Sore barefoot horse-bedding?

Michen

Michen

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Hi all,

Newly barefoot tb (you probably already know that!) is on deep shavings bed as recommended by vet. Be positive already suggested straw as the shavings can compact into feet but unfortunately not really an option for him as he coughs like mad with anything remotely dusty. As thought, the shavings are compacting in his feet and making him sore. So I'm putting nappies on his feet.

Actually, I'm not convinced a deep bed is doing him any favours at all even with the nappies. Wondering whether he would be better off on wood pellets with rubber matts at the front (his stable is matted at front but not whole way through). What are people's experiences with best bedding for a foot sore horse? Will matts and pellets at back be soft enough? I just wonder if the shavings are really not helping at all, and not just because of the compacting...
 
hoof boots perhaps? You can also use them for a walk around the block and pad as necessary. Old Macs G2 should be good for that.
 
Yeah he's got booties but trying to keep him bare in stable at least as treating him for thrush as well...
 
I would try putting just half a bed down, if he is sensible he will show you what he prefers to stand on if you give him the choice, put hay in two areas so he can eat either standing on the bed or on the mats and see which option he takes, you can then alter how you bed the stable to fit in with him, not that I am suggesting he is spoilt!!

I do think that the packed shavings, fine for laminitics, can become very uncomfortable once they really get compressed, which is why I like straw, possibly something like Aubiouse could be an alternative as it may not pack in quite as much.
 
What about Flax? Mole Valley stock one called Hippofan that I've got one of mine on it as I needed something as dry as possible for his thrush. It doesn't seem to compress in his feet and is keeping them lovely and dry.
 
Don't go for wood pellets, I just tried moving mine over onto them & one of mine is footsore at the moment & they seem to have made him worse because they quickly packed down to a firm base & also packed into his feet. I now have a straw bed over the top! If he can't go on straw maybe try large flake shavings like Bedmax? And I think the idea of maybe bedding half the box so he has a choice of surface is a good onbe.
 
Is he at risk of pedal bone movement? If so, he needs that bedding to compact to a degree to support it. If not, I wonder why your vet suggests a deep bed? Does he say why he thinks he is foot sore - is it thin soles or some sort of inflammation? How you treat will depend on the underlying reason surely. Long straw won't support the internal structures as well as something chopped like rape straw or miscanthus, both of which are dust extracted but will compact in his feet almost as much as shavings. The alternative is pads taped on/diet/conditioning over time. My horse had thin sensitive soles despite diet and my answer was to dispense with the services of a farrier who would insist on trimming them and trim myself without touching the soles.
 
Michen said:
Yeah he's got booties but trying to keep him bare in stable at least as treating him for thrush as well...
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hoof boots and pads 24/7. Perhaps old macs, RX's or cavallos. Rubber matting as bedding with just a thin layer of shavings at the back for him to pee on and lie on.He should be able to walk around on there perfectly comfortably booted. Once he can do that easily then take the boots off for short spells in the stable, sweep the shavings to the back and let him use the rubber mats to start walking around comfortably on his bare feet.


IMHO keeping him comfy is more important that the thrush ATM. Remove the boots and wash the boots and pads twice daily. Clean his frogs with a dry towel, keep everything as dry as possibly and sprinkle liberally with either gold bond powder or athletes foot powder.
 
JillA said:
Is he at risk of pedal bone movement? If so, he needs that bedding to compact to a degree to support it. If not, I wonder why your vet suggests a deep bed? Does he say why he thinks he is foot sore - is it thin soles or some sort of inflammation? How you treat will depend on the underlying reason surely. Long straw won't support the internal structures as well as something chopped like rape straw or miscanthus, both of which are dust extracted but will compact in his feet almost as much as shavings. The alternative is pads taped on/diet/conditioning over time. My horse had thin sensitive soles despite diet and my answer was to dispense with the services of a farrier who would insist on trimming them and trim myself without touching the soles.
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He has negative pedal bone rotation (they are parallel to the ground) and extremely thin soles. He's had injections for navicular bone bruising and bursa inflammation. His feet are shocking so no surprise he's sore out of shoes. She said deep bed so he can dig his toes in and take pressure off the heel if he wants to? Argh it's all very confusing!!!
 
be positive said:
I would try putting just half a bed down, if he is sensible he will show you what he prefers to stand on if you give him the choice, put hay in two areas so he can eat either standing on the bed or on the mats and see which option he takes, you can then alter how you bed the stable to fit in with him, not that I am suggesting he is spoilt!!

I do think that the packed shavings, fine for laminitics, can become very uncomfortable once they really get compressed, which is why I like straw, possibly something like Aubiouse could be an alternative as it may not pack in quite as much.
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Fab Idea I will do just that! Thanks :) xx
 
My original trimmer said that if you boot and pad but in the pad cut out a small area at the apex of the frog it will relieve pressure on the sole- that may help.
 
Megazorb has been great for my old pony - it doesn't compact in the feet at all and its not dusty either. She has a half bed with mats at the front and she's a lot happier than she was on wood pellets, and she can't have anything dusty either so it's been great for stopping her coughing. Not sure if this helps but might be another bedding type to consider :) good luck
 
Darkwater said:
Megazorb has been great for my old pony - it doesn't compact in the feet at all and its not dusty either. She has a half bed with mats at the front and she's a lot happier than she was on wood pellets, and she can't have anything dusty either so it's been great for stopping her coughing. Not sure if this helps but might be another bedding type to consider :) good luck
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Thank you, I've just picked up 12 bags :) xx
 
If you're treating for thrush, you could use field paste (Red Horse ) and then put the boots on. It prolongs contact time and disinfects the boots too!
 
I'm really not sure, I could be utterly bonkers but I'm sure a few years ago I saw someone advocating the use of pea gravel for bedding for a laminitic... As I said I could just be utterly mad but I think the premise was that it moved and shaped around the hoof
 
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