Toe Pointing - how concerned should I be?

[CPW]

My horse had laminitis in one front foot last year brought on by seedy toe, he was sound and came back into work at Christmas.

I have noticed in the last week that when resting his diaganol hind leg he points this front foot slightly - the ground has become very hard recently so I don't know whether this is just making him slightly tender as there is a weakness still in the laminae. However he does chop and change with the way he stands i.e., sometimes square in front, sometimes either leg out to the front slightly - maybe I am just being paranoid with it being this time of year??

 

[Darkly_Dreaming_Dex]

IMHO it would worry me and i would get it checked out. If it was my horse, i would have xrays done to check all was ok inside the hoof.It could be something or nothing but with a history of laminitis...
Our big horse has coffin joint arthritis and after being lame last summer, sound in the autumn, hunting happily at Christmas and finished the season sound. Since the ground hardened,he is now pottery on a circle and pointing his foreleg. Vet is involved as he is undergoing IRAP and we have just re-xrayed (no changes).

 

[kellyeaton]

get it checked out to be on the safe side!

 

[Flame_]

I look after some laminitics and they do this for a long time following an attack (like a year - a year and a half). Its not like obvious navicular toe pointing, just a bit of a shuffle to become un-square?

I doubt it means your pony's getting laminitis, and if he's totally sound I wouldn't worry too much. I'd just be very conscious of early signs of laminitis like crestiness, heat in any or all of the feet and digital pulses.

Still it can't hurt to get it checked out if you want to be extra careful. Maybe phone your vet for advice?

 

[teddyt]

I would phone your vet and consider x rays. Even slight pointing can be a symptom of navicular and if its just recently started i would get it checked out just in case there are any changes in the pedal bone from the laminitis.