Posted by Rick Burten on April 18, 2001 at 20:04:03:
In Reply to: Re: Then what the heck is this? posted by Scott Chaney on April 17, 2001 at 22:11:29:
: Ray;
: I'd be happy to send you a photo of it if you'd like. Like I said, I had planned to just be rid of the slpit hoof wall and put a nice little patch in it. I have pared upwards to within about an inch of the hairline and it seems the same as I started. It appears to cross over the toe area and pass through the quarters to the heels as well.
: I have not seen any white cheese-type material but there is an area about the size of a fifty cent piece that is white. There was no discharge or "wet" material in this. As of the last shoeing 7 weeks ago, there was no sign of any of this.
: The only thing I saw was 2 shoeings ago, there was a superficial toe crack that did not penetrate the thickness of the hoof wall. I seared a crescent moon in the wall at the top of the crack and at the last shoeing, it was holding well with no change. This time however, the crack had breeched the sear approximately 1/8" and was through the wall.
: The client keeps an impeccable barn and stalls, is very knowlegdgable and is somewhat familiar with WLD as this horse has spent many years in North Carolina. At our discussion today, she mentiioned that the farrier in NC directed the use of formaldehyde to be dripped into the nail holes periodically to prevent any WLD.
: She is being very understanding that I hope to get all my ducks lined up before taking any action.
: This is the first case I have dealt with that had no previous indication of a problem. I have dealt with the seedy toes and chronic laminitis with merthiolate with success. But with the severity of the separation involving so much hoof, I choose to be cautious at this point, waiting, as it is, for some reinforcements (you guys) to show up.
: Thanks so much for your time, understanding and help,
: Scott Chaney
: shoesofiron@cs.com
Scott
Sure looks like WLD to me. You must be sure you have completely debrided the area , and it has been my experience that with as much involvement as this horse has, there may well be more back under the wall. The good news is that it more than likely will not go any higher up the wall that it has already gone. Dripping formaldehyde in the nail holes is an exercise in futility and since formaldehyde is a carcinogen, it is nothing to mess around wtih unnecessarily. You do not want to patch this area at all. Not now, not ever. Just let it grow out of its own accord. You can have the owner daily debride it with a soft wire or tooth brush, then clean the brush thoroughly in an anti-bacterial/fungal, and treat the area with merthiolate. I would shoe the horse with an egg-bar/heartbar shoe and make sure you pull the breakover well back. You have room to nail up this horse in the heel area and if you'd like, you can add a light leather rim pad to the package. Tell the owner not to turn the horse out in the muck and mire, and just keep the affected area clean and exposed to air and light. Make sure that if there are any other suspicious areas in the botom of the hoof along the inner edge of the stratum medium, you fully explore and debride them.
Rick