BOO’S FETLOCK INJURY AND LIFE-SAVING SURGERY

Several months ago equine vet Jess was called out to see one of the worst fetlock injuries we as a practice have ever seen. Poor ‘Boo’ had somehow managed to do this to herself in the field, causing such a deep wound to her left fore fetlock that the joint capsule was exposed leading to a septic joint. She had also damaged some of the supporting ligaments nearby.

Her lovely owners were distraught and keen for us to do whatever we could to help Boo and give her a chance of surviving despite the odds not being in her favour. She was admitted to our clinic for further assessment of the joint and to perform life- saving surgery under general anaesthesia. Rosie, one of European Specialists in Equine Surgery, had her work cut out but as you can from the final photo below, see she did an amazing job! Over several hours she was able to flush the infected joint with many litres of fluid and somehow suture all the tissues back together.

Our next challenge was to immobilise Boo’s limb to support the wound and sutures following surgery and give her the best chance of healing. This was particularly important during the recovery phase of her general anaesthetic where she needed to be able to stand without damaging the wound. The decision was made to place a cast on her lower limb whilst she was still in the operating theatre, preventing her flexing the limb and weakening the sutures.

Boo recovered uneventfully from her surgery and general anaesthetic. Post-operatively, Boo had several casts placed to keep her limb as still as possible. Cast removal followed 2-weeks post-operatively and after this Boo’s distal limb was placed in a 2-layer bandage. After each bandage change, we were all quietly optimistic as her wound was holding together well and Boo remained comfortable.

We were absolutely thrilled that after 5-weeks Boo had made a complete recovery and was able to go back out in the field with her friends. This was down to the commitment of Boo’s wonderful owners supported by our veterinary team. Thank you so much to Boo’s owners for allowing us to share her story.