Advice needed on possible dislocated horse leg

Hi everybody,

Please can I have some advice, I have a very sick horse that is currently in a sling due to damaging its legs from running,

I live in Thailand and where I am it is near impossible to find a vet so we have had no choice but to try and self treat the horse, I am also new to horses,

3 days ago the horse slipped backwards out of its sling and was basically hanging by its front legs, this has damaged the front legs and one is badly swollen and I fear it may be dislocated,

I have taken some photos of the horses leg and these are shown in the links below,

ImageShack® - Online Photo and Video Hosting

ImageShack® - Online Photo and Video Hosting

ImageShack® - Online Photo and Video Hosting

The right leg looks very swollen and out of place,

If anybody can help me from looking at these photos please advise,

Thank you in advance,

You might need to get X-rays to know for sure.

At on of my clinics in Canada, a horse was found in its stall with a dislocated hip (possibly from having been cast overnight). We brought her into the indoor and immediately got a vet. The vet tranqed her and dropped her in the iundoor. We tied a rope to her leg and had four people pull on it for all they were worth. The vet said to call the owners to get permission for putting her down.

None of us were ready to give up, however. We got the four strongest on the rope and I sat on the horse to push down on the femur. After hard pulling and pushing, I felt a small thump. When the vet checked the range of motion, it was found to be normal. When the sedation wore off, she was able to stand and was sore, but normal.

The vet gave a poor usability prognosis, but I told the owner that I wasn't convinced her usefulness was over. After a lengthy rehab the horse is being ridden at all gaits and is totally sound.

I am SO hoping that your case will resolve better than it sounds.

Thank you for your reply, unfortunately there are no clinics capable of obtaining a Xray where I am located, there are not even any proper vets with much knowledge of horses, we have had to make a home-made sling from winches and straps, the horse is not using its legs much at all,

With no vet care and guessing also no availability of pain meds for the horse, I'm afraid if it was my horse I'd have to let it go and would put the horse down. Sorry.

So sorry you are going through this. I would have to agree with putting the horse down. If you could get SOME vet care, that would be helpful, but without it, your options are really limited. I know with humans when injured limbs get as swollen and taught as the 3rd image appears, the swelling actually can cause decreased circulation to the limb. I would guess that it would be similar in horses, which would mean that even IF you could get the swelling down, by the time you do there may be permanent damage to the distal portions of the limb due to lack of circulation (like in humans, gangrene can actually set in.)

I don't think I honestly could have watched my horse be in this much pain this long already. Sorry.

I also concur. This is not likely to be something that heals on its own. Euthanasia is probably the kindest option at this point. If no vets are around for chemical euthanasia, the best option is a bullet to the head. But if you choose to go this route, please research in advance the correct caliber of bullet and correct placement. It is very easy to miss a horse's vital area if you don't know where you are shooting...and nobody wants that. :(

Hi,

Thank you for all your feedback, our horse unfortunately passed away this morning,

Thank you again,

I am sorry you had to go through this, but not sorry that the horse is now at peace.

So sorry for your loss. The poor guy probably didn't have a chance, from the looks of it. You did try, though. Glad he is out of his pain.

Sorry for your lost