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Post by louisesmob on May 31, 2006 18:54:17 GMT -1
I have just rescued a 16.3 Id x Han with the worst feet you can imagine. The fronts are cracked and split, and he has worn his sole away that it is so thin and bruised, and complete mess. Farier came on emergency mission and cold shod the two fronts so he could walk, been advised to bandage with gamgee padding under to protect the soles. Any advice? Never seen feet in this state before. Not prone to Lami, any one used farriers formula? Gonna get some but would welcome any experiences with it or any other supplement to work from inside. Got Keratex for the outsides, any other ideas?
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Post by lizzylove on May 31, 2006 19:06:26 GMT -1
You can get Keratex hoof putty - which you squidge into any cracks and then it hardens and stops the hooves splitting/ cracking any further. Have just tried this with Merlin so don't exactly know how effective it is but have had good reports of it.
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Post by louisesmob on May 31, 2006 21:03:56 GMT -1
Cheers will get some tomorrow then. The liquid you paint on smells awful! Nearly knocked me out painting it on!!!
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Post by rachelg on May 31, 2006 23:00:47 GMT -1
as lizzie says keratex everything!!!but go and have a look at their web site as i think it recommends you use it EVERYDAY for some 6 weeks?not to follow the instructions on the box....a friend of mine swears by everything equimins do,and she has had a pony with 2 years of nitemare feet probs,which now are resolved,she has stuck to keratex and equimins,they will advise you what to feed and may give you a free trial .... they did for us with millys skin suppliments and cream....good luck...ps give it a good 6 months to see a real improvement..
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Post by dalesponyrider on Jun 1, 2006 6:06:20 GMT -1
Any chance you could post some photos and keep us updated? I would be VERY interested in following this story as an education. I'm afraid I can't offer you any advice as I haven't any experience but want to wish you the very best of luck. Lucky horse that happened along to rescue it.
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Post by flintfootfilly on Jun 1, 2006 7:29:06 GMT -1
I went to a farrier demo day recently, and the farrier was showing us various rubbertype pads that can be put between the foot and the shoe so they offer a barrier to some of the concussion that a very thin sole might suffer otherwise, and they stay on til the next shoeing.
If the sole really is perilously thin (I've seen soles that are so thin that you can literally push your thumb on the sole, and SEE the sole move, horrific) then maybe that's worth a thought. Otherwise, if you go down the option of having no shoes on the horse's feet then I guess it's going to be important to protect such thin soles with boots for as much time as you reasonably can til the soles thicken up.
Personally I'd be more concerned about doing something active to protect the sole than worrying too much about the cracks, in as much that if the horse has good and very regular trims that should help get on top of the cracks, though it might mean paying your farrier to come out way more often than normally to get those feet back into good shape without doing further damage.
Out of interest, what have you rescued the horse from?
Sarah
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Post by harleydales on Jun 1, 2006 8:45:01 GMT -1
Gosh, sounds pretty awful. I've been lucky in having horses with good feet, but like Linda I would be interested in seeing the progression from awful to better if you can share it with us.
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Post by lizzylove on Jun 1, 2006 9:19:46 GMT -1
Yup, i emailed the keratex people and they were very helpfull and replied to all my questions within a day! They said to put the hoof hardener on everyday on the outside of the hoof for 6 weeks and on the sole i think it was twice a week or something like that...it may be worth contacting them for advice on what to do in your situation.
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Post by louisesmob on Jun 1, 2006 15:51:51 GMT -1
Will take some pics tomorrow and try to load them! Got keratex and been putting it on, hes eating the farriers formula and having two feeds of baileys no 1 speedi beet and cool mix daily as he needs some weight on. His owner ran out of money so thought it best to let him go, He has some muscle wastage on his left flank too, so if I ever get his feet sorted, gonna get him some physio to try to sort that. He is out on ex quality grazing, but the stable area is very stony and thats where he suffers to walk most. Been padding him up with gamgee and vetwrap, farrier taking a look tomorrow again. He is going to try and get a shoe on the other front foot , no chance with back nothing to nail to, may have to look at glue on. Anyone used them? I wonder how well they would stay on turned out 24/7. but he isnt really sore on them, just the front. Thanks for advice everyone gonna e mail Keratex now.
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Post by louisesmob on Jun 1, 2006 15:53:59 GMT -1
forgot to say, the other front shoe lasted two days and fell off!
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Post by shaklana on Jun 1, 2006 16:12:57 GMT -1
what happened to cause the foot problems? stable restriction? bad farriery? malnutrition?
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Post by louisesmob on Jun 1, 2006 18:07:26 GMT -1
Not sure really. Previous owner said he had always had poor feet and had to keep front shoes on. That bit doesnt worry me so much as the thin soles, she did event him but he has roughed off the last couple of years due to her uni. She said she had had 4 farriers to look at him over the years, with no success. When my farrier saw him, there were lots of dont mention words coming out!! Dont think he has had a lot in the way of hard feed, and his coat is dull. Anyway, had a 5 day course wormer and the two feeds daily we should see some improvement soon. Not too sure about the feet tho, might be this time next year!!
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Post by flintfootfilly on Jun 1, 2006 19:17:09 GMT -1
If the fronts won't stay on, but you still want to offer some protection to the sole, maybe you could try a pair of easyboot epic boots (really meant for riding in, but some people apparently do use them for a few hours a day on surfaces where there horses would struggle to move around loose otherwise). Haven't got them myself but have seen them in use, and they have the advantage of having a kind of neoprene type gaiter that helps hold them in place.
the only other thing I can think of is that if you can get either some rubber mats or old rubber conveyor belt material from a quarry, you could put this down around the stable area so that your horse has the option of walking/standing on softer footing if he needs it.
Sarah
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Post by SuzieP on Jun 1, 2006 20:17:15 GMT -1
I'm afraid I can't offer any suggestions....but I'm very interested in this thread. Will you keep us updated Louise, and put some pics on if you can?
Hope all goes well for this horse......
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Post by harveydales on Jun 2, 2006 4:38:51 GMT -1
I will also be interested to see some pics.
I've heard good reports of some of the glue on shoes so this might be the way forward for you. I used the old style Epics for day time turn out when my old mare lost a shoe (she also was very thin soled). When Quest had laminitis I made a track over the stoney yard bit to the field with rubber mats and also put a layer of old aubiose bedding down which did the trick.
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