It has had seedy toe. I generally re-sect that, or at least window it at the top so meds can be applied. I did one at the vets last week on x-ray you can see how far up the separation extends. On yours it probably extends to the top of that crack.
I was about to post that it is worth looking at mineral intake imo. Seedy toe ime usually forms a hole in the white line (between wall and sole) not shelly walls.
I was about to post that it is worth looking at mineral intake imo. Seedy toe ime usually forms a hole in the white line (between wall and sole) not shelly walls.
The sole wall junction has worn back to nothing, whether the problem is nutritional, mechanical fungal or bacterial or all of the above, the dorsal wall has all the properties of chocolate in this horse and the separation is ongoing. I am all in favour of doing nothing but I will bet a pound to a penny in the current climate that separation will be full of minerals but not ones its ingested. until its resected or windowed that will continue. And I do agree the horn looks poor.
What's the sole wall junction?
The climate here is very VERY dry. It rains only occasionally and we have very little mud all year. We're now going into winter which will be even drier. Is this relevant?
I did think the ground looked dry Its the corner that is made up by the sole, the white line and the wall.
I *think* black beastie posted some pics of her old lads feet that were flaking like that... in a very wet scotland at the time! I don't know if that has resolved or not but might be worth a pm. Is it just the one hoof?
Is the bar overlaying on the sole shot?
I can see a wide white line but perhaps I'm not seeing clearly. I do think the hoof shows probable dietary problems (excess sugars and mineral imbalance or deficiency) but I am not a professional. The heels look a bit high too but the horse is sound so high heels may be needed. The stress rings (that also dip at the heels) point to excess sugars in the diet to me.The sole wall junction has worn back to nothing, whether the problem is nutritional, mechanical fungal or bacterial or all of the above, the dorsal wall has all the properties of chocolate in this horse and the separation is ongoing. I am all in favour of doing nothing but I will bet a pound to a penny in the current climate that separation will be full of minerals but not ones its ingested. until its resected or windowed that will continue. And I do agree the horn looks poor.
I can see a wide white line but perhaps I'm not seeing clearly. I do think the hoof shows probable dietary problems (excess sugars and mineral imbalance or deficiency) but I am not a professional. The heels look a bit high too but the horse is sound so high heels may be needed. The stress rings (that also dip at the heels) point to excess sugars in the diet to me.
I personally wouldn't like to see a resection of the whole dorsal wall. What support and protection is left? If the white line is infected perhaps a soak in something like cleantrax would be a less invasive approach.
The horse doesn't happen to have Connemara in it's blood lines does it? I doubt it in Argentina.
I think it was this thread I remember of BBS they don't look quite how I remembered them in my head though
http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=593174
Nor do mineno I agree they don't, more chipping than the flaking the mare is getting.
(ps mine doesn't get carrots!)
Looks like delamination/hoof wall separation to me. The white line is stretched (a tight w/l should be no thicker than a credit card). I would also say dietary problems - possibly dietary sugars and/or mineral imbalances. There are instances where hoof wall separation syndrome is genetic, however. My friend's horse had this before going barefoot... a few months on a decent balancer and it went.
I wouldn't resect it!
It doesn't look to me like it's in the white line, and since I thought seedy toe was only used to describe a white line infection I'd call that hoof wall separation myself. I've had it in two horses and I remove it back to well attached wall, but I've never seen it go that high.
A friend of mine, a pro trimmer, is convinced it's a lack of protein issue. In the two cases I've had the horses were both on poor quality diets and it resolved in a few months on decent food.
In connemaras it's genetic and I am one of several people to have reported it in a German warmblood.
It may be relevant, given your climate, that the advice for connemaras with the syndrome is that they do much better if the feet are kept wet.
It isn't in the white line. Isn't alfalfa full of protein? This what they eat, in addition to fairly thin grazing.
Interesting about keeping the feet wet.
No you probably wouldnt and you would be wrong! Have you ever x-rayed feet like this? The x-ray would be white where the separation is with crap up there. The stratum exterum/medium is not attached and not functional. It is trapping a dirt and bacteria, it isnt weight bearing and is serving no purpose except to ruin your chances of fixing it with feeding. your prescriptive treatment of all situations is reflective of your lack of experience.You read it in books so it must be right, and all else is wrong.
It doesn't look to me like it's in the white line, and since I thought seedy toe was only used to describe a white line infection I'd call that hoof wall separation myself.
I don't know if I buy the protein argument myself, but I do think it can be helped/resolved with a good balanced diet. Do they only get alfalfa? Any supplements?
It's the only foot condition I know where the recommendation is to turn the horse out in a bog!
If I could draw on photos I would draw on what I see as the white line. Can anyone do it? To me on the solar shot only wall is missing at the toe the wl looks intact all the way round the hoof to me. It could be dodgy at the quarters but hard to tell. I also thought seedy toe was infected/eaten white line at the toe. Anywhere else and it's called white line disease as far as I know.
PF can you get forage balancers over there?