Posted by Patty Stiller on August 26, 2003 at 14:45:08:
In Reply to: Re: Options...founder horse posted by M. W. Myers, D.V.M. on August 25, 2003 at 21:30:11:
: : my horse foundered april 2000 we have been trying since then
: : to find a comfortable shoeing method for him. he went
: : through the abcessing and other founder things. we have
: : tried the EDSS shoeing and that did not seem to help
: : him. he was in heartbars for two months and that
: : seemed to help initially but then too much pressure
: : on the toe. Our farrier tried different types of shoes
: : but none seemed to work. He does not like any type
: : of sole (pad, etc) or heel pressure (wedge pad).
: : He is in specially made aluminum shoes but the nite after
: : the shoes were placed..he was lying down alot and still is
: : and not moving around very much. This morning there was
: : bleeding in the right corner toe area. Our vet is
: : coming to pull the shoes tonite --- any ideas or
: : suggestions would be welcomed.
: : FYI...We have xrays taken before every shoeing,
: : Thanks you in advance.
: There are several areas to consider:
: 1-What is the metabolic status of this horse and is it being addressed with medication and diet?
: 2-What do the radiographs show and how is the hsoeing done to correct the deficiencies seen?
: 3-What does the venogram show in respect to the laminar integrity of this horse?
: I suspect you have some metabolic issues in this horse that are not being addressed. This is the usual cause of laminitis that remains unresolved for this length of time. The second reason for lack of resolution is incorrect mechanics.
: M. W. Myers, D.V.M.
You made a couple of statements about the shoeing which indicates to me that the farrier may not really understand the proper mechanics of shoeing a foundered foot. One, there should NOT have been toe pressure in a properly aplied heart bar. If the toe was loaded, then the foot was loaded in the wrong place. The whole idea of a heart bar is to allow the frog to help share the load behind the edge of the coffin bone only, while UNLOADING the toe.
Also,I find it hard to believe the EDSS was correctly applied if he does not believe in raising the heels when needed or loading at least certain parts of the sole. Too many fariers use their own interprettion and modification of EDSS ,instead of the time tested recommended application and then the system gets blamed. Same goes for heart bars.
If the farier does not really understand the biology and mechanics of laminitis, then he is mising vital information which allows him the ability to apply either shoeing protocol in an optimal manner.
Essential elements of EDSS as well as heart bars, are the exact right amount of Frog support while unloading the dorsal sole.In addition, with EDSS, the ability to also evenly load the caudal sole and adjust the hoof angles with the wedge rails to temporarily ease the tension in the deep flexor tendon as needed.
If you have any X-rays and/or photos of any of the previous shoeings it would be helpful to see them so folks can comment.Please NO names of vets or farriers! Patty