Can A Horse Survive A Broken Leg

While euthanasia is often still the only option advances in veterinary technologies and techniques mean some horses can be saved and may even be able to return to their work in.

Can a horse survive a broken leg. A horse that suffers a leg fracture is in extreme pain both immediately after the injury and post-surgery. What types of fracture can occur. If you own horses or have been around them much youve.

Age also plays a big factor as a young horse stands a better chance of healing positioning of the break too. Horses have a very small chance of recovering from a broken leg due to a combination of factors. How long does it take a horse to heal a broken leg.

Can A Horse Survive A Broken Leg. Most horses can survive but this isnt always in the horses best interest especially if theyre not able to live a normal life have to take strong painkillers and are prone to bouts of extreme laminitis. Drugs can be administered to give some relief but there are drawbacks.

You can imagine how many horses have come in over the years to any hospital with an owner convinced the horse has broken his leg when in fact what it has is a hoof abscess says Richardson. Broken Legs Arent Death. A broken leg is particularly serious because the horse has to be able to bear weight immediately after the fracture has been fixed.

Horses with a broken leg suffer severe pain. If a horse spends too much time lying down the weight of its body will start to impair the function of the internal organs. Horses cant live with three legs because their massive weight needs to be distributed evenly over four legs and they cant get up after lying down.

Often the only humane option is to euthanize a horse when they break a leg. While euthanasia is often still the only option advances in veterinary technologies and techniques mean some horses can be saved and may even be able to return to their work in some capacity. As the I-Team reported in November some wild horse advocates say fertility control through methods like darts is more humane and effective.