“My horse is a 15-year-old Thoroughbred gelding and has had a problem with a splint”…

My horse is a 15-year-old Thoroughbred gelding and has had a problem with a splint since April 2007. He has been on/off work for the last couple of months because of his splint suddenly changing in size and then getting hot again. I am alternating poulticing and using DMSO/Furazone every other day and getting him injected with steroids on site to the splint in about 2 weeks. I have gotten him x-rayed and the vet said his splint was inflamed, but she really had to dig in there when she palpitated the area in order to find him uncomfortable. When we trotted him up and down for her, she could see no lameness.

I am worried though, because every time I start to ride him again after I get an ok by our vet, the splint gets worse. Is there anything else that I can do with Kramer, such as supplements, or alternative therapy? I have read somewhere that you can sweat the area, but I have no idea how to do this or if it will work.

Dr. Jack Sales’ Answer:

Hi Miranda,

With the age of the horse and the chronic nature of the splint, if the X rays showed no evidence of infection or bone micro facture, I would tend to suggest a counter irritation form of therapy. When a horse gets bony enlargements on the lower legs and they continue to bother them and get worse no matter what you do, they sometimes respond well to blistering of these local areas. You don’t have to use a severe blistering agent, something like reducine salve applied daily and rubbed in until you get a slight swelling of the soft tissue in the area, and then backing off. This will allow the body to react locally and bring healing to the localized area. This could be repeated again if the splint continues to act active and does not resolve.  You might want to ask your Vet about this form of therapy, because it is not good to use this form of therapy along with cortisone or other anti-inflammatory treatments.