does seedy toe always mean lami..?

O

oliviacharley

Well-Known Member
Joined
18 September 2006
Messages
1,250
Location
the moon!!
Visit site
Just wondering cause my old pony seems to have a little as well as my large horse....the farrier has cut out the seedy toe on my large horse but there does seem to be a couple of cracks appearing with my little pony hooves too...
My large horse is not shod and is currently finding it really horrible walking on stones ( which he hasnt had probs with very much before) ...he is also running around the field like a nutcase so I dont think he has had lami...?
He has just had 6 weeks box rest and riding rest due to pulling his pelvis muscles....so Im thinking the weather and the shock of that might have weakened his hooves...but im not sure about my old pony...??
confused.gif
 
My lad had seedy toe caused by a mechanical problem (caused by apprentice farrier not getting foot level) but has never had lami in the 15 yrs I've owned him
 
MY horse had seedy toe, it is a fungal infection and it cleared with bathing in diluted bleach. I believe he caught it from another horse in the same field.

I think that cornucrescine and formula 4 feet do disinfectants for this.
 
True seedy toe at the toe is not always connected with laminitis. If it spreads around the foot and becomes more like white line disease, it can be associated with the stretching of the laminae. This is generally thought to be connected with laminitis (which means inflammation of the laminae as I'm sure we're all aware) as the stretching of the laminae can lead to the rotation of the pedal bone.
My horse started off with seedy toe at her toes and it then spread around her white line. I am having trouble with her weight at the moment so I wouldn't be at all surprised if it was the beginnings of laminitis. It's interesting to hear though that it has affected how foot sore your horse is on stones - mine is painful to watch on stones but fine on concrete and doubly fine on grass. I'm going to ask my farrier about shoeing her in front next time he comes but I wonder now if it's just because of the infection...
 
The infection will most certainly make your horse footy, but not necessarily laminitic. Any infection will compromise the hoof wall and reduce the quality and thus its ability to withstand hard work. Poor quality means poor elasticity and instead of expanding under pressure, it will simply break and the outer wall will flare, pull out and separate from the inner wall. This will in turn stress the laminae and cause soreness.

It's not enough to simply cut away the hoof wall (gagggghhh why do farriers still do that - mine included!). Whilst the infection is worse when anaerobic, it's still there and rumbling on when exposed to air! The cause need to be treated, too!

To treat, there are a million ways, but it does need treating, or else the problem won't go away and the hoof wall will crack and deteriorate, just as our own nails do. My preferred choice is virkon, as it's non-necrotic and convenient. I use a concentrated paste. Others use milton in a soaking boot, others use Cleantrax, available through Equine Podiatrists (KC La Pierre -trained). Borax is another one. I've never used diluted bleach, on the basis that it's necrotic and therefore can also damage healthy tissue, but if others have found it succesful, heck, try it. If you haven't got any of this available, bacteria and fungi struggle in high salt conditions, so packing in kaolin poultice would be safe as an emergency measure until you go horsey shopping (like you need an excuse)
smile.gif
 
fab - thanks for all the great comments.....wonderful to hear a good range of views on this....
I do believe my horse has become foot soar due to the seedy toe - so I would hold fire with the shoeing....also have you thought about using old macs....? I use those and they are great...it is also a great way of strengthing the hoof and stops from farriers fiddling around with them and shoeing....
I just pick my horses feet out normally...use a little hibiscrub if any thrush and clean the boots out with hibiscrub once they have been worn....you can clean the inside sock out as well - washing machine very light wash.....
works wonders and my boys feet had improved lots when I first got him....Im putting the seedy toe down to an apprentice farrier and also the weather....
smile.gif
 
I had thought about the hoof boot things but it hadn't occurred to me at all that the soreness was due to the infection. Thanks for mentioning it, although I don't think my bank account is going to be too happy but I'll have a look for some hoof boots!
smile.gif
 
It depends on how severe the infection. If you have a crack all the way up to the coronet band, then in theory until that crack grows out, you have a compromised hoof wall and will need to treat routinely until it's gone. This is one reason I like virkon. I can make up a little and dribble it into the crack, without having to use a soaking boot.

The structure should improve within a couple of weeks, assuming that the hoof is well balanced. Any slight imbalance and that crack won't go away, no matter how hard you treat. I normally have to treat for seedy toe when Henry's shoes come off in the autumn. I treat immediately after a trim, daily for a week, then once a week or so (when I remember!) through the winter. The condition around the white line improves immediately, but above that would be too far inside the hoof wall to have an immediate effect, as the damage needs to grow out/repair from the inside. We now know that the hoof wall grows outwards and not just downwards, so it's not as long as people used to believe, however repair will be determined by diet, turnout, metabolism, quality and frequency of trims...Henry is trimmed every 4 weeks in the winter (me trimming when back allows!) and he doesn't have cracks.

Silmarillion, have a look on a few barefoot forums (there's a section on the Enlightened Equitation forum) and see if there are any secondhand ones available. That'll save you lots of stirling! You can measure up the tootsies based on size charts available for each type of boot (measure immediately after a trim).
 
I know what you mean
wink.gif

Although I got my hoof boots 2nd hand on ebay for £50.....
So same as a pair of shoes really....
If you need any more advice or info on them give me a shout
laugh.gif
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top