Why do racehorses have to be euthanized when they break their ankles?

Question

Why can't surgery be performed?

Answer 1

I imagine surgery is really expensive... but Ive always been told that a horse has to be kept in a sling for 6 months before his bones will heal. That means the horse has to stay calm or be sedated the entire time and after it is all done it may not have healed right making the animal lame or prone to another breakage

Answer 2

I think surgery has been tried before, and in some cases has worked, but it requires extreme dedication.  Since horses weigh so much the weight of their bodies must be completely taken off of the broken area.  Because horses cannot lay down for very long without cause internal injuries (such as crushing organs) they have to be lifted up by a sling. =] hope this helped!

Answer 3

In the case of Eight Belles, she broke both her front ankles, leaving her no leg in the front that was capable of holding her weight while the injury healed.  It was so sad to see her laying on the track, and even sadder when they announced that she had to be euthanized.

Answer 4

Surgery is usually unsuccessful when a horse has an injury to their leg or ankle. This is because they redistribute their weight to their remaining legs, which can result in the disease laminitis. Laminitis is an inflammation of the connective tissue of the hoof.

Barbaro, who suffered a broken leg in the 2006 Preakness Stakes, had several surgeries afterwards. Despite this, he still developed laminitis and had to be euthanized in early 2007.

After finishing second in the 2008 Kentucky Derby, the filly Eight Belles suffered broken ankles to both of her front legs. Since her injuries were to both feet, her chances of recovery with surgery were approximately 0%. In order to not cause her any more unnecessary pain from injuries she would never recover from, she was euthanized.

Answer 5

Unfortunately, horse racing is a business.

It would cost a large amount to treat such an injury.

On top of that, horses are not big into lying down. They will for a while but pretty soon they will want to put weight back on to that broken ankle. Fixing it would be a long expensive and difficult process.

Answer 6

ahaha

Answer 7

Horses can't stay still and lay in a bed to give rest to their legs.  It's easy for them to re-injure themselves and infections can kick in....ex: poor Barbaro 2 yrs ago....They tried soooooo hard and despite their best efforts and surgery after surgery, they couldn't save him because of infections and a disease that set in (caused by the horse putting more weight on the good legs- to make up for the broken leg that they are keeping the weight off).  It was sooooooooo sad today what happened to poor Eight Belles...she was the only filly (female horse) in the derby.

Answer 8

A horse cannot live laying down, that is a simple fact.  They can lay down certainly and do so but they cannot survive.  Their legs are extremely thin and break easily.  Yes, those breaks can be set BUT to get a horse through recovery tying to keep the weight off that leg is almost always impossible.

Today, Belles broke BOTH legs, as the Vet said she simply did not have a leg to stand on to get her transported or even think about setting and recovery.

As to those saying it is expensive.  Please, people.  With this caliber of race horse no expense is spared.  Take a trip to Kentucky horse country sometime. These animals live better than most of us.  And rest assured that they are most beloved by those who own and work with them.