This is an archived Horseadvice.com Discussion. The parent article and menus are available on the navigation menu below:
HorseAdvice.com » Diseases of Horses » First Aid » First Aid topics not covered above »
  Discussion on Puncture Wound in Hock
Author Message
Member:
Lorimich

Posted on Tuesday, Oct 28, 2003 - 1:12 pm:

I am in the process of purchasing a 3 year old mare who I had a detailed vet check last Thursday. Everything was good and she was sound. I went to pick her up on Friday and when I got there I was told something happened in the stall that night/early morning and the the stall was torn down another horse was injured and this mare had cuts on the insude of her left hock. As the morning went on her hock swelled and she would'nt put weight on that leg. They took her to the same vet I had do the pre-purchase exam and he had them go to Purdue Unv. She has a puncture wound in the joint of her hock and there are NO bone chips and it DID NOT go into the tendon sheath. She is being treated at Purdue until Thursday of this week and it may take a couple weeks before they know if she will be sound. She received treatment within 12 hours of injury maybe less. My questions are how is this going to affect her in the future for riding and showing? What should I ask the vet concerning this kind of use for her? Hove you treated anything like this in the past and what was the outcome? Based on the information I am giving you do you think she will have lifetime problems or if she is sound after treatment does she have a good chance of staying sound in her hock from this injury for many years? Would you recommend buying her after an injury like this? I will contact as soon as I know more and I am going to talk to the vet that is treating her before I decide to buy her. Any information on what to ask him would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you
Lori
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Tuesday, Oct 28, 2003 - 5:22 pm:

Sorry to hear about your bad luck her Lori. Since the actual injury, what structures are involved, and the extent of the damage are not detailed in your post we cannot know the prognosis. It sounds like Purdue, the folks who can actually examine your horse, is uncertain also.

But the answer to your critical question is simple: you should not buy this horse still sound and suitable for your intended use.
DrO
Member:
Westks

Posted on Tuesday, Oct 28, 2003 - 7:01 pm:

I certainly would not buy her until she is completely healed and can be watched moving in all gaits and for extended exercise not just 15 minutes. This will at the least take 2-3 weeks at the earliest. So I doubt I would wait considering where the puncture is. I would start looking again for another horse. If you have decided she is worth waiting and no horse of this quality has been shown to you then maybe worth going through the healing time to see if heals and no long term problems. There are so many horses bred every year I refuse to purchase a horse that is not sound or injuries have even the remote posibility of coming back to haunt me and the horse. If intended to be a non riding horse no problem then.
Home Page | Top of Page | Join Us!
Horseadvice.com is a BBB Accredited Business. Click for the BBB Business Review of this Horse Training in Stokesdale NC