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Maribeth Melnik
New Member
Username: maribeth
Post Number: 1
Registered: 6-2008
| | Posted on Wednesday, Jun 11, 2008 - 12:16 pm: |   |
My horse is a palomino paint with light hooves. He is an EPM survivor but still drags his back hooves which wears them. His hooves are cracked and chipping easily. The front my farrier has put shoes on but they will not stay on because of the poor hoof quality. The back are too short for shoes. I've been faithfully using Hoof Flex dressing which helps a little, Horse Shoers Favorite hoof supplement also in feed daily. Diet is grass pasture, not sure what type of grass. What can I do to get his hooves in better shape? What about alternative barefoot options e.g. Equi cast He isn't lame and is only ridden lightly |
Robert N. Oglesby DVM
Moderator
Username: dro
Post Number: 20836
Registered: 1-1997
| | Posted on Thursday, Jun 12, 2008 - 6:45 am: | |
Welcome Maribeth,
What does your farrier and veterinarian attribute the poor quality horn to? Are there any other signs of problems with this horse like poor hair coat?
DrO |
Maribeth
New Member
Username: maribeth
Post Number: 2
Registered: 6-2008
| | Posted on Thursday, Jun 12, 2008 - 5:48 pm: | |
I apologize if this is a duplicate response. My horse Jags seems to be in great health, his coat has never been more beautiful, he's bright, alert and energeticly happy. His appetite and weight are good. I have a new farrier who doesn't seem like a good resource for information, he's trimmed both horses twice now and this is the first time he has set shoes for myhorses. He has profession farrier schooling with 5 yrs exper. Abraxis's hoof quality is good and shoes are doing fine. But Jags has large chips in the back hooves and smaller vertical crackers in all four. His hooves have always been a problem but not quite this bad. He has a larger crack on the front hoof involving the coronet band, this was due to a loading accident about 8 yrs ago. The crack shrinks and expands and hasn't seemed to worsen. Jags has dragged his hind hooves for 5 + yrs which I associate with past history of EPM (treated 2 yrs ago) Isn't exposed to any excessive moisture, moderate amount of mud left over from rains and snow but access to 25 acres of dry pasture. Grass tall in many areas where some morning moisture might be. I have been giving him Horseshoers Favorite supplement 40 mg per 1000 lbs per serving of biotin, min or 1.5% allowance of the amino acid mentioned in the article above. Both my farrier and vet seem to scratch their heads on this one. Shoes are not staying on Jags and although some think the shoes would keep the hoof together, I think they may make them weaker. He's on pasture consisting of some type of grass and clover. Grain 14% sweet feed 1 x day with hoof supp. Hoof Flex dressing every day for 3 weeks now, a little improvement but not major. Hoof supp given to him for the past 3 months faithfully. Jags is a larger horse 16 + hands and about 1300 lbs. His hooves have never appeared to be sensitive to walking except on gravel roads when barefoot. Back hoof dragging seems to be a little worse as I can tell from wear on the front tips of the horn. Slow growth rate. I've read a little about equicast a cast like material covering the hoof that hardens. Any thoughts? His hooves need some protection. Afraid to ride him with his hooves in this condition. He's only used for light riding, short trail rides. Both farrier and vet have recommended continuing what I'm doing, but it obviously isn't enough |
Robert N. Oglesby DVM
Moderator
Username: dro
Post Number: 20850
Registered: 1-1997
| | Posted on Friday, Jun 13, 2008 - 6:49 am: | |
Maribeth, how much by weight do you feed of the supplement? The percentage of methionine is a bit low to meet the article requirements unless you feed.... about a half lb daily. You have to understand that the hoof wall that is damaged cannot be repaired by treatment with supplements or topicals. It will remain weak until it grows out which takes months. Double checking your treatment and management against the article, not cutting any corners, and persistence will lead to healthier hooves but it is going to take time. Double check that methionine. Hoof repair products can be used at anytime and will help get you through this tough time.
DrO |
Maribeth
New Member
Username: maribeth
Post Number: 3
Registered: 6-2008
| | Posted on Friday, Jun 13, 2008 - 7:57 am: | |
Thanks for your response. The % of methionine isn't even close to the what the article requirements specify, I am feeding 9 oz a day of the supplement, 6 oz per 1000 lbs is the recommended dose. Ingredience indicate that the content of Methionine is min of 1.5%. I think it would be wise for me to shop for another supplement which would contain the recommended doses of biotin and methionine as specified int he article. You are right, persistence is important. Since the shoes aren't staying on I think I'll advise the farrier to take the remaining off and reconsider when the overall hoof health seems to have improved. The damaged hoof has always had a crack as the injury affects the coronet band so there is like a splice of horn that grows out at the band that needs to be snipped occasionally. I believe I need to approach this problem from a nutritional stand point first Do you think shoes hinder the hoof health at this point? He doesn't keep them on anyhow so I would guess not. |
