Damaged Foot

[SueC]

Pics of a damaged foot on photobucket for your perusal and critique please chaps and chapesses.

http://s48.photobucket.com/albums/f212/SuuC/Damaged%20Foot/

What's happening?

[Lee]

Tried to look but was asked for a password to access the private album.

Lee

[SueC]

oops, try again?   

[HayleyC]

My horse Danny had that when he was 3 but on the inside of both front hooves

[rvialls]

This looks like white line disease - and a fairly bad case. White line disease as a term tends to be used for two slightly separate things - the first is a rot of the inner wall (and sometimes the outer wall), the other (which is what looks like is going on in this case) is a rot associated with the white line itself. Where there's rot in the actual white line, this is, in my experience, typically caused by blood products becoming incorporated into the horn of the white line which then provides something for the infection to feed on. The blood products, in the vast majority of cases, end up in the horn as a result of laminitis (often low grade laminitis) or as a result of an abscess.

In this case, I'd be suspicious of an abscess focussed around the affected area of the foot - this would have been some weeks ago with the blood products coming to the surface perhaps 6-10 weeks later and the rot starting after that. It would then take a few weeks for the rot to get this bad. If it were purely down to LGL I'd expect to see corresponding damage on the opposite foot. That said, you could have a situation where a mild LGL attack resulted only in white line bruising in a particular part of one foot because the horse was using that part more than others as a result of some biomechanical issue such as a lameness higher up or maybe a lameness in the opposite limb.

[ParisDiamond]

What a damn shame on such an nice looking foot 

I've seen something similar on a few horses who have good feet normally.  Not as big an area, but the inner wall curling inwards over the white line, like this.  After some experimenting  I now recommend investigating protein levels in the horse's diet and when this is addressed, the problem grows out in about 3 months. 

I first noticed this happen on my filly, when she was about 8 months old, I was  as she is supposed to have perfect feet of course    At the same time I noticed that she was looking a bit scrawny in her topline and her belly looked bloated.  I called Jackie J A Taylor at the Metabolic horse and she said it sounded like Protein deficiency.  I put her on a youngstock balancer with 30% protein and in just over a week her body looked better, and in 3 months I noticed coincidentally that her inner wall stood up again and became perfect as required!!

Now I don't recommend 30% protein for mature horses, but I would err on about 15% which is what you find in Top Spec Anti Lam or Red Mills Lamicare balancer (which is my new favourite as it really matches Top Spec Anti Lam's spec but is loads cheaper).

Meanwhile I'd pack the gap with a medicated putty to fight any infection that may take hold.

I firmly believe that a healthy horse throws off infection, so fix the body and the feet will follow.

I'd be interested to hear if this rings any bells with you.

[whisper's mum]

Whisper had this problem a few years ago, after her first minor laminitis bout, and I fed her Equimins Hoofmender with great results. 

[rvialls]

After some experimenting   I now recommend investigating protein levels in the horse's diet and when this is addressed, the problem grows out in about 3 months.

I'd have thought a protein deficiency problem would result in white line damage on all four feet or at least both fronts - but this is isolated to one side of one foot which suggests something more localised to me.

As for treatment, I'd agree with the medicated putty approach - Red Horse Hoof Stuff works really well. I'd also soak with Milton solution (capful in a bucket of water) first to get things clean before stuffing with the putty.

[ParisDiamond]

Quite right Richard, maybe it will happen in other feet over time, I've seen it in pairs of feet normally, fronts or hinds.  One day we'll KNOW the answer, but for now I'm just throwing up what I've found to help it.

[Candy]

This is really interesting as it looks very similar to what Seamus had (between abscesses). I assumed it had happened because the vet had taken away quite a bit of sole as well as quarter and as it grew back it seemed to stretch around the hole. (It looked like the inner wall was spreading or collapsing into the hole).

[ParisDiamond]

It would be nice to have some feedback on whether any of these suggestions make sense to you SueC

[SueC]

It would be nice to have some feedback on whether any of these suggestions make sense to you SueC

Aye, sorry. 

I did start to post a couple of times, but then gave up, as I was waiting for more news.

Not protein, his balancer is 16%.

Richard's post makes sense, but I wanted to talk to the owner and ask about abscessing etc., before I posted.  He's lame atm and probably abscessing now.  x-rays are within the realms of possibility too, so I should have more info soon that will be of more use. 

I'll let you know as soon as I know more. 

Thanks for the suggestions so far though.  The protein thing is interesting and another to look out for.  cheers.

[ParisDiamond]

Cheers, I hope he gets more comfortable very soon.