Laminitis - outward signs of rotation

Wagtail

Wagtail

Horse servant
Joined
2 December 2010
Messages
14,815
Location
Lincs
Visit site
I have a livery horse that came down with acute laminitis this spring for the first time in his life. Since then he spends 16 hours a day in the sand and the rest of the time on a bare paddock. But his feet suddenly looked awful these last four weeks and have spread badly so that they overlapped his shoes. When the farrier shod him this time he showed me that the white line had spread to measure 3/4 inch diameter due to separation of the hoof wall. Would you advise the owner to get xrays done? If he were mine I would have them done. Farrier said he didn't think he had any rotation. But how can he tell? He has a slight dip over the coronary band (minimal) and so I wonder if he has any sinking. He is sound on soft ground but footy on hard ground.
 
Any horse with lami really should be xrayed, no vet can tell you the damage from looking at the feet

Also if the horse is still incomfortable them im guessing there is more damage internally

Also i would be asking the vet for bloods to be carried out to rule out anything like cushings or insulin resistance, best of luck.
 
If there is marked rotation the sole may be quite flat, also a slight dip in the front of the hoof wall, but not always.

I have a chronic laminitic with extremely flat soles, but the dip on the front hoof wall isn't visible because her feet are rasped back hard to correct the angle.
 
yes, his soles are very flat. But I can't remember quite how concave they were before the laminitis. They were never very deep feet, I know that.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top