Treatment for a bowed tendon in a horse?

Question

Is box rest with gradualy building up the exercise the best option? Years ago didnt they turn the horse away for a while? I can understand the logic in box rest but a horse turn away would know its limits and not run around and cause more damage? Box rest is unnatural and some horses do not cope well, being permenatly mentally damaged. But i supose in the wild a horse thet was lame would be the fist to get cought by a preditor.

Answer 1

That's hard... I once "lost" a horse for this, you cant tell a horse to rest. yes turn him away, a year at least, then very gently bring him back... rush it and he's gone... sorry.

You can treat initially with poultice and bandage, but this is just to get rid of the inflammation, the tendon heals very slowly...

Answer 2

Tendon injuries in horses are a subject with very many different opinions for the best treatment. Traditionally especially in racing circles, all horses that did a tendon would as a matter of course be line or bar fired (which is when an iron is heated so its red hot then drawn through the skin in the tendon area) then an abrasive substance put on the fired area to make the reaction worse (called blistering). The idea behind this is that it generated more scar tissue which alledgely would make the healed tendon stronger. Usually after a couple of months box rest, the injured horse would then be turned out in a field for about a year before coming back into work. The modern belief is that it was actually the 12 months off with turnout that actually healed the tendon in most cases, not the firing or the blistering.

Initially the tendon does need chance to heal through rest hence the box rest. The tendon fibres that have been over stretched need chance to contract again & strengthen. There has been research over recent years investigating whether controlled in hand exercise at this stage is beneficial to the repair of the tendon which I believe is still ongoing (may be worth looking at the Equine Veterinary Journal web site to see if there has been any recent developments)

Once the horse is more comfortable on the tendon, if you have a small flat paddock then this is probably the best place for the horse to recuperate. Your vet would probably suggest sedating the horse for the first few times it goes out to prevent further damage, esp if the horse has had some box rest. It is essential to keep the horse as quiet as possible so a sensible field companion would be beneficial.

The method of treatment is very musc dependant on the type of horse you have, the extent of the injury & the facilities available. If you have a fairly sensible horse with a minor tendon strain, the vet will almost certainly suggest turnout in a paddock. If you have a fit thoroughbred with a severe injury then the vet is more likely to want the horse box rested to prevent the horse galloping around & injuring itself further & also to be able to give pain relieving drugs more easily.

Answer 3

It depends on the horse. Is the bow fresh? Is he just off the track?

Poultice or an absorbine liniment - or (have used on race horses) listerine can help reduce swelling. Remember the adage "if you rub don't wrap" - in other words if you rub it in aggressively don't bandage the leg. It's best to keep a horse in, with hand walking, on a bow until it's set (heat and inflammation out of it, although the tendon will usually not be normal again).
However, once the leg is set - and depending on the horse and your facility - they *CAN* be turned out in a small paddock. IF they aren't race horse fit, IF the temperment is quiet and they aren't apt to work themselves up running and sliding on it, IF there aren't other horses agitating them to play, IF they're turned out alone (within sight of others is better). Obviously you don't want to take a race fit horse 2 weeks after the injury and turn him in a 30 acre field with 15 other horses - but IF you have the right temperment horse and it's been a couple months, the leg looks good and "feels" right (no heat, no mushy spots etc) being able to be out in a small paddock (you might feed him hay out there - many horses will eat rather than rip around especially if he's food motivated).
And with all that be SURE there aren't dogs (yours or others) that will chase him or other things to set him off. Turnout is the best compromise if all situations align. It can take months for the leg to fully heal as normal as it will be. 8-10 months is too long for stall confinement without some outside time - and they can be out and help themselves.

As for Barbaro's injury - actually Barbaro had sense to do a huge thing to help himself...he started running on 3 legs. The moment of breakdown he started hopping behind - which prevented the broken leg from coming through the skin and doing more damage that could not be fixed. He's obviously a smart horse to THINK and although all his training said RUN he LISTENED to the jockey and others pulling him up and he had the respect to behave. Many catastrophic injuries end in tragedy because the risk is too much. Barbaro's doing better every day but is still not out of the woods.

Answer 4

This is a really tough one. Theres a few things you can do to make box rest more bearable, like hang up a swede on a rope for him to chew on, make sure he has plenty to look at; but ultimately your right. Box rest isn't natural for them and some horses just don't do as well as others.
Problem is, if you turn him out he may not realise he's overdone it until its too late. Or there could be an emergency, a dog could get into the field and chase him. You can't control how much excersise he gets when he's in the field.
You'll just have to look into ways that other people have managed prolonged confinement.
Good luck.

Answer 5

Unfortunately horses do not know when they are hurt and take it easy. They will run on the injury and make it worse.
They will try to run on a broken leg. Best example Barbaro in the Preakness Race. His leg was broken in many places and yet the jockey had to fight to make him stop.
In the wild yes the lame onei s thoe one who would end up a dinner for something.
Stall rest with a gradual retun to work once the bow is old and cold and set is the best treatment.
Some horses return ot have great careers after a bow. It depends on if it is a low or high bow and how bad it was.