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Discussion on Badly cracked feet | |
Author | Message |
Member: Maggienm |
Posted on Saturday, Oct 1, 2005 - 12:44 am: I am looking at a mare whose feet are in very poor shape.One front hoof has a crack all the way up into the coronet band, two other feet have cracks wide enough to run a nickel up. All feet are soft, crumbly and flat. The person who bred her says her dam had good hard feet. She is a wonderful sweet mare So, has anyone had experience with such poor feet? With optimum feed and care are they likely to grow out so she is usable? As it is she is not lame, tender tho, but she is not being ridden either. Thanks |
Member: Angel77 |
Posted on Saturday, Oct 1, 2005 - 4:59 am: Dear Lori,I take care of a 29 yr old mare. When she came to me she was barefoot and had no frogs in any of her 4 feet that were cracked,crumbling-soft, and hock sores that went down to the bone. She was deadlame on two legs and could not walk with out tripping constantly and was visibly in pain. She also had severe conjunctivitis in both eyes. She was a mess!! I learned later that she used to wear bar shoes her whole life and had really bad thrush all the time. In addition she was 75lbs over weight. She looked like a cute pot bellied pig. First I started with her bedding 6"-8" of wood chips (that have been through a vigorous wood chipper so as no danger to the horse) covering the entire 24X48 corral which is 1/4 covered. Wood chips must be pine, cedar or oak as there are many poisonous trees that can kill a horse. Then 4-6 bags of shavings(14cuft each bag) for more cushion under the cover where she sleeps about(10X20). Then I changed her diet from 2 large coffee cans of senior equine to Biotin Plus Electrolytes Glazen 3C Focus SR Senior 1/4 cup Raw Flaxseed 1/4 coffee can Satin Finish 1/4 coffee can Senior Equine 1 TBSP Wheat Germ oil 1/4 can timothy pellets She gets timothy in the morning alfalfa for lunch and timothy again for dinner. 3 small flakes daily. She weighs about 750lbs. She lost the extra weight and looks 10 yrs younger. Her hock sores took two months of braising with betadine and then treating with triple antibiotic cream,neosporin,wound kote and other healing type salves. Over the years I have seen that over graining can bring on a plethera of problems. Once her feet began to harden the next step was a great farrier. Once she had shoes, her feet began to grow frogs and she began a second life. In the beginning I would pick her feet twice a day, oiling when needed. Now one year later my farrier and her vet who has known her for over 11 yrs both cannot believe how wonderful she looks. There has been no thrush since the first week I had her because every day I used Thrush Buster for one week. My farrier says she has the best feet for a girl her age. Her vet says this is the best she has ever looked and definitely the best her feet have ever looked. She does have Cushins disease. She can now hold up her feet on her own while I pick them. Where as before she could only hold her leg up for a few seconds before she would lose her balance. Now she gets ridden maybe twice a week by small children-walk trot only. She is 98% sound. She always wants to go out with us, more like she demands it. She has a great attitude and loves the children. She carries them like precious cargo. Her eyes are always bright these days. The rest of the time she gets turned out with my 11yr old geld or I will pony her on flat ground and cruise around the ranch. So in conclusion,in my opinion,bedding,diet and great hoof care brought this horse back from the living dead. I have always said if you do not have great hoof care you may not have a healthy and sound horse. In any and all cases involving horse care I will not hesitate to call 4 or 5 vets just to get advice and or to book a couple of appts for the vet to come out. I always say better safe than sorry. I'm sure Dr.O will have more advice for you. I am interested in what he has to tell us. I hope your horse gets better soon. Good Luck!! WTG |
Moderator: DrO |
Posted on Saturday, Oct 1, 2005 - 9:19 am: It is important to get the order of things down when assessing foot problems that environment and regular trimming are most important and good quality feedstuffs more important than supplements. Supplements are really only needed when feed quality is not quite up to snuff.We have an article that explains the causes and makes recommendations for good quality feet, for more see Equine Diseases » Lameness » Diseases of the Hoof » Poor Horn Quality: problems with the wall and soles. DrO |
Member: Dyduroc |
Posted on Saturday, Oct 1, 2005 - 4:29 pm: Lori, when I got my mare 2+ years ago, her feet were a total mess--cracks, chips, crumbly soles, etc. My farrier and vet have been working with me to improve the quality of her hooves and I'm happy to say her feet are improved.My vet and farrier are in agreement on 1 thing--her soft feet are most likely genetic. We added a biotin/methionine supplement to her daily feed with the result that she has terrific hoof growth (she is re-shod every 5 weeks now vs. every 8 weeks when I got her). Now we're working to improve hardness. At present, we're trying different topical agents to see what works best while we experiment with different dietary supplements. So far, Keratex is on the top of topical list. I just started my mare on Next Level Hoof Fluid (she was on Farrier's Formula for over 2 years prior) that contains 20mg biotin and 2000mg Methionine per serving so we won't be able to judge effectiveness for several months. In the meantime, I'll continue to paint her hooves twice a week and the soles of her feet with betadine once a week. Good nutrition, keeping a horse's feet clean and dry AND working closely with your farrier and vet are what I'd recommend. It's also very important to have the support of the barn owner if you board as I do. After I spoke with the BO, my mare was moved to a different pasture that dries within a day or two of rain. Lots of luck to you. Please let us know if you decide to get this mare. D. |
Member: Angel77 |
Posted on Saturday, Oct 1, 2005 - 6:13 pm: Dear Lori,I forgot to mention that we shoe every five weeks. The first two times the mare was only trimmed-no shoes. The farrier recommended this so her feet would harden on their own and the supplements had chance to help before nails were to be driven into her feet. I wish I had taken photos of her feet when she first came to me. Then you would have seen the amazing transformation. Yes I agree with Dr.O supplements are only needed if the hay quality is not up to par. The ranch were we board does a pretty good job obtaining quality hay - most of the time. I still have my own hay for the days theirs does not look so good. So that is why I supplement. I have always supplemented for coat quality,joints,digestive aids,and immune bolstering agents. That's just me, I guess it gives me comfort knowing I have done everything possible to be preventative. Of course keeping the hooves dry and the bedding clean are two things I did not mention because I assumed that goes with out saying. Good Luck - I feel for you - I have been there WTG PS In my personal experience using anything like Horseshoers Secret or a supplement just for the hooves I had two horses at the same time who had been on the same hoof supp for the same amount of time get stone bruises. It made their hooves too soft and sensitive. |