04/29/2012
I found a web page with some basic hoof info of which i think every horse owner should be made aware.
Thrush:
This is a nasty, smelling, greasy black gunk that affects your horse’s frog and usually embeds itself in the trenches (known as commissars or collateral grooves) beside the frog. Virtually all horses who are left in unkempt stalls for any amount of time, who walk though muck and mire for any amount of time, or who’s feet are not tended to regularly, will likely get some amount of thrush. Thrush is a maintenance issue. It’s not life threatening, but it can become a serious problem for your horse if not tended to. Thrush, if left unchecked, will deteriorate the frog and commissures. It can completely eat away at the rubbery frog until there is virtually nothing left, leaving the coffin bone susceptible to bruises, punctures, or worse. The horse’s frogs may bleed freely if the condition gets bad enough. If the frog is eaten away and is not able to perform it’s function, the hoof is very likely to become contracted, blood flow in and out of the foot will likely be lessened and the horse will not perform at it’s optimum.
Prevention: Clean you horses feet at least every two to three days. Daily is better when treating problems like this, but a regular routine will help insure that this condition never gets a good foothold. Use a good hoof pick and clean / brush all dirt, manure, and any other foreign matter from the bottom of your horses foot. Don’t be bashful about it, get in there and clean! Now, you’re not trying to dig to China, but you do want to thoroughly clean the commissures and the toe area. These areas are the most susceptible to problems.
Treatment: My number one recommendation is always good, sound, proper trimming. A balanced body and balanced feet will be better able to ward off problems. But, should your horse have thrush, there are several things you can do to treat it. First, clean the foot regularly as described above. Second, you may need to fight the thrush with chemicals. The idea here is to dry the bottom of the foot out and disinfect it. So, Iodine, Betadine, 10 to 1 solution of Clorox (10 parts water, 1 part Clorox) or Coppertox are all some of the more preferred methods. Personally, I like Apple Cider Vinegar or something like Listerine. They are cheap and easy to come by and are not overly harsh to your horse. Apply any of the above liberally to the affected areas. You may want to use a shallow pan (such as a tin pan, the bowl / plate of a frozen dinner or any of the hoof soaking products on the market) to soak the foot in for a few days. About 20 minutes a day should help you get a handle of the problem. Should you have specific questions or concerns, don’t hesitate to contact a farrier. They can assist you with specific problems.
‘Seedy Toe’:
This is a condition that affects the white line at the toe of the hoof. USUALLY, your farrier will be able to spot this condition without ever picking the foot up. There will be a crack visible at the toe while looking at the foot on the ground. NOTE: Not all cracks in the toe, or the hoof, indicate seedy toe. There are numerous reasons for cracks and splits in the hoof. This is simply a common occurrence, especially in the southeastern region of the U.S. Seedy Toe is largely an anaerobic bacteria / fungus combination that affects the white line (the normally thin, tan line that separates the outer hoof wall from the sole of the foot when observed from the ground surface of the foot.) Oddly enough, structurally speaking, the toe is the weakest point of the foot. In a normal, supple, healthy hoof, the toe will flex as weight is born and released on the foot. If the foot is out of balance, too dry or too wet, the toe area looses suppleness and becomes prone to this condition. Seedy toe is not life threatening, but can become so bad as to cause the horse to loose its outer hoof wall.
Prevention: Sound trimming principles, always. Also employ qualified, certified farriers to work on your horse. By doing so, you are better assured that your horse’s hoof health will remain in check, or it will begin to improve with regular maintenance. Your horse is less likely to be affected by seedy toe if its feet are trimmed and balanced on a regular basis. Most farriers recommend that interval to be every 6 to 8 weeks. More sever cases, regardless of the ailment, may require a shorter frequency. You can help by keeping the feet regularly picked and cleaned or even touched up between farrier visits. Regular maintenance is the key to this one. It also doesn’t hurt if you move to a less tropical region of the country. But, if that’s not in your plans, you may have do deal with it from time to time.
Treatment: There are several methods for treating this seedy toe. They each depend on the severity. In moderate to extreme cases, resecting the hoof, totally eliminating the affected tissue (such as when surgeons remove tissue for treating cancer patients), treating the remaining area with a strong antiseptic, and rebuilding the missing hoof with any one of several epoxy or acrylic compounds available to farriers may be in order. Other methods my involve digging out as much of the ‘cheesy’ material that is packed in the hole that is beginning to work it’s way up the hoofwall and packing it with strong chemicals such as iodine crystals. The idea is to clean, disinfect and dry out the affected spot. Your farrier should be able to identify this condition and recommend the appropriate treatment. Follow your farrier’s instructions. This condition will very likely require you to perform regular maintenance until it’s gone. How long with that be? That will depend on the severity of the case, how fast your horse grows new hoof and how diligent you are with the recommended treatment.
Founder:
Folks, this is a huge topic, too much to go into thoroughly in this article alone. But I will try to hit some highlights. There are several degrees of severity to this condition and each horse needs to be dealt with on an individual basis. There are perhaps as many opinions of and treatments for founder as there are farriers, vets and owners. If your horse has never foundered, be grateful and do what ever it takes to keep your horse from foundering. Don’t over feed, don’t give all vaccinations in one shot, break them up over several weeks, and keep an eye out for any signs of sever stress to the horses system. Be careful not to ‘kill him with kindness’. If he has founded, please contact me. This has become my area of specialization. Founder and lameness cases now make up just about half of my business, but it’s growing more day by day.
Prevention: Since there are so many things that can bring on a case of founder, the best thing I can say is make dietary changes slowly and in moderation. The single largest reason for horses to founder is an abrupt change in the horses system. People tend to believe it’s from fresh spring grass. That’s usually just the last straw. The horse’s body coming out of winter is very likely only use to having hay and grain. People tend to feed too much or don’t back off as winter is waning. Therefore the horse is likely still too heavy, carrying too much fat stored up before winter. His body hasn’t had the chance to shed weight and get ready for the new year. So, an abundance of fresh green grass, often combined with spring vaccinations and wormings, is too much for their bodies to handle. This causes a build up of stress and toxins in their system, which the body is forces to do the best it can to prevent the internal organs from being affected. So, the toxins are sent to the lowest points of the body; i.e., the feet. This starts the chain of events for founder into motion. There are dozens of other reasons for a horse to founder, some of which are colic, stress, overfeeding, feeding too rich for the horses use and exercise, and even something as simple as taking away it’s pasture buddy or bringing one in.
Dry / Cracked hooves:
There are numerous reasons why a horse may have dry and / or cracked hooves. Some reasons are arid, sandy terrain, damp nights and mornings in the pasture then parched conditions my afternoon (this one is great for loosing shoes. The feet swell at night from the moisture, and then shrink by afternoon. Repeatedly done, this loosens the nails of the shoe, causing it to no longer fit properly. This is very aggravating for farriers!). Other reasons include improperly balanced feet, or changes taking place within the inner hoof capsule. Note: it is possible to have perfectly supple hooves and still have cracks. Cracks could be due to old hoof or coronary band (the area of the hoof right at the hairline) injuries. Consult a farrier for these type problems.
Prevention: If you’re in the southern region of the U.S., this may be tough in the summer time. The best prevention is maintenance. Keep your farrier coming every 6 to 8 weeks. Try not to let your horses feet get overly wet then overly dry in a given day. Most of the time, this will not cause any problems for your horse. It’s more of a cosmetic problem. But if allowed to go unchecked, problems can develop. By applying hoof moisturizers to the coronary band on a regular basis, you can help lessen this condition. Applying conditioner to the hoof wall rarely does any good for the horse. Mostly, it makes you feel good. The wall is too thick for any of the chemicals and oils to pe*****te deep enough to be effective.
So that you don’t misunderstand this condition, let me make this statement. Dry hooves are not a problem. Generally speaking, your horse is designed to handle dry conditions. But repeatedly going from wet to dry to wet to dry, etc., etc., is what allows problems to occur. BUT, just because your horse is in this type of environment doesn’t mean your horse will develop problems. It’s merely opening the door for problems, such as seedy toe. Again, consult a qualified farrier should you have questions or concerns.
