Remedies/ treatment for seedy toe?

Zimzim

Well-Known Member
Joined
28 July 2011
Messages
344
Location
Lancs
Visit site
My horse has just developed a slight bit of seedy toe in his off fore, I wanted to know if anyone has any remedies or treatments they use to help this?

Thanks :)
 
Get a shoeing nail and dig out the yuck dead bits - then paint stockholm tar over the foot. But be careful - if the tar gets on your hands it stains!
 
The infection to the white line happens when it becomes stretched and weak. If the white line is any thicker than a credit card, then it's stretched. This is down to diet. Too much sugar/not enough minerals are the usual suspects (unless the horse has an excellent diet but an underlying metabolic issue).

So it may be worth looking at the whole horse as well as the foot.

My elderly Arab has been on a 'good' diet for years - but still had a stretched white line (due to being at grass) until I tried him on a bespoke mineral diet. His white line is now tighter than I've seen it in 20 years!

Regarding treatment for the current infection - I like Red Horse products. Long lasting (I've been using the same tubs I bought 18 months ago) and non toxic.

I always keep Arti-Mud and Sole Paste in stock at home.

I'm using the Sole Paste on his heels to keep sulcus thrush away at the moment.
 
Thanks for your replys everyone.

Oberon - I currently feed him a balancer and he has haylage when in at night and just grass during the day, but been thinking about what else I could give or change diet wise. Hes never had any problems with previous owner and just lived in a field and he actually has quite good feet.
It has seemed to happen all of a sudden when we had a bad down pour and the field turned to bog (it still is!), do you think perhaps being in a boggy field may have caused it and therefore weakened his hoof/ whiteline? I try to maintain a good foot care routine i.e. washing off mud, drying them etc when he comes in at night and pick out feet regulary etc. They will be moving fields soon into one that drains better so he wont have to stand in a wet field all day. But at a bit of a loss as to what else I can do!
 
Last edited:
Thanks for your replys everyone.

Oberon - I currently feed him a balancer and he has haylage when in at night and just grass during the day, but been thinking about what else I could give or change diet wise. Hes never had any problems with previous owner and just lived in a field and he actually has quite good feet.
It has seemed to happen all of a sudden when we had a bad down pour and the field turned to bog (it still is!), do you think perhaps being in a boggy field may have caused it and therefore weakened his hoof/ whiteline? I try to maintain a good foot care routine i.e. washing off mud, drying them etc when he comes in at night and pick out feet regulary etc. They will be moving fields soon into one that drains better so he wont have to stand in a wet field all day. But at a bit of a loss as to what else I can do!

It may well be purely environmental - but if your horse's white line is thicker than a credit card, then it is stretched and therefore weaker. IMO (such at it is
lol.gif
) is that's dietry. To me the infection is a symptom rather than a cause. You may clear the infection and never have a problem again, but it's just worth a thought?

I'm going to do a little experiment soon. My younger horse will be coming in at night and no longer out 24/7. His feet are a little 'splat' atm and I'll be feeding him minerals and take pics to see how his feet look after a month. He'll still be out in a boggy field all day.

For interests sake - what balancer is he on?
 
It may well be purely environmental - but if your horse's white line is thicker than a credit card, then it is stretched and therefore weaker. IMO (such at it is
lol.gif
) is that's dietry. To me the infection is a symptom rather than a cause. You may clear the infection and never have a problem again, but it's just worth a thought?

I'm going to do a little experiment soon. My younger horse will be coming in at night and no longer out 24/7. His feet are a little 'splat' atm and I'll be feeding him minerals and take pics to see how his feet look after a month. He'll still be out in a boggy field all day.

For interests sake - what balancer is he on?

Hes on Spillers Original balancer, same as what he was on with original owner and the haylage he gets now is the same as what he had with previous owner (were on a farm so previous owner bought haylage from the farm hes at now). The only difference is that the grass where hes at now is very good quality and quite rich so perhaps that might have something to do with it? Do you think possibly adding a Biotin supplement may help?

His white line isnt thick (been and had a quick nosey!!!)

I've never had a horse with it before so any help/ ideas off anyone is really appretiated!
 
May be a result from the rich, autumn grass that will settle as the grass drops off.

If his white line is fine though, it may just be environmental.

Good luck:)
 
All the work I do with seedy toe regardless of how it was caused (nutrition, concussion, pressure from clip, damage etc) the bacteria in the effected area are anaerobic, that is they love having no air, so the first thing I would always do is expose the area to the air and relive it of any pressure.
This I would only do with the vets full knowledge and cooperation
Then it is good to find out what caused it before it happens again.
 
Top