Chronic WLD & Abcesses... Help!

[Clare MacLeod]

Hi Everyone
It's been really interesting reading the info on this site and thanks to the farriers who help us horse owners!

I hope I can get a few ideas from the experts out there!

My old horse has suffered from white line disease in the lateral quarters of his RF and RH, both of which have led to abcesses twice. Or at least I guess the separation is leading to abcesses! The white line degradation has occurred in an area about two to three inches long, and gone no deeper than about an inch. I have had my farrier cut out the dead tissue after each abcess (all of which have drained themselves with poulticing), and I have tried to keep s****ing out any new crumbly white line gunk, applying iodine regularly. The horse is unshod, his feet are trimmed regularly and the hoof horn is strong and resilient - he rarely gets cracks etc.

We have had an exceptionally warm, wet summer although my horses have been in clean pasture (little mud) most of time.

How can I get on top of this problem?... the WLD disease doesn't cause lameness but with an abcess every few weeks the poor horse is more often lame than not. I was tempted to get a boot or cover the latest foot after poulticing is finished, but was worried about further fungal infection or general foot rot!!

Any ideas or comments will be gratefully received. THANK YOU!
Best wishes
Clare

[Mariaricardo]

I understand what you are going through Clare, because my donkey and I are in the same leaky boat. I've been fighting WLD and abscesses for a year now. It's getting pretty tiring treating the holes. Then the farrier comes and trims and, looky there, more holes on other hooves! Your question "How can I get on top of this?" is mine too. My donk hasn't had any abscesses for a few months and I'm going to attribute that to my starting to keep her in a clean, dry stall at night and when it rains, and putting Keratex on her hooves regularly. Maybe that will help your horse too. But.... the WLD continues! Is it just the wetness? Do equines in dry climates get WLD also? What's the cure?

[Red Amor]

Gday

I have for years been dealing succsesfully with white line desiese, seedy toe
useing copper sulphate

once the rot is excavated leaving the hoof wall intact as much as possible one half to three quarter fills the cavity and packs down the copper sulphste frimly
the cavity is then plugged with a wod of cotton wool and stockholm tar mixed to a dry tacky consistancey and this is tammped down hard

the hoof is then treated as normal , trimmed shod

also once the donkies hoof is defoliated the painting on a regular basis with Joseph Llyddies stockholm tar is very helpfull
paint the hole hoof and sole

A 10% solution of copper sulphate and water is good as a soak or bath to deal with thrush , canker , mud fever or greezey heel
the feed ing of yellow sulpher and a pinch of copper in the diet daily has proven to be and asset as well

I live in an area that is wet and when its not the paddocks are over hydration of the hoof is a problem and copper sulphate IS one of my greatest assets
I wont say I hope this helps I KNOW IT WILL

[Mariaricardo]

Great thanks Red! Will try that treatment.

[Clare MacLeod]

Hi and thanks for your posts Mariaricardo and Red,
Will keep the copper sulphate in mind - someone else mentioned this to me also. Might well need it next year!

My horses do already have supplementary copper in their diets...

But I seem to be on top of the problem now :D .. as soon as our weather turned much colder and I moved my horses onto drier land (they weren't in mud before, but the land was marshy and wet). No more white line crumbling. Also I have been spraying with Terramycin, an antibiotic spray for sheep foot rot that we have available in the UK. So not sure if it was the treatment, the temperature change or the drier pasture.. or a combo. Who knows?!

But my young cob who has 'textbook' feet (also unshod) developed sore rotten-looking heel bulbs and especially the upturned 'V' just caudal to the frog cleft (I need a picture to demonstrate!) on the wet pasture... this has cleared with terramycin spray and new drier pasture.

Thanks again for the help, which I will print out and keep safe. It's much appreciated.

Wishing everyone a foot-problem free winter/summer depending on where you are!!
Clare