no heat, I just figured that it was a blemish. One month later I go out to feed and my horses left rear leg is swollen to almost twice it's size. I get the vet in a hurry, this is Canada right and it is -34 to -38 celcius (I don't know what that is in farenhuit, just think freaking cold as he__.) without the wind chill. It was like that for days and I don't know how long it was swollen like that cause it's so cold all you do is throw the feed out keep your head down and keep moving. The guilt is terrible that it may have been like that for several days. We tried to do ultra sound but it was so swollen they couldn't see anything, same with X-ray we drained alot of pus from the leg, it shot accross the barn big chunks of it, the vet students were nodding and trying not to look too pleased to see so much guck. Any way we cleaned out the pocket a couple of times over several days with a solution of betadine and whatever. Finally got it down with antibotics enough that a second X-ray reveled a fractured splint bone. So we had surgery about a month ago, the weird thing is that she was never lame on it and now there is still a fair amount of scar tissue I hope will get better with time. She was on stall rest for the past month and I walked her for only short periods by hand, I am continuing to wrap it nightly and have occassionally given bute when I have felt warmth. She still is not lame. I rode her for the first time two days ago and she was great, just little walks is all we are doing. This horse is a very aggressive mare and kicks at any horse that comes near her pen, the horse that was beside her liked to challenge her all the time, and she kicked at her often.
Hope you don't have to ever deal with the same problem, this was a very expensive and nerve wracking ordeal. I could never replace this horse fincally she is now probably worth alot less to some people but to me she is priceless.
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Saturday, Apr 7, 2007 - 7:57 am:

Catherine, the splint could be either direct trauma or exercise induced, it really does not matter which. The location suggest trauma but if there were no marks on the skin it most likely was exercise.

For treatment Catherine I would follow our recommendations in the article on Diseases of the Splint Bones.
DrO
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