AVA Conference Adelaide 2016

Equine fractures occur commonly enough in practice that there is an absolute requirement for the clinician to be aware of the appropriate first aid, splinting and transportation techniques available.  Furthermore they are often stressful situations for all, including the patient, owner/trainer and the practitioner!  Veterinarians are often being rushed into decision making in such circumstances, be it in the field or on the racecourse, which adds to the pressure of the situation.  In this presentation we firstly discuss how to make the diagnosis in the field and then specifically look at bandaging and splinting techniques of the various anatomical regions of the horses limbs.  Forelimb fractures are generally divided into four anatomical zones and hind limbs are divided into three zones, each of which has specific bandage/splint combination requirements that one must be aware of.  We will also look at some of the commercially available splints along with those made from commonly available resources and prepared in the field.  This is an important presentation, not only because of its welfare issue, but also because appropriate splinting and transportation of the fracture patient can prevent further trauma, improving the chance of a successful repair at a referral facility.