Support for hoofwall resection

[chad rice]

Hey yall, I have been trying to get pics and xrays of a horse to come up on this site for three days and am not having any luck, ( its my lack of skills not the site).

I will shoe this horse Friday so I thought I would ask anyway. This is a 10-12 year old thorobred that in its earlier days was on the track. I have been shoeing the horse for a year and have had on again off again lamness issues.

I have had the horse pretty sound for over 6 months with some light riding. The last time I went out (2 weeks ago) the horse had a horizontal crack just below the corenet band in the left front foot.

I thought at first it was an abcess that come out the top and did not think that much of it. The lady called me the next day and said he would not even walk out of the stall. The vet came and looked and a total resection of the toe was done. Rads show no rotation and the p3 parrell with the solar surface. Blood work and a biopsy was done because the vet seemed to think it might be a Keretoma.

The problem I am having is keeping the horse comfortable. I applied a simple shoe backwords to support the heel and float the toe. I was wondering your thoughts on something more aggressive like an open toe heart bar.

Any input would be appreciated

Thanks Chad

[reillyshoe]

I would definitely support the sole after a resection- heart bar, impression material, equipak- pick one that works for you.

[Mark_Gough]

Hey yall, I have been trying to get pics and xrays of a horse to come up on this site for three days and am not having any luck, ( its my lack of skills not the site).

Chad, here's a 'step-by-step' I put together awhile back. It might help you with the photographs.

http://www.horseshoes.com/forums/album.php?albumid=110&pictureid=914

The vet came and looked and a total resection of the toe was done. Rads show no rotation and the p3 parrell with the solar surface. Blood work and a biopsy was done because the vet seemed to think it might be a Keretoma.

So, after all the tests and the resection, what was the vets final diagnosis?

The problem I am having is keeping the horse comfortable. I applied a simple shoe backwords to support the heel and float the toe.

Have had more than one vet recommend this. It's one of those 'standard' answers that rarely works alone.

I was wondering your thoughts on something more aggressive like an open toe heart bar.

Don't know that it need be open toe. Even with the dorsal wall resected, the more total ground support over the greatest surface area, the better the odds of improved comfort. Engage the frog and as much passive sole support as the horse can handle.

Cheers,
Mark

[Rick Burten]

Open toed egg bar shoes are not sufficient for at least two reasons.
1. They are strictly edge supporting thus they do nothing to stop prolapse of the sole and frog upon weight bearing.
2. The integrity of the hoof capsule has been breached and the open toe configuration does nothing to re-support or overcome that breach.

As Pat and Mark have noted, additional support for the frog, bars, commissures, and sole is necessary. And, at a minimum, clips at the toe pillars to help contain wall movement. And you should perhaps consider something on the order of a Nolan hoof plate to add additional rigidity/structure to the hoof capsule.

[chad rice]

Thanks guys this is what I wanted to hear. I thought something with an open toe would ease some pressure on the toe, but I now understand what you are saying. I might just try straight bar shoe with a pour in pad from equipak. To answer your question Mark they are still testing the horse. He has really went down hill as far as body condition in the last month or so.

Again thanks for the help and I will let you know how it goes

Chad

[chad rice]

Hey yall,


Just letting you know that I reset the horse today and had good results. I used the straight bar and pour in pad on both front feet ( was a little worried about the excess weight bearing on the good foot). I did not put clips at the toe pillars, because the only bar shoes I had were aluminum and me and aluminum in the fire don't get along.


Mark to answer your question they still don't know. It has been unusually hot here and that may have something to do with it. The foot problem was not a keretoma, but still probably need removed ( dealing with dorsal wall cracks a long time).


Thanks for the help, Chad