My horse sprang her ankle do I have to put it down?

Question

Please tell me the truth my dad talked to the vet and he's coming on the 1rst so tell me do you think i'll have to put it down?

Answer 1

all i can say is think about what is best 4 ur horse

Answer 2

I;m in agreence with CNS & yellow on this one, 12 days is too long to wait for proper vet care. the vet should ahve said "ok I'll be there today!!!"  My other say in this too is call a different vet. I know if I call my vet and he won't be able to make it out that day or the next morning at the earliest he will give me the number to a few other vets he thinks can help me. A vet that tells you iw will be 12 days before he can see your horse that may have a potentially life threatening injury is no kind of vet to have. I have never heard of a vet saying "oh it sounds like a sprain I'll see you in 12 days...." Most will say ok here's what to do until i can get there tommorow maybe the next day at  stretch. and for the record CNS is not mean just blunt, we have had out fair share of my little pony questions on here and it's nerve wracking. When we see a question like this it either worries us to the point of frustration b/c it appears there is a vet out there who doens't care or it may seem as she put it that some kid is bored and just looking to get a rise out of us. Either way we go about it we are just blunt . But like I said call a different vet, I said it onece and i'll say it again a vet that waits 12 days is no kind of vet to have.

Answer 3

No! Advanced Technology has come out and your horse should be better in no time!:)Good Luck!

Answer 4

for a sprained ankel i do not see why now i can understand if its broke now i had horses and i can never recall putting a horse down for just a sprain  i wouldnt worry to much she will be better before you know it

Answer 5

If your mare is lame you need a vet to see her now not almost 2 weeks from now. At this point it really doesn't sound like you or your father are qualified to dignose it as simply a sprain. Don't mean to come down on you but a horse doesn't even have an ankle...I assume you mean the fetlock joint though?

Depending on which leg it's on, how lame she is ect in 2 weeks you could be dealing with stress founder on the opposite hoof from carring too much weight on it to relieve the pain on that leg. Too many variables to just take a wait and see attitude about it.

Get your dad to call the vet again, tell him your not qualified to deal with lamess issues and get him out sooner. A vet is what your horse needs at this point. Even he won't be able to know for sure with x-rays ect whether or not your dealing with a pulled tendon, torn ligament or bone chip.

Answer 6

Absolutely not honey. My horse currently has a TEAR, and we're not putting him down. It might seem like its taking forever, but it will get better. Sprains and tears happen all the time, even in the wild...and in the wild they heal even though they have to move on it all the time. Your horse will be just fine!!!!

Answer 7

no, if it was broke, yes, just learn how to correctly wrap it with a polo wrap, or an ace bandage, keep her off of it as much as possible, give her bute, and give her a stall with a small run and plenty of food, take her on 1 5 min walk a day, and that should help. good luck

Answer 8

Normally the if you did have to put her down you would call the vet right away so I wouldnt think she will have to be put down.

Answer 9

I really wouldn't be to concerned considering it is just a sprained ankle, but I would talk to your dad and see if the vet could come before the 1st if I were you. These things came become worse if not treated soon.

Answer 10

If she has a sprained ankle she shouldn't need to be put down. You horse will just need some time to rest and for her ankle to heal.

The vet probably would have put her down right away if she were to be put down.

Don't worry, Just make sure you give your horse lots of love while he's healing! I hope he gets better soon!

Answer 11

It's the 19th of June, your horse is injured and the vet isn't coming until July 1?

That's a perfect way to let a minor injury develop serious complications or a major injury to become incurable.

Q's like this seem so farfetched, the first thing an experienced horse owner thinks is that it has to be the fictional musings of a bored child with too much time on his/her hands...

One can only hope...the alternative is too rotten to consider.

ADDED...my question to those who aren't alarmed at the delay in having the vet out...

How do you know it's just a sprain or strain if the vet hasn't come out?  I mean, he's called the vet and scheduled an appointment, so obviously he thinks care is necessary...would you wait 12 days to have YOUR sprained ankle treated???

I don't have the vet out for every little owie, but you do not discern that a visit is necessary today, then schedule the visit 12 days past the injury.  Working PT for an equine specialist might give me a bit more insight than average on this, but surely not that much more...

I find it worse than mean to neglect a horse in this manner.  Not sorry if you're offended, Sarah.

Answer 12

cnsdubie, you rock! I'm in agreement - if the horse is injured enough to need a vet, 2 weeks is too long to wait. I'm hoping that maybe this horse has some sort of long-term lameness and dad has finally decided to get it looked at, not that the horse is suffering with a recent  injury.

If, for some odd reason, your horse did need to be put down, you need to remember that we humans owe it to our horses to provide them with a good life and a good end to that life when the time comes. A horse that is in chronic pain with no hope of recovery should be put down. A horse does not care that it is alive, it only care that it feels good, at this very moment.

I do hope you are a child, and do not understand the nature of your horses injury. Talk to your parents, tell them you are worried. Ask them to explain in terms you can understand what exactly is wrong with the horse and what can be done to help it. It probably is not as bad as you think.

Answer 13

If a vet hasn't looked at her yet, then HOW do you know it's just a sprain?  Could be anything from a sprain to a bone crack or chip.  Do you know how this happened?

If you've got a nearly 2 week wait, then keep her in a confined area so she's not using it much and seeing how it's summer, take her out and hose her leg off 2-3 times a day for about a 1/2 an hour.  Hold the hose on her knee or hock of the leg she's injured and just let the water dribble down her leg.  ALSO if you have any butte, give her a couple of tabs in the morning and a couple in the evening with a LITTLE grain.  IF you are currently graining her, then STOP doing so except for about 1/4 LB to get the butte down her and mix that with some molasses so it tastes better.  Above all keep her calm and quiet.

Answer 14

Don't worry Amy.  Horses aren't generally put down for sprains and the fact the vet isn't coming out straight away is a good sign.  The vet has probably said to give it a couple of weeks to see if it heals on its own just like if you sprain an ankle.  Then if it is not ok by the 1st will come out and see what help it needs along the way.  This could just be more rest, some medicine or injections.  It is horrid waiting for it heal (my eventer has been off for 5 mths with a tendon injury that just needs time to heal properly) and not knowing how loing it will take but I'm sure everything will come right.  

Cnsdoubie don't be so mean, she has made it clear she is just a kid and is worried.  If you don't think it is a valid question, don't answer it.

Answer 15

nope. just lots of stall rest and carrots =]

the vets probaby gunna tell you to ice your horses leg or soak it then wrap it up

Answer 16

I dont think so for a spranid ankle. Im sure she will be just fine. Dont worry, she will be better soon.

Just make sure she gets the right treatment by the vet and she will recover quickly.

I have never heard of a horse be put down from a sprained ankle so i wouldnt worry at all.

Best of luck, hope she gets well quickly but she will get better. (: