HELP! Any thoughts?

J

jacksmum

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Newly purchased cob went lame, so after nerve blocks and x-rays turns out his pedal bone has dropped.
After discussion between vet and farrier he has been fitted with heartbar shoes.
Having never had this before this is new territory to me.
Would you expect him to go sound after having the hb' fitted?
Will be speaking to the vet/farrier Monday but any thoughts before might help my stress levels :-)
TIA
 
Vet though he had had laminitis before but farrier thoughts were neglect of feet and bad trimming causing wrong foot balance.
He was slightly o/weight when I got him so he has been on a diet suitable for laminitis and has lost some.
 
My horse had laminitis (cause = Cushings, there usually is some sort of metabolic underlying reason) resulting in some sinkage. How old is he?
Farrier vet recommended applied heart bars and horse was pretty much sound straight away - the shoes supported the pedal bone and the laminae began to recover. However farrier was insistent he would need heart bars for life and I was reluctant to go with that, worried about the walls and therefore the laminae carrying too much of the load.
So, thanks to The Laminitis Site (not to be confused with The Laminitis Trust who advocate a much more radical and risky strategy) I found our best way forward. There is a lot of information on here, but it is all good stuff, fully backed up by science and absolutely well worth a read - http://www.thelaminitissite.org/feet.html Don't leave it to farrier and vet, mine didn't think my horse would ever come sound again, educate yourself and evaluate EVERYTHING - there are a lot of old wives tales.
I decided to use boots and padding to support P3, which were the key really, and work towards a full rehabilitation barefoot. TLS barefoot protocol is excellent (if you can find an experienced trimmer) and has a good recovery rate. I also began to appreciate the value of diet - not just low sugars but balancing minerals and ensuring he has sufficient protein to grow good hooves. I now have a horse with a full set of brand new hooves (they take several months to grow out) better than they have ever been in his life.
 
Depending on how bad the feet were I would not expect instant soundness from having heartbars fitted, the adjustments needed due to neglect may take some time to make and could possibly make him worse before making him better, heartbars may be useful but long term it will be a case of getting his feet well balanced without the shoes and hoping the damage inside can recover.
 
Thankyou, I have a great farrier, who even got my flat footed TB barefoot, and he did say that the heartbars are a means to an end.
Sadly it was a barefoot trimmer that made such a mess of his feet.
Having never dealt with a dropped pedal bone before other peoples experiences are good to hear
 
Mine came sound ish but only for 48 hours or so. But he had rotation and sinking caused by active laminitis that we just couldnt get under control. He was 8/10th lame in his affected leg and 1/10th on the straight and 2/10ths on corners afterwards. My farrier did say it was trial and error to some extent and that they didnt always work the first time or long term.
 
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