OUCHY HOOF- advice needed

[atticus]

I got Oslo trimmed last Monday. His feet were pretty long and chipped since he had not been letting anyone touch him in the past, but now that I can handle him no problem I got his feet done and he got a good trim. The farrier said he has excellent feet just need some work but the hoof floor was overgrown and he had a chip that came up the hoof wall. He said they were pretty "pink" so he said keep him off hard ground and let him rest for a couple days, which we did.

Well he is still pretty lame on the front foot that has the big chip. The hoof wall is chipped up about 1 1/2 inches the size of a 1/2 dollar. I soaked them like the vet said and have been giving him Bute but I am worried it has been over a week.....


Any advice??

[shelberttk2]

Easy boots or something of that nature work great for this.....Ask your farrier what size you need, he probably has huge feet!!! Actually getting him out to move a bit will help, even though it is 'ouchie' feeling Keep giving him bute, a gram am/pm....

[nalasmom]

Maybe try some hoof hardner on the sole. Some thing like Keratex or tough stuff works well. I would thinking soaking the foot would make it softer, which would make him more sore...

[quatzie]

I agree the easyboots will give him relief now, along with a sole hardener will help greatly. I have a TB that wears them allot for a ride or dry-lot T/O that has rocks in it. A week, after a trim is nothing to worry about it takes weeks to get that sole harder, just give him sometime and watch him for changes... i.e. abscess

www.healthyhoof.com/links.htm#boots ............ for lots of good information

[atticus]

I was thinking of an easy boot, and yes he does have big feet. He seems to do OK on the Bute. The vet was having us soak just in case it was an abscess, but I don't think it is, just sore. He said the iodine would harden up the hoof as well.

I was just worried that it might be bad if we are over a week and he is still sore.

Whelp he might miss the SAFE horse show, we shall see. If not I am sure we can find another to show out at Jim's.

[hollyt]

Have used DMSO with good results for the same problem. Paint on walls and sole.

[mkgbuegel]

when you say hoof floor, are you talking about the sole? If hes a traditional farrier he probably removed the dead sole & toe callus, standard for a regular farrier trim. Unfortunately in a horse thats barefoot that will cause the hoof to be very painful, its essentially removing all the natural hoof protection.

Boots will help allot. For really sore horses I put the spongey hoof pads inside to give extra cushion and support. I also put a little medicated gold bond powder inside to keep things dry and somewhat clean, if the horse will be wearing the boots for a while. The important thing about boots when they are really sore , is that it encourages them to move, which encourages much faster healing by getting the blood really moving thru the hooves.

If you can talk your farrier into leaving the sole alone, Oslo will surely be grateful. I never trim, scrap, or cut the sole anymore. With a well balanced trim the dead stuff sheds of great and in no effort and the horses are rarely sore, even the new ones coming in that haven't been trimmed in eons.

Good luck with your boy, I just love him.

[quatzie]

Yes, iodine is great and it's cheap, I use the 7% on Legacy's soles about two to three times a week. If you can keep from getting his hoofs wet for a few day before the show that may help too.

[crum]

If the farrier said the hoof floor was overgrown it is possible he meant that Oslo had a false sole or double sole formed. If that is the case it may take a couple of weeks for the true sole to harden up enough for him to be comfortable. The false sole would have kept moisture in and the real sole would have never had a chance to harden properly.

Did the farrier do anything special to stabilize the chipped area? Have you called your farrier and asked him about the soreness?

[ebo]

I use Hoof Wings on my problem child. They cost about the same as Old Macs, but sometimes they have a used pair, or demo pair, that they will let go cheap. IMO, they're easier to put on, fit better, stay on better than any of the others I've tried (Old Macs, various Easy Boot models)
www.horsesneaker.com

They can overnight them if you can get measurements to them by fax.

[shelberttk2]

You may call your vet, we carry an awesome hoof hardner that is 50% Strong Iodine and 50% Formaldahyde. Sp? It works great, but is obviously toxic, so you have to wear gloves and keep it on the hoof part and out of the coronary band, hair etc.....You will see results immediately with this! I agree as stated above, the cushions in the boots help (I buy the foam camping mats that are really too thin for a human to sleep on--lay the boot on it--cut it out and poke it in). And moving helps get the blood circulating......If Oslo is a big Daddy, you may up his bute to 2grams 2X a day and then wean him off.....If you are worried about Ulcers, you can use Baking soda and Aloe vera juice as a natural Ulcer remedy.....give it to him 2x a day after you are done medicating him!!! You can also use generic Tagament 1 per 100 lbs (Cimetidine) and give that to him an hour before the bute....also pepto mixed with the bute will help coat his tummy.....

[lauras]

I can't afford the boots in the drafie size so I cut pink foam insulation and duct tape it to her feet. The vet showed me how... Like old lady pink slippers. They mold to her feet and last about two days.
Sorry, sore feet are the pits.

[rescuestoribbons]

I would go with the easy boots, they come in big sizes too!!
I have used them on my thoroughbred with good results, I would give them a try. Your farrier SHOULD be able to get them for you... good luck!

[janet]

Easy boots and the 7% iodine worked great on Soxey. A farrier took her soles to far down. Cut a Maxi pad in half, soak it in iodine and peel of the sticky back. It holds it in place long enough to the boot on. She was good after three days.

[atticus]

Thanks for all the advice guys, he seems to be doing a little better. I am weaning him off the Bute and gave him some MSM so that seems to be working. I soaked the foot for the first 2 or 3 days since the vet was worried he might have a n abscess brewing. Then now we have been just putting on iodine to harden it. I think the soreness is coming from the chip, it is near the toe and there is no hoof wall there a space about the size of a 1/2 dollar. My farrier usually doesn't like to touch the sole but he said he needed to because of the chips and he said there was not much to work with, but by next trim he should be all back to normal hoof wise. So I am hoping we are on the uphill now and he starts feeling alot better. He was trotting around in the pasture today so I hope that is a good sign.

[cutiepiepmu]

I second the Keretex over iodine or DMSO for sore and thin hoof soles and walls. The keretex hardens the hoof without drying like iodine will and it is not toxic, although it stinks a little.

For my drafts I have found that if you search online you can buy the draft boots that are designed to fit over a shoe for fairly cheap. They are made out of a strong cordura matirial and have a hard plastic sole to them. They work great if you have sore feet for a few days! I also like to pack a thick maxi pad in the bottom of the foot and then cover with a layer of vet wrap and then duct tape. Works like a charm...

Sara in WA

[cwinterburn ( RIP) We love YOU]

If you can't afford the easy boots of any variety or you don't have them available- a regular pad, they're sold at most places that sell horse shoes- they're usually black dense rubber/plastic stuff- they'll be about $2 a pc - an inner pad - maxi works great- and some duct tape will make an acceptable 'tennis' shoe for the horse with the overtrimmed foot or stone bruise. They come in all sizes get one size bigger than your horse takes in a shoe so that it can stick out on all sides of the hoof a bit. If it's an abscess I pack the 'foot with epson salts and dampen it with iodine- then the maxi and duct tape- this will cook out the evil spirits or toughen the sole within days. It takes about 5 weeks to grow back a new sole - geldings longer for some reason, so don't give up on your program yet.

[cybercat]

I love the thought of cooking out the evil spirits, cwinterburn! think it will work on my 17 year old son? LOL!

[cwinterburn ( RIP) We love YOU]

Probably, but you'll need a lot more duct tape.