seedy toe and natural balance shoes

digitalangel

digitalangel

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sorry if this should be in veterinary, but its a question for those farrier-types or those who know about feets and im not sure if they look in veterinary?

anyway farrier came out today, turns out my boy has seedy toe in all 4 toes, the worst being around the size of a pound coin? hes dug it out and applied antibiotic putty and reshod. My boy normally has Natural Balance shoes but the farrier only put on rolled shoes on the front because he says bacteria/wetness gets under the NB shoes and causes seedy toe?

is this right? has anyone else expperienced this?

also how easy is seedy toe to get rid of?

thanks!
 
I don't know about ant relationship between seedt toe and nb hoes, but know a lot about seedt toe. Caught early it usually clears very quickly, the most important factor being exposure to air, and applying putty, antibacterial or not, is certainly not the best thing to do!
It is imperative that the area is opened and exposed to the air. iodine is very good for destroying the microbes that cause it.
 
As Donklet says, the microbes don't like being exposed to oxygen (they are anaerobic and thrive in a sealed environment). Fresh air and antiseptic would be better than antibiotic putty. Is it your usual farrier?
 
oh boy...

he was xrayed 3 months ago, and showed no seedy toe then, or on any of his previous shoeings.

i guess ill call the vet monday. i had no idea seedy toe was this serious and the will need a full hoof reconstruction on all 4 feet!!!
 
How long is it since your last farrier visit? I'm thinking that's a lot of seedy toe for your horse to develop over say 6 weeks, what do others think? Wouldn't you have thought the farrier would have noticed something earlier?
 
He may not! None of us are experts - I just gave you a link to a farrier's website so you could see a little bit more about it, DON'T PANIC!!!

I would like to think that your farrier knows what he is doing - perhaps it might be an idea to find a remedial farrier and ask him for a second opinion?

How long have you had NB shoes prior to this - since three months ago, when you had the x rays? Did he have laminitis ? This can also provoke seedy toe.

ETA I mean he may not need reconstructive work and that most of us on here aren't experts.
 
Its just *so* worrying because hes just gotten back into his stride after 6 months off for compression of p3 at the toe . vet recommended NB on all 4 feet and to shorten the toes - and this is a horse with excellent feet - not long toe/low heels at all!

Im worrying the seedy toe is a sign of progression of his problem despite being sound as a pound for the last 3 months?

this was supposed to be his 3rd application of NB shoes, but the fet has used a rolled shoe at the front.

The most frustrating thing in all of this is that the vet wont speak to the farrier and vice versa. the farrier thinks his feet are fine and NB doesnt make any difference. The vet thinks his toes are too long.

My farrier is a remedial farrier and i got a 2nd opinion from another farrier, and he says the same thing as my farrier! excellent feet, 9 out of 10, cant shorten them as they are short already etc etc...

my farrier thinks dirt/etc has been trapped under neath the NB shoe given where they sit.

this is a pic after the 1st NB shoeing

n640676245_2596685_6116845.jpg



320072.jpg
 
Well, there you are! You have a remedial farrier, he's done what he thinks is the right thing for your horse and you say he seems more comfortable. He does look like he has nice short toes in the picture - looks like I would like FB's feet to look!

If the farrier has put rolled front shoes on then that's what he thinks is best at the moment. I think I would trust a farrier above a vet when it comes to horses hooves.
 
yeah thats sods law - hehe. his feet look *great* but ive had so many problems with them!!

im going to call my vet on monday anyway, just so he knows where we are in terms of any ongoing treatment/etc

im really trying not to flap too much!
 
Don't panic. Seedy toe can take hold very quickly and is perfectly possible there was none last time he was shod. It is early days and you are unlikely to need anything drastic done.
 
My mare had seedy toe in just one foot after the horrible wet summer last year. I was advised by my farrier to get Formalin and use a syringe (minus a needle of course) to squirt it into the relevant part of the foot. There was a wee gap between the hoof wall and the shoe that i could squirt it into. I did this about every second or third day and eventually it cleared it.
You can get formaldyhide from any kind farmer who has sheep. I just diluted it myself.
I have kept doing it this year at leat once a week to keep the bacteria at bay.
My farrier said it was better to keep shoes on so hoof didn't crack. Mine wears NB shoes, he didn't say anything about them.
Her feet are looking brilliant now.
 
Hope I didn't worry you too much, I am a bit of an expert on seedy toe as I keep donkeys, and donkeys are very prone to it. This year it has been bad for horses too, due to the wet weather.
There are a lot of suggested remedies, some work, some don't. the donkey sanctuary recommend sugardine - a sugar/iodine mix, they know what they are talking about (even if I don't agree with a lot they say!)
 
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