Hi Jen,

If the frog tip is detached, just snip it off. The frogs are elongated, meaning they run forward further than they should, and when the trim backs the toes appropriately the frogs will start to back up as well. When that happens, the tips tend to detach and dry up. If there are loose flap, just nip them off but don't trim everything around the flap to make it look pretty and neat. Because Sparkles has some sinking, her overall hoof capsule height is greater than it would be for a healthy foot. This means her frogs will also be longer and less likely to wear down as well as those on a healthy foot. When she sheds, you tend to see all of the shedding material come off at once rather than getting worn off regularly.

Again, deeper collateral grooves and central sulcus can provide a more hospitable environment for greeblies to take up residence. With the mechanics also not being optimal, she isn't using her feet properly either, all of which can predispose toward seeing things like thrush.

It looks to me like the bruising is old stuff that is growing out. As you tighten up the trim, you often find bruises buried in the areas that shouldn't be there. If there was a bruise near the top of the hoof capsule, it could take 6 months to a year to get to the ground where you can see it. They are more visible in white hooves but in dark colored ones, you don't generally see the damage until it hits ground level.

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Lavinia, George Too, Calvin (PPID) and Dinky (PPID/IR)
Nappi, George and Dante Over the Bridge
Jan 05, RI
Moderator ECIR