Hoof ring

Swift00

Swift00

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Hi I was curious if anyone could shed some light on a hoof ring for me?
Backstory pony is barefoot and wasn't in work at the time
Pony was diagnosed with cushings last July reading of 69.1, unmedicated.
Back in February my pony came in lame/nearly no weight bearing, we put him on box rest and had the vet out. Vet using hoof testers on left front, he was very sore next to the frog on the outside, so we treated as an abscess. 5 days later he was almost sound and no sign of abscess bursting, so vet suggested it was a bruised sole, so we turned him out in a small paddock and he was sound a week later. No problems since.
Fast forward to more recently, he was re-tested for cushings, which strangely came back clear at 27.4. I have since put him back on a biotin supplement and 5 weeks ago started to bring him back into more regular work. (Just hacking at weekends)
After the farrier trims him he seems a bit sore for a few weeks on hard ground, but fine on soft, I use hoof boots in front for hacking but over rough ground he is still a bit sore of late. He has always struggled on stony ground. Totally sound of softer non rough ground.
To the point, this last week I noticed a definite hoof ring on the one hoof that was affected in February. It is a 1/4" indent parallel to the coronet band about 1/2 way down his hoof, which would tie in with his lameness. The other three hooves are unaffected. I can get pictures tomorrow if it helps
So my question really is, can you get hoof rings from abscesses/bruising? Or could there if been something else going on?
I am awIting my vet getting back to me, and also in the process of changing farriers

Thank you if you made it to the end :)
 
I found that my Cushings horse's sensitive feet became rock crunching as soon as the Prasccend kicked in. I can't see any reason why the damaged hoof wouldn't develop an event ring.
 
So you would expect an event ring from it? If so that puts my mind at rest! Trouble is he's not on pracend we didn't medicate, but his re-test this year was clear so no Cushing s, I'm assuming last years was a faulse positive fue to stress
 
IME, if there is an event, there could well be an event line, especially in a horse with sensitive feet.
In addition to the test results, I think it advisable to take into account the presentation of the horse, with yours I would ask for the alternative (TRH) test to determine what is going on. I think it is more usual to get false negative, rather than false positive tests. I am surprised that your vet didn't suggest retesting in 3 months, rather than waiting a year to retest, 69 isn't usually considered to be borderline, I think my vet would have wanted to medicate sooner rather than later.
 
Thanks I have asked about the other sim test but vet said it wasn't necessary, but I did change vets.
With old vet July 16 result was 64.1 we re tested 3 months after during the seasonal rise October '16 result was 69.1. So vet said not to medicate and re-test at next jabs, in this time I moved so had to change vets, new vet test July '17 result 27.4 I queried the results and what was going on but unfortunately I don't think the new vet has much experience!
 
Swift00 said:
Thanks I have asked about the other sim test but vet said it wasn't necessary, but I did change vets.
With old vet July 16 result was 64.1 we re tested 3 months after during the seasonal rise October '16 result was 69.1. So vet said not to medicate and re-test at next jabs, in this time I moved so had to change vets, new vet test July '17 result 27.4 I queried the results and what was going on but unfortunately I don't think the new vet has much experience!
Click to expand...

I don't think enough is really known about cushings, they do seem to respond well to prascend when it is used but in this case I wonder whether the low reading is due to a more suitable environment bringing the result down so it could well be a true reading, I don't expect many will be regularly tested with a reading that would usually mean the vet wants to medicate, then not medicated, moved, retested with a lower result, there may be many that get medication that don't really need it as well as many that never get tested that don't show many symptoms so still so much to find out.
I have had 2 here with cushings, the first was on medication when he arrived then with a complete change of management was weaned off over a long period of time, he never had laminitis and was very young, about 11 when diagnosed, the other was much older, 28 when started on prascend, again not laminitic and did well on a very low dose and stayed in light work for another few years.
 
Yes, too many variables, thankfull the only symptoms my boy had were late shedding coat, he still has some tufts of last years winter coat on his back but is already growing this years winter coat! And his behaviour got more spooky, but since moving this appears to of improved to some degree.
 
Swift00 said:
Hi I was curious if anyone could shed some light on a hoof ring for me?

last week I noticed a definite hoof ring on the one hoof that was affected in February. It is a 1/4" indent parallel to the coronet band about 1/2 way down his hoof, which would tie in with his lameness. The other three hooves are unaffected.

I am awIting my vet getting back to me, and also in the process of changing farriers
Click to expand...

Hi, what you describe is damage following an abscess, a big abscess, if it caused a whole growth ring.

I'm glad you're changing farrier ;)
 
Thing is no abscess was ever found/burst. More experienced Vet seen photos and think he may of had laminitis, and wants to x-ray to check. Not sure how to post pictures to here...
 
Swift00 said:
Thing is no abscess was ever found/burst. More experienced Vet seen photos and think he may of had laminitis, and wants to x-ray to check. Not sure how to post pictures to here...
Click to expand...


sometimes you don't actually know it has been an abscess ie in it bursting. It is only when you see the mark on the hoof several weeks later. Horses with cushings can be prone to abscesses. Mine used to have lots before he was successfully under control.
He had what I thought was a suspected abscess. Nothing was found, one vet, one very experienced farrier, one set of xrays and another vet. No one found anything and ruled out an abscess. 3 months later there was the tell tale mark on the hoof wall. It had been an abscess.
 
Thanks, this is 6 months later and it's not a mark on the side where wh was sore it's a ring/depression all the way round. I'll see if I can work out how to post pictures
 
Mine had an abcess that was asymptomatic and I only knew about it by finding a tiny exit mark on the coronet band. It was only by pure chance I found it - could you have missed it under the hair I wonder? By the time it had grown down into the hoof wall it was virtually invisible.
 
I certainly could of missed it, but he was 4/5lame on day one, by the afternoon on box rest he was already only 2/5 lame. If it burst in those 12hrs I would of thought I would ok known about it.
If I put a straight line on that hoof it has a very tiny amount of directional change at the ring. Also if I look closely there is a ring on each foot but only just visible, no angle change on them tho.
 
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