March Case of the Month: A Bone to Pick

Harry always had a feisty personality, and from the scars around his face and neck, you could tell he would go looking for trouble. Well one day trouble found Harry in the form of a hard kick to the cannon bone. Harry incurred a fracture to the lower third of his outer splint bone and an open laceration. Unfortunately, when horses incur these injuries, the lower aspect of the splint bone is too mobile (as it is only attached by ligaments) to allow proper healing. Thus, the treatment is surgical removal.

Although the lower portion of the fractured splint bone was removed, Harry struggled with infection of the surrounding bones and tissues. At the time when the staples were due to be removed but the tissue was too infected to allow for that, additional imaging also revealed that the remainder of the fractured splint bone displaced away from the cannon bone. Harry was placed on stronger antibiotics and a second surgery was scheduled.

After Harry’s second surgery, he continued to struggle with infection. Further imaging revealed the head of the splint bone along with multiple pieces of bone still imbedded in the tissues. Luckily Harry was sound despite this so it was decided to treat the infection with an even stronger antibiotic and hope that he will not have to endure a third surgery.

Harry now lives comfortably, sound, but separated from his pasture-mates indefinitely.