Clover's feet, some 12 weeks on

[Ranyhyn]

Hi all.

Some of you will remember my issues with Clover, first exposed by a pretty rough but not awful injury during turnout.

I left the care of her feet to the farrier, like many others do, however to cut a long and ugly story short - that didn't work for us. When the vet came to look at her that night she exposed these feet. The blame for that lies solely on my shoulders and slowly now I'm looking at educating myself on feet matters so I don't have to blindy trust again

This is what we found

A new farrier was sought and managed to get them to this

The same new farrier has backed us in taking shoes off, whether or not he'll be the "best" guy to carry forward her life without shoes, I'm not certain but for now I *think* he's doing a decent job in helping her repair herself.

For those interested, after vet work-up and xrays it confirmed no fracture etc (phew) and he diagnosed soft tissue injury, when speaking with my farrier he feels she has done the horsey equivalent of ripping her nail from the bed. It will take time and mother nature to help fix it, but it will come right eventually.

So here we are today. It's not perfect but I feel there is an improvement. We are still waiting for the laminae to repair fully and knit back (I hope I am right in using those terms!) hence the gap still appearing, but we have progress and both I and my partner feel that rest coupled with the natural approach of shoes off are helping that recovery.

I'm open to suggestions regarding how to move forward, but gentle please!

Thanks for looking.

 

[flintfootfilly]

I look after my own gang's feet, and have done for nearly 10 years now, so I'm always interested to see foot photos. Thanks for posting them.

Those heels are definitely looking better now, aren't they. The first photo shows them really under-run, and your more recent photos show them back to where they should be and at a nice height.

The heels look lovely and wide, even in the first photo.

I can't really see anything else to comment on, especially as I always find it difficult to pick out the white line from photos. Must admit, I always like to see a photo taken from ground level right alongside the hoof, so that you can see clearly the hoof wall angle at the coronet band, and see any changes to that angle as the foot comes down to the ground. From what you say about the laminae, I expect that view will show quite a dramatic change in angle?

Did the vet actually diagnose a particular soft tissue injury, or was it just a way of saying because they hadn't found anything on Xray, they suspected soft tissue damage?

Hope all goes well.

Sarah

 

[Ranyhyn]

Hi Sarah,

Yes diagnosis seemed to be exactly that! Incidental findings were sidebones, however vet and farrier both happy they had nothing to do with sudden lameness issue.

Yeah I do need to get some progressive side shots, she's currently on enforced rest in our furthest field from the yard (our driest and least good quality field!) and I've been reticent to bring her over until the 6 weeks rest period is up (next week)

I do however have some photos from the side for you to have a look at. Be prepared they are pretty horrific. Bear in mind these are 6 weeks and the farrier catergorically told me NOT to call him earlier than 8 weeks because he'd have "nothing to do" and that her feet were "healthy" when questioned. Sigh.

to (she went into shoes briefly in Dec - say early/mid Dec)

 

[Oberon]

Hi all.
The same new farrier has backed us in taking shoes off, whether or not he'll be the "best" guy to carry forward her life without shoes, I'm not certain but for now I *think* he's doing a decent job in helping her repair herself.

For those interested, after vet work-up and xrays it confirmed no fracture etc (phew) and he diagnosed soft tissue injury, when speaking with my farrier he feels she has done the horsey equivalent of ripping her nail from the bed. It will take time and mother nature to help fix it, but it will come right eventually.

So here we are today. It's not perfect but I feel there is an improvement. We are still waiting for the laminae to repair fully and knit back (I hope I am right in using those terms!) hence the gap still appearing, but we have progress and both I and my partner feel that rest coupled with the natural approach of shoes off are helping that recovery.

Once the dermal and epidermal laminae have separated - they can't knit back together again.
You can only grow a whole new hoof wall.

The secret is to allow the new growth to grow in without allowing it to be subject to any further shearing forces or weakness from diet.

Without the correct diet - no trim will work.

I am sure you are on top of it - but with spring fast approaching I thought I would just mention it again Even if she isn't 'the type' to struggle in spring - you don't need any complications right now.

If your farrier is willing to work with you - then he sounds like the best person for the job

To see how you are doing - keep an eye from the top. The first inch and a half of wall growth from the coronet band is the pure and beautiful angle of growth (usually) that is not yet subject to any mechanical forces.
So if the inch and a half is growing straight down uninterrupted - you have it nailed.
Over the months, if the wall continues to flare away from that top angle, further down - you haven't got it perfected yet.

But the front of the hoof is only half the story - the back of the hoof is just as important. If she isn't comfy or strong enough on the heels and frog (and internally the digital cushions and lateral cartilages) then she won't land heel first. She'll continuously land toe first. It's correct to do that sometimes on certain inclines or terrains - but the relentless toe first landing all the time will keep on ripping at that laminae.

The point being that taking the shoes off will allow the back of the hoof to strengthen via ground contact - she's already started developing. Keep up the good work!

This is how to take hoof pics
http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=510733&highlight=hoof+pics

 

[Ranyhyn]

Hi Oberon,

Thanks for the reply. I am sure you have posted about diet previously, so a link would be helpful if your fingers are tired from typing it out again!

Currently she's out on the scrubbiest field we have, we suffer from excellent grazing at home, however because it is at home I can hopefully create whatever environment is most conducive to helping her recover.

She is a ridiculously good doer. She hasn't been fed through Dec til now apart from supplements and is only begrudgingly hayed. I will post a photo of her condition for you to see. Yesterday I switched her rug down to a lightweight in an effort to help her shake some weight.

Any diet suggestions would be welcome, we currently have a sack of hi-fi lite here (unstarted) i dont know if that will be suitable for her or not, but either way the ponies can have it

 

[Kiristamm]

The situation you are in happened to a stallion I worked with. Unfortunately I can't give much details about how it happened, could be seen as slanderous (some very big names were involved) but time healed the horse as well, he is now gelded (different reasons) and jumping BIG fences again!

 

[Ranyhyn]

Thanks for your reply Kiristamm, it's nice to hear of similar recovery stories. Right now I'll be glad if we can pootle round the lanes, let alone jump

 

[Kiristamm]

You are addressing the issue and taking for knowledgable advice and thinking about the feeding etc, I am sure you are giving your horse every chance of healing. Oberon is right, a lot of good advice there!

 

[flintfootfilly]

Thanks for the photos.

The photo at 6 weeks shows the under-run heels and long toes (disconnected hoof wall) really well.

And it looks in the next photo as though progress had definitely been made.

Keep up the good work!

Sarah

 

[Lancelot]

Hi BoolavogueDC,

I'm a total novice with all this hoof stuff. My chap has been out of shoes just slightly longer than your girl and from the little I've learned in that time I would be really happy with how the frog is improving on your girl, it looks much healthier now!

My chap still has a bit of a stretched WL but I'm hopeful that now his diet is improved this will tighten as the new hoof capsule growns in. He also can live on fresh air but is having a small feed of speedibeet & linseed to carry a mineral balancer & magox.

Good luck with it all

 

[CBFan]

They do look lots better! Keep taking the piccies! You'll (hopefully!) continue to be impressed.

Re diet, DON'T feed Hi-fi lite - despite the laminitis trust approval it does contain mollasses in extract form.

If you need to give her anything (to provide her supplements in) speedibeet is good as are plain old high fibre cubes.

As you have the luxury of your own land, you might want to look into a paddock paradise grazing system for her in spring, summer and Autumn months which will help keep her trim, enabling you to manage her grass intake as well as giving her feet some continual stimulation.

Any hay you do put out, put in several small piles spread out across the field rather than in one spot so she has to move and 'forrage' for it.

 

[Oberon]

Hi Oberon,

Thanks for the reply. I am sure you have posted about diet previously, so a link would be helpful if your fingers are tired from typing it out again!

Currently she's out on the scrubbiest field we have, we suffer from excellent grazing at home, however because it is at home I can hopefully create whatever environment is most conducive to helping her recover.

She is a ridiculously good doer. She hasn't been fed through Dec til now apart from supplements and is only begrudgingly hayed. I will post a photo of her condition for you to see. Yesterday I switched her rug down to a lightweight in an effort to help her shake some weight.

Any diet suggestions would be welcome, we currently have a sack of hi-fi lite here (unstarted) i dont know if that will be suitable for her or not, but either way the ponies can have it

If she's a good doer, all she'll need is forage and minerals that might be missing from said forage.

You can get a forage analysis and bespoke mineral balancing to know exactly what you need.

Or if that isn't a possibilty, there are two supplements currently on the market that are helpful. Equimins META Balance or Pro Hoof. Just put either one in a small, neutral base (unmolassed beet/hay chaff/oat straw chaff/Fast Fibre).

In the winter months - micronised linseed is an excellent addition (the omega oils in the same ratio as good grass...the magic of Dr Green without the sugar!).

If you do a search for 'barefoot diet' you'll get several threads about this subject.

http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=508098&highlight=barefoot+diet

http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=498827&highlight=barefoot+diet

http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=486887&highlight=barefoot+diet