why relief after sole removed??

[teddysheep]

I have a chronic laminitic with mysterious bilateral front foot pain. X-rays show slight tipping up of p3 following a tenotomy 10 weeks ago. There are no signs of active laminitis. Sole is very thick & very hard, heels very contracted & frog like a stone.

What I would like to ask your opinion on is why the following has occurred, we have some very clear symptoms:

Friday 3 weeks ago - very bad lameness for a while with EDSS & rails (no pad, frog insert or impression material). Reluctance to bear weight on heels, packing bedding under them & roaching back when moved.

Friday 2 weeks ago - shoes removed & NOT trimmed - pony absolutely dire, EDSS as above went straight back on.

Friday last week - shoes removed BUT this time feet trimmed after sole softened with blow torch - pony immediately a huge amount better & walking great for first time in ages. This continued for 4 days.

Friday today - pony gradually reverting to being poor again. He has been box rested throughout.


Does the blow torch soften the sole a lot & could it gradually have hardened off again over the last week to make him sore? My vet wants more sole removed gradually.

There has got to be something in the fact that removing the sole caused so much releif for my pony.

I would so much appreciate comments - we are running out of options.
Thanks

[Rick Burten]

Putting on part of the EDSS package but not all of it is where much of the problems happened and happened again.

The sole was probably way overgrown and causing much of the initial discomfort. The blowtorch did not so much soften it for removal, but rather helped break the molecular bonds between the ready to exfoliate sole and the live sole.

Since we don't have any pictures of the pony, we cannot advise you as to whether or not a change in the trimming is indicated. You can post some pics here and we will be better able to help you.

Stall rest is contraindicated for the pony. Get him out on ground that does not have rocks, stones or other environmental debris and let him move as much as he wants. If you have another horse/pony, keep them together for companionship, etc.

We also need to know what/how much you are feeding, whether or not you have a vet involved in the situation and if so, what his/her comments/advise is, age of the pony, body condition of the pony, etc.

Rick

[teddysheep]

Thankyou for your reply. I am glad you said get him out because I have just gritted teeth & done just that! I have fenced off a small patch, it is raining, quite muddy on the top surface & soft ground. He is happy out but obviously very sore walking (roach back). He hasn't been out on the grass though since April when he had the tenotomy.

My vet has been closely involved throughout. Eric is 13.2hh, welsh cob (I'm in the UK). Good body condition, looks fatastic apart from his feet. Helpfully he's lost alot of his fat weight.

I am posting the X-ray we took 10 days ago & also a photograph of what the heels look like (please note that prior to the shoes being removed, the shoe was set back under the heel). After this X-ray the toe has been brought back & as I said last time my vet is wanting more sole off gradually. I DO think this is part of Erics problem.

I am very grateful for your help but I do feel at a loss - I've had Eric for a very long time & its very upsetting to see him like this.

[calshoer]

:eek: I have to add to what Rick said..
applying EDSS (Equine Digit "SUPPORT" System) without using the essential components of support (the frog pad, impression material ) is entirely WRONG. Of course the horse is better off barefoot than with just the shoe and rails and no frog support, because he can load his frog better when barefoot.
Whether it was your veterinarian allowed that application , or the farrier did it on his own, whoever did it knows little to nothing about the mechanics of treating laminitis., nad either chose to just ignore the detailed video instructions that come with the EDSS or deliberately bastardized it due to a lack of understanding of the mechanics of treating founder.
A common essential part of ANY system used to treat laminitis whether it be EDSS, heart bars, steward clogs, 5-S sole support , or just deep sand etc is support from the bottom of the foot up to the bone, while unloading the wall to various extents. Loading just the wall with a shoe of any kind and unloading the frog and caudal sole at the same time is absolutely backward and a sure failure.
I suggest you have the person who recommended that application review the EDSS instruction video again, and contact EDSS for further help in using the system optimally in the manner it was designed, if they want more successes. . Patty

[mwmyersdvm]

From the radiograph and this history, I see a couple of items to accomplish. There is too much front hoof wall removed and the breakover is not properly addressed. The coffin bone should be parallel to the ground or the heel should be higher. A venogram would be very helpful to note circulatory patterns.
The forward growth of this hoof needs immediate address or you may not be able to control it. I had an aged mare with this problem and very severe corrective shoeing was needed to keep her comfortable. I had come in late on the case, so I didn't know if the long standing improper farriery or just her chronic laminitis was the primary cause of the lack of ability to resolve the situation.