Posted by Quintin Wiseman on June 06, 2001 at 08:07:02:
In Reply to: Re: Feet wont grow! posted by MEG OLIVER on April 25, 2001 at 10:45:01:
: : : I'v been shoeing a Horse which may have Navicular but the owner can not afford Radiographs right now.I'v been shoeing the horse with eggbar shoes with wedge pads in the front but his feet never really grow any wall or sole so there's nothing to do but rasp.He is on and off Biotine but it seems to help very little if any!.So my question is does Navicular cause very slow hoof growth? and if so what could help him? he is only lame when he has no shoe or wedge support.
: : I have not seen navicular slow hoof growth. If you want the hoof wall/horn to grow just feed protein.
: : With out radiographs it would be next to impossible to say what the horses problem might be.
: : Just my thinking.
: : Ray Miller
: I HAVE NEVER FOUND NAVICULAR TO SLOW HOOF GROWTH EXCEPT FOR THE FACT THAT MOST NAVICULAR HORSES ARE LESS ACTIVE(THEREFORE LESS BLOOD PUMPING). THAT MAY BE A SEPARATE PROBLEM, BUT A PRODUCT CALLED "NATURAL GLO" MADE BY MOORMAN FEED COMPANY DEFINATELY INCREASES HOOF GROWTH AND THE QUALITY OF THE HOOF WALL....JUST DON'T WANT TO USE IT W/A FAT HORSE, CUZ IT ALSO PUTS WEIGHT ON. IT IS AN EXTRUDED RICE BRAN WHICH IS READILY DIGESTED.BE PREPARED TO WASTE SOME NAILS CUZ IT ALSO HARDENS THE HOOVES. IS THIS HORSE TURNED OUT IN A PASTURE OR STANDING IN A STALL. I HAVE A NAVICULAR HORSE THAT DOES WELL TURNED OUT. MEG
I have had this same problem in the past when dealing with navicular horses. If they are truly nav. This is not dealing with heel sore horses that areo commonly painted with the navicular name. If we think about the treatment to make a navicular horse more comfortable we generally raise the heels by using some sort of wedge or swelled heel shoes of some sort, which in turn relieves the deep digital flexor tendon subsiding the pain. But when we do this we take the frog further away from the ground surface thus eliminating frog pressure and thus suffer from less expansion and blood flow with less blood flow the foot is not going to grow at the same rate as a healthy foot, without expansion we suffer from further contraction especially in the rear part of the foot where the pain resides. What I have had success doing is shoeing the horse using a swelled heel such as the KB series offered by Kerckheart, pulling the toe back or rolling the toe, to ease breakover. When finished I fill the entire foot with Equithane (clear) it is a new foot packing like a pour in pad made by Vettec. This stuff is geat no pad between the shoe and hoof to futher damage my foot especially the heel region. This new product applies frog pressure similiar to a heart bar only milder. with pressure I ahieve faster healthier feet. Try it.