Splints... we've all seen one!

A splint is an enlarged bony lump which can occur on the  Splint Bones which are on the inside and outside of the Cannon Bone on all four legs, however they are most commonly seen on the inside of the front leg, just  below the knee.  The splint bone is attached to the cannon bone by the Interosseous Ligament and a splint occurs when the ligament is damaged in some way.  During  the healing process the body lays down new bone over the traumatised area forming a bony lump.   Recommendations for treatment are resting the horse from excercise, cold compresses or poultices, cold water therapy or hosing the area for 15-20 mins twice a day, and poulticing with Comfrey to reduce inflammation.  To make a Comfrey poultice ; Bruise the herb, dunk in boiling water, wrap in cheesecloth and allow to cool slighty, and then bandage  onto the affected area.  Be sure to follow always guidelines for bandaging a horses' leg, including always wrapping with several layers of cotton wool or Gamgee to ensure you are not wrapping too tight and damaging tendons and ligaments. REF: COMPLETE HOLISTIC CARE AND HEALING FOR HORSES- MARY L BRENNAN

Laminitis

Laminitis, also known as Founder, is characterized by a decrease in the bloodflow circulating the hoof.  It is a serious and painful disease with many causes.  Laminitis may invlove all four, or only one hoof.  Commonly known causes include eating excessive ammounts of grain, eating too lush a pasture, drinking cold water whilst the body isoverheated, andbeing overworked when not in fit condition. Certain Antibiotics can also induceLaminitis, and of late it has been recognised that an underactive Thyroid mayalso be a cause. Signs of Laminitis include your horse refusing to move, hothooves, increased digital pulse, and occasional separation of the Hoof and Coronary band.  The horse may also try tostand in a ‘leaning back’ position, putting more weight on his heels to relieve the pain in the toes.   Always call yourvet if you suspect a bout of Laminitis as the effects can be devastating ifleft for a moment too long.  Make sure you keep the horse comfortable and on a soft surface until your vet arrives,and be sure to remove any access to feed or grass.  You may cold hose the legs or apply cold compresses to the legs and hooves until your vet arrives.REF: COMPLETE HOLISTIC CARE AND HEALING FOR HORSES- MARY L BRENNAN

Stifle Lock.

A horse rests or sleeps standing up by locking its leg into a weight bearing position. To enable this ‘locking’,the medial patella ligament hooks over the end of the femur. If the horse wantsto move forward it must ‘unhook’ this ligament. Stifle lock occurs when the ligament becomes stuck and can’t be unhooked - forcing the leg into extension ie. locking into a weight bearing position, so the horse can’t flex the stifle to bring the leg forward. Clinical signs of ‘stifle lock’ can vary in severityand frequency. The severe case is easy to recognise: the stifle becomes locked in extension, the leg cannot flex and remains extended out behind with the fetlock resting on the ground. These horses may require help to become unstuck. The stifle may also become stuck repeatedly and in severe cases, the act of ‘backing up’ can force the stifle into lock.Recurrent locking of the stifle can be irritating to the joint and, if left unattended, may produce secondary inflammation, permanent damage to the ligaments and osteoarthritis.  The traditional method of treatment for stifle lock’ is the severing of the medial patella ligament so it is no longer able to hang over the bony prominence on the end of the femur - is no longer popular. Though long considered benign, the technique of cutting the ligament has been associated with complications, such as fragmentation of the patella, fracture of the apex of the patella, and changes to the femur/patella joint.  The best new method to fix a locking Patella is the surgical procedure of splitting the medial patella ligament(MPL) with a small scalpel or large gauge needle in multiple sites to induce a thickening of the ligament. This may be the best choice in cases which do not respond to other therapies. The splitting technique, developed by French veterinarian Aziz Tnibar has revolutionised treatment, showing excitingimprovements for recovery and return to full use, although some horses require more than one operation to obtain permanent relief. However, recovery from this method is rapid compared to the several months ‘lay-off’ required for the much more invasive ligament severing technique. Splitting has a high success and low complication rate, as long as careful recovery is observed.

Choke

Choke (equine oesophageal obstruction) is a common problem caused by impaction of food material in the oesophagus. Unlike human choke, horses are able to breathe during a choking episode because the trachea (windpipe) is not involved. However, this does not mean swift medical attention is not needed. Choke can occur in any horse at anytime but occurs more commonly in horses that have improper mastication (chewing) due to poor dentition, are greedy eaters or are on a pelleted ration.Horseswith choke will usually look depressed and stand with their neck outstretched, have a nasal discharge containing saliva and feed material, salivate excessively, cough repeatedly and make frequent attempts to swallow. If a horse is suspected to be choking, feed and water should be removed to prevent further impaction of feed material in the oesophagus. Treatment of choke usually involves administering a sedative and oxytocin. The combination of the sedative and oxytocin causes relaxation of the oesophageal musculature and lowers the head of the horse to facilitate lavage. Once the horse is sedate, a nasogastric tube is passed to the location of the obstruction. Water is gently pumped through the nasogastric tube to break down the obstruction. Water and feed material are often expelled from the mouth and nasal passages during this procedure. Verification that the choke has been resolved is made when the nasogastric tube passes through the entire length of the oesophagus, into the horse’s stomach. Once the obstruction has been resolved the horse should be held off feed for 12 hours and allowed free choice water. A diet of fresh grass or complete pelleted feed slurry is recommended for the next few days. Anti-inflammatory drugs and antibiotics are often recommended due to irritation that may have occurred from the obstruction and the possibility of pneumonia from aspiration of materials during the choke.  Ref: Equine Medical Services Website