Horizontal Hoof Crack/ Lamantitis

[StaceyNiesman]

Hello, a few months ago we took in a 26 yr old Missouri Fox Trotter gelding named L. Previous owner took phenomenal care of him. They were retired and looking to sell there farm but L needed a home. Previous owner stated that L had alomst foundered but they caught it early. He was on a tight regimen 28 oz a day of Purina Enrich Plus broken into 2 or 3 feedings and 12 lbs of grass hay with some added timothy. He went out to pasture from 8-12 and then stayed in the barn. He was wormed every 2 months.
He also took a michromium supplement. His previous vet had passed away a year ago this November and did not leave the recipe. So we weaned him off. L had quite a few issues maintaing weight, colic, and 3 boughts of lameness. Weight is still a major concern. My ferrier is concered that his digestive system is failing. On Sunday I noticed a crack running horizontally across his hoof and swollen cornet band. He wont put much weight on the foot ,front right. The same one that has consitantly gone lame. Our pasture is really rocky now that everything is frozen. So he has been staying by the fence. I dont have a place to confine him to. Im hoping its an abcess but Im worried that it may be a coffin bone issues. My ferrier comes every 8 weeks but that is a few weeks away. Any thoughts?

 

[ycbm]

How high up is the crack, and how long is it?

Just over five kilos of hay sounds like far too little food, especially if you are concerned about his weight.


I really think you should be getting a vet to him. You obviously aren't in the UK, from the way you write about pounds and ounces, but failing to call a vet to a horse who is non weight bearing on one leg when you don't know why would be a prosecutable offence in this country, I'm afraid.

.

 

[ester]

I'd want an xray asap if you have access to someone who can do that, I'm aware that not everywhere has vets as easily to hand as we do in the UK

 

[PurBee]

A sudden horizontal crack and coronet swelling and not standing on that hoof is needing a vet and farrier straight away in my opinion
How wide is the crack?
Has the sole changed shape?
While waiting for the vet Id immediately get padding under that hoof , whatever you have, hoof boots are ideal, but if the foot and coronet is hot to touch could make the foot hotter, so consider cold bucket soak instead to reduce inflammation and pain, while waiting for vet. Tape on polystyrene blocks if you have nothing else.
As you say you have nowhere to stable him, is there a flat area on your land that you can put a deep bed of straw down onto to encourage him to lay down and take the pressure off the front hooves? If your land is frozen and rocky he wont want to lay down, and horses need to lay down to have deep REM sleep brainwaves, they can only snooze standing up. They need 2-3hrs REM daily, otherwise they get irritable, aggressive when young or if older like your horse, stressed, lose weight, despressed.
In his previous home he spent just 4 hrs at pasture, rest of the time in a barn, i presume with the ability to lay down?
Now he’s suddenly had a change of lifestyle which is pasture 24/7?...which is stressful for a horse if he’s been at his last home a long time.
As it is winter and the ground frozen hard, i would put something down on a flat smooth area, without rocks, so he has the chance to lay down. Woodchippings, sawdust, straw...a deep cushioned bed for his foot and body to rest on.

 

[StaceyNiesman]

A sudden horizontal crack and coronet swelling and not standing on that hoof is needing a vet and farrier straight away in my opinion
How wide is the crack?
Has the sole changed shape?
While waiting for the vet Id immediately get padding under that hoof , whatever you have, hoof boots are ideal, but if the foot and coronet is hot to touch could make the foot hotter, so consider cold bucket soak instead to reduce inflammation and pain, while waiting for vet. Tape on polystyrene blocks if you have nothing else.
As you say you have nowhere to stable him, is there a flat area on your land that you can put a deep bed of straw down onto to encourage him to lay down and take the pressure off the front hooves? If your land is frozen and rocky he wont want to lay down, and horses need to lay down to have deep REM sleep brainwaves, they can only snooze standing up. They need 2-3hrs REM daily, otherwise they get irritable, aggressive when young or if older like your horse, stressed, lose weight, despressed.
In his previous home he spent just 4 hrs at pasture, rest of the time in a barn, i presume with the ability to lay down?
Now he’s suddenly had a change of lifestyle which is pasture 24/7?...which is stressful for a horse if he’s been at his last home a long time.
As it is winter and the ground frozen hard, i would put something down on a flat smooth area, without rocks, so he has the chance to lay down. Woodchippings, sawdust, straw...a deep cushioned bed for his foot and body to rest on.

I have been working with my local vet, talking to the state large animal collage, and my ferrier. My local vet grew up with horses but doesnt specifically work with them. She is a general farm vet. The state vet collage is 4 hrs away. My ferrier makes rounds and is in my area approximately every 8 weeks. So for the most part I take care of everything I can on my own.

PurBree: Thank you for the information. I knew they could sleep standing up, but had never heard about the REM sleep and needing to be laying down. My husband put up a small shelter in a less rocky area and I was able to get a medium heavy weight blanket to put on him. We have a barn from 1920 bulit for cows that he stays in but we are currently trying to landscape that part of the pasture due to a mud pit that forms just out side the door. He can get there but its real rocky with frozen mud. With the shelter my husband put up Ill add extra bedding for him. Im soaking in epsom salt and had to cut away a huge chunk of sole by his toe. I have it draining and gave him some bute for swelling and pain.

He currently gets 32% protein in his feed alone pluse lysine selenium low starch and low sugar higher in fat but I increassed his fiber. I use a complete feed because I have been rationing hay. Next year we will be bailing approximately 8 acers and will be set for hay. This year hay prices are up quite a bit due to the major flooding in the Dakota's and surrounding area. Locally we were able to cut twice but didnt cut all 4 acers due to unusually wet conditions. The previous feed he was on had a shocking low fiber content. The new feed also has added pre and probiotics. I want to add a little more biotin to help strenghten his hooves. My vet wanted me to try and change to a senior feed but he had horrible colic as I tried gradually to change it and with the lameness issues we changed to a Special care feed for horses specifically with metabolic issues. He is a high strung horse to start and with the changes in his environment I felt that stress could factor in. Now I am sure. I recaculated the feed for a horse doing moderate work vs light work. So hopfully things will get better.

Thank you!

 

[PurBee]

Youre obviously trying your best for your horse considering how far away you are from outside help.


Its good his foot is draining and being relieved of pressure, and cold soaks will help that too, and keep it clean with epsom salt. If he can lay down itll take pressure off the other foot if he’s not loading the other one.
Has he foundered through the sole? Or is it a massive abscess?

You mentioned selenium as an extra supplement he’s getting. How much is he getting? If he’s on a special care feed, that might have selenium in it too. Its advised a horse have 3mg selenium daily. Selenium toxicity causes horizontal cracked hooves, normally at or just below the coronet band, they can slough off the entire hoof wall, lameness, mane and tail hair thinning/falling out, excess salivation, respiratory failure.
Check your total dosage of selenium hes getting, cut it out immediately if you find he’s been over-dosed and call your vet for further advice.
Some forage can have high selenium. Is dakota soil known for high selenium? You can check government agricultural info websites online for your area to pinpoint identify if it is a high soil selenium area.
There’s some counties in ireland that have random areas of very high selenium levels, so i dont buy hay from there.
All combo feed mixes tend to add selenium as it is an essential nutrient and deficient in many animals diet. That can make it hard to use various feeds at the same time as the selenium dose can become too high.

The new feed higher in fibre with pre and probiotics sounds good to get his gut active and absorbing food better to gain weight. Itll help his immune system too, which will help speed up healing of hoof.

 

[ycbm]

You have a worryingly thin horse who is also 'stressy' and you are rationing hay. He quite likely has ulcers. He needs ad lib hay.

He has a hoof cracking off horizontally and 'huge' draining hole in the toe. He needs x rays yesterday.

And you are keeping him in a frozen paddock.

He is likely to founder on the other foot from being non weight bearing for too long on the cracked one. He needs moving to a more appropriate place if you can't get your barn back in use with a good bed in it.

What's the objective of the 32% protein food? I have never heard of feeding protein levels that high except to horses in very hard work, or fat horses needing protein without too many calories. It sounds like an expensive way to feed a thin resting horse.

ETA
Stacie I know you are in Dakota and services are not as easy to obtain as in the UK, but your situation with this horse doesn't sound at all good to people here in the UK, I'm afraid. He's old, thin, hopping lame, your farrier thinks his digestion is shutting down. I'm sorry to say that it sounds like you should be considering whether his time has come.

.

 

[Pearlsasinger]

I agree with ycbm about the prognosis for this horse but those of us in the UK should also remember when reading OP, that 'founder' in the USA is 'laminitis' to us. It doesn't mean that the pedal bone has dropped through the sole.

 

[ycbm]

I agree with ycbm about the prognosis for this horse but those of us in the UK should also remember when reading OP, that 'founder' in the USA is 'laminitis' to us. It doesn't mean that the pedal bone has dropped through the sole.

Good point PaS and I meant it in the American sense.