Asymmetric hoof growth...

Nudibranch

Nudibranch

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I have a horrible here we go again feeling (previous horse was pts aged 8 due to multiple issues)...

10yo Dales mare. Owned since 3 and backed and brought on myself. Diagnosed with PPID aged 9. Well controlled; only issues have been skin and coat quality, some puffiness above the eyes and low energy. Insulin fine. Always excellent Dales feet, very symmetrical and well balanced. Never shod. She does wear boots for hacking as we often ride over stony ground.

Over the last couple of months I started noticing her left fore becoming more boxy. On her last trim the farrier noticed it straight away. Did a quick trot up at the vets, who decided 1/10 lame in trot on that leg. She is booked in for a work up and x rays.

Literally nothing has changed. Last ACTH test was fine (December). We hack, do fun rides, beach rides etc. Like my last horse she has never set foot in an arena.

She did have an abscess in that hoof exactly 2 years ago. Very little pus but it did eventually track out. Seemingly fine ever since and the boxiness is much more recent.

The first thought that comes into my head is early navicular. Or some sort of one sided subclinical laminitis? Farrier pointed out we do live on the side of a hill and part of the grazing is very steep. But I'm not sure that would account for it?

Any suggestions welcome. I know really it's a case of waiting for the x rays but I don't want to be going down another "never quite right" rabbit hole again. And since we moved I've gone from a vet who knew my horses inside out to a big practice where you never see the same person twice.
 
If its showing in the feet it will show on xrays OR will be showing in the muscle. If the vet comes up blank I would start with a thorough and veterinary minded bodyworker. (Not a masseuse.)

She could have slipped or stepped on a rock and has been compensating a bit. Doesn't have to be a disaster. Horses before zebras!!
 
Could be that abscess pain on that foot has caused her to throw weight onto the other foot. Then the heel starts to overgrow a little, and now she can't weight the foot properly and starts to weight the toe. Ask your farrier if he thinks the foot is as balanced as it used to be.
 
Farrier thinks it's more recent than the abscess. Heels are still good, its hard to explain, just a more upright confo yet no visible heel changes. He thinks we'd have seen it before 2 years. Although it is a coincidence...
 
Worth remembering that hoof shape changes are often a symptom of what's going on elsewhere, not the root cause.
A boxier (or flatter) foot can develop because the horse is loading that limb differently due to something higher up eg. neck, thoracic sling, even loading/compensation from hind limb lameness.

So while foot X-rays are sensible, I’d be cautious about being focussed on it being a foot issue based on shape alone. If the imaging doesn’t fully explain it, I’d want the work-up to look well beyond the foot.
 
It can definitely be a chicken or egg first question, and the answer isn't the same for every horse.

It could be an internal hoof issue causing uneven growth, or a limb/body issue causing uneven loading, or a sore hoof causing body compensations, thus causing uneven loading....

Fingers crossed for a nice clear, resolvable finding on x-ray!
 
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