Why do horses that break their legs need to be euthinized?

Question

Why cant they fix the broken bone like you do with any other animal? Is it because the time and effort needed to rehab the horse is not worth it? I would think you could repair the fracture then use a larger version of the brace with a wheel that is used with dogs that break their legs. You keep the horse in the pen where it does not have room to run and you take it out daily with the attachment to rehab the leg. You could even use a swimming pool to help rehab the horse because the water would make the horse lighter which would allow it to use its leg for rehab. So, whats the deal, why do they have to euthinize the horse?

Answer 1

they can't walk with broken legs!their bones don't heal!they have nothing else 2 do!i know it is VERY sad!hope i answered it!

Answer 2

A horse needs all 4 legs to be able to walk, so mostly it's because the break is so bad it can't be splinted or helped to heal properly in any way.

A horse can't be put up in a sling to rest for too long. Their body weight doesn't allow for them to lay down easily for any length of time either. Their muscle mass makes it difficult for a sick or lame horse to right themself up and their organs suffer by beginning to shut down.

Splints might work, and are tried at all cost. Usually though, a splint can only be used for a lower leg injury, or a less serious type of break. Before putting a horse down, an owner will try anything to fix it, especially if the horse is of a race horse that could still be used for stud to carry a good line.

Answer 3

No, not all have to be put down, depends on the break and where it is located and how severe it is.

most race horses will be put down, due to the stress on the break, and how long it takes to heal.

Barbaro, while fighting a brave battle loss his battle to a break, no matter how great the vet, some will  never be the same and wont ever run again.

example, A blown cannonball in one horse is unrepairable, and the next horse can be totally healed and run again.

this is a very bad break, I have seen 2 horses in my life with a full blown out cannonball, both were saved, one used as stud, could not race again, the other went back to racing and did just fine.

depends on the owners mainly, and how bad the break is.

not all are put down.........

Answer 4

Horses rely soley on their legs for survival. Their legs hold up too much weight to only have like 3 or 2 holding them up. It's a very, very long, not to mention, expensive process to fix their legs. Then they have to lay down most of the time, and artheritis risks go up. Overall, as cruel as it seems, it's almost harder for the horse to stay alive, and more painful.

Answer 5

Sometimes they can.  It depends on the severity of the break.  For instance, Eight Belles broke both her front legs, and the bones had broken through the skin.  Horses need to stand and move to survive, and she couldn't stand on her own, much less move.  Euthanizing her was in her best interest.

Horses don't have very good blood flow to their legs, which makes it easier for infection to set in.

Many times horses come out of surgery thrashing about like they're running, which can cause even more damage.  In the case of Ruffian, she not only injured the broken leg further, she also broke the other foreleg.

Recovery for a horse isn't as easy as it is for dogs.  Horses can't lay down for extended periods of time, or else their organs won't function properly.  That's why they have the sling, so the horse can remain standing while keeping the weight off that leg.  However, putting more weight on the good legs can have its own repercussions, like laminitis.  In Barbaro's case, his recovery looked very well after he broke his right hind leg.  Two months after the break, he developed laminitis in his left hind, and although that started healing, laminitis also hit both front legs.

In most cases, euthanasia is best for the horse.

*Their bodies weren't designed for them to lay down for long periods of time.  When a horse lays down, pressure gets put on the lungs, heart, kidneys, all the organs.  Too much pressure can cause irreversible damage.

Answer 6

ok , see . . a horse legs are vital for it to do its normal actvities, like walking , warming up , eating , sleeping . . you know . . cause in the wild , they are use to standing while sleeping . . because they must be aware of predators . . but you imagine , a horse with a broken ankle, how can it run?? one of the legs is limping and the rest is in the ground . .                  ?? impossible it is impossible 4 them to run fast or repair because even if it is repaired it will still need to be cahnge every few years . . so repairing of the joints is not recommended cause they are use to running it might break any time again and again and again . .

Answer 7

That is a very naive question and it is a question that has been asked and answered here many times since Eight Belles was injured and euthanized. I understand the sentimentality and emotions which motivate this question, that being a love for animals and a tender heart, but it is nonetheless naive. Where horses and catastrophic leg fractures are concerned, the attempted cure is worse than the malady and all too often unsuccessful, being an exercise in futility that only prolongs and compounds the suffering. One need only consider the Barbaro tragedy as a case in point, where the most advanced equine orthopedic techniques was integrated in a level treatment rarely attempted, doing everything humanly possible to save him. But after eight long months of prolonged suffering, in the end the team of exceptionally skilled veterinarians treating Barbaro could not keep up with the infections and complications and after mercy was delayed so long he was finally euthanized.

Answer 8

There is no possible way that a horse could ever have withstood the 3 to 6 months confinement in a sling which would be necessary for their legs to heal without serious digestive and other complications. Horses are NOT like humans- they don't understand why they would have to be confined like that, and plus, their systems are NOT set up for confinement for long periods of time. Horses evolved as grazing animals- and in the wild, they are constantly on the move all the time. Putting a horse in a sling would not allow this, and the odds were high that the horse would die anyway from colic or founder.

Answer 9

on some they can but horse really cant stand having cast and stuff like that they NEED to run and with Eight Belles she boke 2 of her legs so it spretty much impossible for them to fix it and also she probably wouldnt have been able to jog at all after she healed