Page 578 - The Veterinary Care of the Horse

• the iliac arteries may be severed by the sharp edges of bone and cause the horse to go

into shock and die from blood loss
VetBooks.ir • the height of the two tubera coxae and tubera sacrale are no longer the same resulting in

pelvic asymmetry

• the overlying muscles are often in spasm.

FRACTURES OF THE TUBER COXAE

The tuber coxae may fracture as the result of a blow, a kick or in response to training stresses.

The condition is sometimes referred to as a ‘knocked down hip’. The clinical signs are:
• moderate to severe lameness for the first couple of days followed by a rapid

improvement

• severe muscle spasm
• a haematoma may form at the fracture site

• soft tissue swelling

• asymmetry of the paired tubera coxae when viewed from behind

• the fractured piece of bone often migrates forwards and downwards to under the skin in
the flank region

• sometimes a discharging sinus develops over the fractured piece of bone

• if the skin is broken at the fracture site, the sharp bone may prevent the skin healing over
and closing the wound.

FRACTURES OF THE PUBIS AND ISCHIUM

These fractures are much less common than fractures of the ileal wing and shaft. If the tuber
ischii is fractured by the horse falling over backwards, there is often:

• obvious soft tissue swelling
• pain and crepitus (grating of bone) on palpation

• patchy sweating on the back of the thigh from nerve damage

• the tail may be held to the affected side as a result of muscle spasm.

• wasting of the attached muscles (hamstrings).

Diagnosis

Diagnosis of pelvic fractures is made on the following.
• The clinical signs.