Barefoot for a year but still footy?

NooNoo59

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So put the pony in the boots with the pads today and walked in hand down the road, not brilliant I have to say in fact quite hesitant over some surfaces so is that possible with boots and pads on the front, could it be that he is footy behind as well? He is fine in the lunge pen and in the school in fact quite bright!! He looks so good at the moment having lost some weight, but there is no way I can ride him out yet, frustrating when it was so lovely this afternoon!
 

Fides

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Tbh if still footy after this long I'd be considering putting shoes back on the poor b*gger :( both of mine are barefoot as I prefer it but if they were in pain I'd shoe in a heartbeat!
 

NooNoo59

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I really do not want to shoe behind as I think that was a contributing factor to his major lameness. But fronts yes I think I may have to, then I can use the boots on the backs if needs be! Just worried about covering up any issues with the shoes
 

NooNoo59

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Aha!! had the EP out today and there is heat in the near fore, EP has got a new toy from Aldi which is a heat gun and he has heat on the inside of the near fore just below the coronet band so we think we have an abcess brewing which would explain why he has not been feeling right, so pleased as I thought I was going mad and imagining things, so we wait again and see what happens after this has popped out.
 

NooNoo59

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So abcess has not appeared but still heat, vet coming tomorrow. Really starting to doubt if we can continue barefoot in front. Would rock hard or something similar help his feet? feet good but the white line is still soft in places after 14 months
 

Leg_end

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My first thought would be that the diet is still not right - are you feeding any supplements?

If your horse is constantly footy after a year (and the diet is spot on) I would be shoeing it TBH as it's not fair. My horse had incredibly flat feet when he transitioned and was footy on small stones on the road for a couple of months after he came back from Rockley. However, he improved steadily and if there is a drop in capability there is usually a reason. Plus we aren't coping with any metabolic issues which make life far trickier.
 

NooNoo59

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As far as I can see the diet is good, fast fibre and L mix from Allen and Page, soaked hay, mag ox yea sacc and probalance all from Progressive Earth. Vet has been today thinks the heat may be because he is sore and compensating so has stressed that part of the hoof, it is a problem area as he had a major abcess there years ago and will always have a hole. Vet is also going to check the x rays from 12 months ago when we had the lameness work up to make sure we are not missing anything. We will get bloods back tomorrow and then see where his ACTH levels are and then make a decision but I think the shoes are going to have to go back on the front. I just want to make absolutely sure that we are not missing anything as do not want to mask a problem with the shoes. So we wait and see for now, frustrating but not the end of the world.
 

maggiesmum

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I have one currently that goes footy on fast fibre (and another that turns into a loon on top chop lite but is done with pelleted alfalfa ?!?), has that always been a part of the diet since the start? Could it be worth trying a very simple diet of unmolassed beet & the supplements for a few weeks to see what happens?
Fingers crossed you get to the bottom of it. :)
 

NooNoo59

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no He has only been having fast fibre recently was on Spillers hi fibre nuts before, how can ff make them go footy as it is low everything and molasses free! He cant have beet, sends him loopy! Blooming horses, going to wait and hear what the vet says, I think if he thinks its a good idea to shoe then I will, he has been my vet for 14 years and I trust his judgement and before anyone jumps in he is NOT anti barefoot!!
 

wench

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Aha!! had the EP out today and there is heat in the near fore, EP has got a new toy from Aldi which is a heat gun and he has heat on the inside of the near fore just below the coronet band so we think we have an abcess brewing which would explain why he has not been feeling right, so pleased as I thought I was going mad and imagining things, so we wait again and see what happens after this has popped out.

I'm afraid I'd be wanting a reputable farrier to have a look, not someone using DIY tools from aldi!
 

JDH01

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I have been following this thread and have read all the posts what on earth is all this about DIY heat guns?? Please explain their use and what this is meant to diagnose?? If your horse is footy after a year get a vet not forum advice the poor thing is suffering!
 

Queenbee

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Ha ha, I had visions of some idiot standing over the horses hoof with one of those blow torches you use on a creme brûlée!

On a more serious note, get the vet out op, if I had anyone come out and do this to my horse I'd seriously be questioning their sanity and their capability.
 

NooNoo59

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The vet came out on Monday, I am waiting a call back from him and if he advises I will put the shoes back on.
The Equine Podiatrist who found the heat was recommended on this forum, he is very sane and talks a lot of sense and with this heat sensor found that on one part of the hoof there was significantly more heat than in any where else, which is a problem and the vet has now looked at this. The vets opinion is that he is sore and probably loading that part of the foot which has caused it to inflame.
The vet is checking xrays we had done a year ago and waiting for bloods for the cushings and then we will decide what to do next.
I have already checked when the yard farrier is coming next.
And I used a highly recommended farrier for eight years and his method of shoeing was a contributing factor to my horses lameness.
Its all very well people on here saying do this and do that, but I have always used the best people I can find and you trust that they know how to their job sometimes its not until something goes wrong that you realise they are not as good as you have always thought, I am not a saddler/farrier/trimmer and therefore its only with experience and hindsight that you get to know that some are not the best, but if we all experts in all fields we would all be able to save ourselves a lot of money!!
 

Queenbee

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Really glad you got the vet out op, I hope it gets sorted. Personally I would want a new set of x rays showing what's going on now, and then take it from there. Fingers crossed you can get to the bottom of it all
 

NooNoo59

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I have spoken to the vet and the bloods ACTH are 78 from 61 although he has been having prascend. Vet is going to speak to new farrier, and we are having new xrays done next week.
He said it is very unusual for the levels to go up when you are already medicating, cant lie getting a bit worried now about my boy, he seems fine in himself but what is going on with him, somethings not quite right and I wish I knew what it was
 

Queenbee

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Hmmm, just like all medication, it needs monitoring and altering, conditions can change. Will be interesting to hear about the X-ray results next week
 

NooNoo59

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Thank you! The first time that I noticed anything was wrong was just before Christmas we had an unexplained bout of laminitus and then he was really lethargic and then we tested for Cushings. He is still footy and his levels have gone up, what the hell is going on?
 

charliejet

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Thank you! The first time that I noticed anything was wrong was just before Christmas we had an unexplained bout of laminitus and then he was really lethargic and then we tested for Cushings. He is still footy and his levels have gone up, what the hell is going on?


Dont panic just yet! It just means that you dont have the dose of Prascend at the correct level yet. It takes time and there is no set dose for any horse they all react differently. To me it sounds as if the PPID is NOT under control yet and you need to increase the dose of Prascend. Speak to your Vet. about increasing the dose. But you will have to be patient, it takes time to get the dose correct for the individual and can involve a bit of experimenting. Also ACTH levels fluctuate all the time so cant be relied on solely you need to take clinical symptoms into account just as much as blood results.
 

LucyPriory

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Anecdotal only - but a lot of my client horses go footy if they eat straw. My own is very sensitive and will go footy on the tiniest amount. Fast Fibre whichis well tolerated by many horses does have straw in it.
 

NooNoo59

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Been to the vet and xrays are all good, so we are putting shoes on the fronts only and have upped the Prascend to two tablets a day to see if that gets the level correct. Relieved to find all good in his feet, as the vet says he could just be one of those ponies that is not going to cope barefoot and I have no issue putting fronts on if he is more comfortable. So hopefully we are on the up!!
 
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