Hi there,

I added photos of Lily's hooves and am looking to get some opinions on my mare's hooves. My barn owner and farrier don't think I need to get vet out or get x-rays because she just has winter laminitis. Her hooves and legs are cold to the touch when she isn't wearing any insulation. I am worried about rotation and want my farrier to work with radiographs for the best possible trim.

Also, the one photo of her sole that has no labels is the most recent photo I have taken of her foot- she has developed thrush and soggy feet from wearing her boots in the snow. Would it be okay to take her boots off for a little while? I am going to put hoof armor applications on her feet to help protect her soles.

 

Thank you!
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Barb

January 2019, Omemee, Ontario, Canada

Lily's Case History: https://ecir.groups.io/g/CaseHistory/files/Barb%20and%20Lily  .
Lily's Hoof Photos: https://ecir.groups.io/g/CaseHistory/album?id=83890

Hi Barb,

Overall, trim is a lot better than most we see (yay!).

However, the heels are somewhat underrun and toes are longer in front of her than they should be, but it isn't glaringly obvious because the trim is generally nice. The flat sole part of your description points to her sitting lower in the hoof capsule than optimal and that the soles are likely thinner than optimal. Ditto for the overall height of the hoof capsule. There are definite event rings in the hoof capsules going all the way up to the coronary band so that points to some type of ongoing issues other than winter/cold-induce laminitis being the source of all of her discomfort.

You can dust diatomaceous earth or athlete's foot powder onto her soles before booting to help with the moisture issues.

Whether you get radiographs or not is your call, although I think they would show that there are issues that need to be addressed. They would certainly provide a clear picture of what needs to be done regarding the trim. It doesn't look as if any diagnostic blood work has been done so that would be a good idea at this point so you know for sure whether you are dealing with IR/PPID or not.

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Lavinia and George Too
Nappi, George and Dante Over the Bridge
Jan 05, RI
ECIR Support Team

Thank you very much for the advice, I appreciate your input. I think radiographs will be a good idea eventually and I will be getting her blood work done soon as well. I will try diatomaceous earth. 
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Barb

January 2019, Omemee, Ontario, Canada

Lily's Case History: https://ecir.groups.io/g/CaseHistory/files/Barb%20and%20Lily  .
Lily's Hoof Photos: https://ecir.groups.io/g/CaseHistory/album?id=83890