Case Studies

WHAT TO EXPECT DURING THE TREATMENT PROCESS OF LAMINITIS CASES

For pre-founder cases, while the horse is suffering a systemic condition that is known to trigger laminitis, if the hoof walls are unloaded early, before the lameness symptoms appear, the feet will not founder and the horse will remain sound. The horse will still show signs of being sick relative to the systemic condition. It is advisable to keep the sole support system on the horse for three to eight weeks after the horse recovers to guarantee time for the laminae to return back to full health.

For chronic cases, the horse will usually experience an immediate improvement to its comfort level. The application of quality sole support to cushion and distribute the sole load provides pain relief from pressure points on the sole area. Unloading the wall relieves the strain on the injured laminae. These cases may occasionally experience some problems with sole inflammation but not to the same extent as acute cases. They will start off similar to the two to four month stage as described below.

For acute cases, with the horse displaying lameness symptoms and/or when the hoof wall has been displaced from the coffin bone, immediately upon unloading the wall, the horse will experience considerable relief of pain associated with the strained or traumatized laminae. The horse will now stand square on its feet rather than rocking back on its heels.

First Two To Ten Weeks Of Treatment:

The horse’s soundness will gradually improve as the injured laminae heals and the associated inflammation subsides. However, it is to be expected that the horse will experience periods of severe pain until the inflammation is in control. These sore periods may come and go and can last for a few days or two to three weeks. The horse may improve nicely for some time, traveling at a careful walk. Then it can become so sore that it is reluctant to stand and may spend much of its time lying down. The horse must be provided with deep, soft bedding to make it comfortable. With gentle encouragement, the horse probably will allow the feet to be handled while lying down. It is a stressful time for the horse but with good management, the condition will stabilize and the horse will be back on its feet.

Two To Four Months Of Treatment:

Inflammation is not an issue any more. The horse will be happy, bright and will spend much time on its feet and will travel at a careful walk. The growth ring indicating when treatment started will be about one inch down from the hair line. The new hoof wall profile above that ring will be parallel with the coffin bone. There is a risk during this period that the horse begins to feel so good it may over exercise causing injury to the newly rejuvenated laminae and inflammation of the sole. The horse must be allowed free roaming exercise but kept quiet and content.

Six Months Of Treatment:

The horse spends most of its time on its feet. It travels at a normal walk and will occasionally trot or lope. The reference growth ring is one and a half inches from the hairline. The new hoof wall is smooth without the typical wavy growth rings associated with laminitis.

Eight Months Of Treatment:

The reference growth ring is two to two and one half inches from the hairline. The new hoof wall profile is parallel with the coffin bone. The horse generally travels sound.

Ten To Fourteen Months:

The reference growth ring has reached the ground. The white line will be close to normal width. The horse should be sound with a normal looking foot.

The principles of unloading the hoof wall have been applied on approximately sixty cases. The exact number of cases is approximate because a log was not kept on all of them. The more severe cases were documented with detailed records, including photos and radiographs. Numerous other cases were less severe and were managed more simply by applying unloading principals during regular trimming or shoeing. The cases that are described here are the result of observation and documentation that was felt to be important at the time. These are not formal scientific studies. There is, however, a definite pattern of positive results that must not be ignored.

It is safe to say that virtually every case experienced dramatic improvement to the quality of the hoof The improvement referred to is more than a mere 5%, 10%, or 20% as might be hoped for. Most of the cases were reclaimed to, and are now easily maintained at near normal condition. Cases, when the horse was experiencing conditions that put it at high risk of suffering laminitis, were prevented from foundering. Chronic foundered cases returned to a normal alignment and attachment of the hoof wall to P3, with a narrow, dense whiteline. Cracked hooves grew out free of cracks. Hooves with weak flared walls, with dished toe profile, with extended whiteline and with thin, dropped soles grew out displaying thicker, rigid, straight walls while the soles became thick, tough and resilient. Genetics and existing permanent tissue damage are the only factors that limit the rejuvenated hoof condition and the horses' performance. The cases that are described here, exhibit results typical of other cases of the same type.

There were cases that did experience some complications in the form of sole bruises and abscesses. These complications must be expected and prepared for. They are painful to the horse and can be demanding to deal with at the time. However, the reader should know that, in proportion to the number of cases involved, the long months of sole support application, and the overall benefit to the hoof, the occurrences of bruises and abscesses are merely minor inconveniences. Methods to avoid and manage complications of sole loading are discussed in the Risk Management section.

Meet Holly
Holly, an 8 year old quarter horse mare, is one of those unfortunate horses born with naturally thin hoof walls and soles. When we were introduced to Holly in the summer of 1994, we could see that she was a candidate for the 5S system. All four of Holly's feet had numerous deep cracks in the hoof wall. Both front feet had two toe cracks that were deep and extended completely into the coronet band. Her sole was dropped. Shoes gave her only short-term protection for the thin soles, and the shoes came loose within three weeks of installation. She seldom traveled faster than a walk. She showed all the classic symptoms that her hoof walls were overloaded!

Holly was fitted with the 5S Eliminator System on the front and trimmed very short and unshod on the hind - the cracks on the hind were less severe. After fitting with the 5S system she was turned out on soft turf.

The 5S system, acting as a "crutch" unloaded the hoof wall - effectively immobilizing the cracks. Within two weeks, Holly was running and playing with her pasture mates! The new hoof growth was now crack free and her soles became thicker and less sensitive.

Holly was trimmed and reset at 5 week intervals and by June 1995 her new hoof growth was complete and the front and hind hooves were free of cracks. Throughout the entire process Holly remained comfortable and did not develop any bruises or abscesses.

The photo to the left shows Holly - Right Front, on December 30, 1994. The 5S Sole Support System had been in place for three months.

The photo to the right shows Holly - Right Front, on June 12, 1995. The 5S Sole Support System had been in place for eight months.

Holly's healthy hoof condition is now maintained by regular trimmings at 5 week intervals. The sole is not trimmed, allowing it to remain thick. She is kept on soft turf to maximize the sole loading.

Meet Bambam
Bambam is a case involving chronic founder. She is an eight-year-old overweight grade pinto mare, foundered on all four feet. Her sole was thin and dropped, with evidence of bruising. The white line was 5/8" wide on the front and 3/8" wide on the hind. Radiographs showed 25^o of hoof wall displacement. The hoof growth around the toe was somewhat slower than at the heels. Bambam was getting along okay, but was not sound enough to be ridden.

The radiograph on the left shows Bambam's right front hoof on January 31, 1995, before installing the 5S Eliminator System. Note the very little sole protection at the tip of P3.

Bambam was fitted with 5S Eliminator Pads on all four feet in March, 1995. The hooves were trimmed to align the solar surface of the the coffin bone to be parallel with the ground. Bambam was allowed free exercise in a dry lot and given limited dry feed. Reset intervals were at five weeks. New hoof wall growth at the toe appeared to be faster and followed a close alignment with P3. Radiographs, at the first resetting, revealed a much thicker sole. Bambam was quite sound most of the time, but suffered with periodic sole tenderness that was kept in check with Phenylbutazone treatments. In August, the 5S System was replaced with traditional shoes and flat pads while she went on a pack trip. The bruising stopped. Indications are that the curved profile on the ground surface of the original 5S Eliminator pad may have contributed to the sole bruising. In early December, 1995, Bambam was refitted with 5S, using a flat profiled Eliminator pad and there was no further evidence of bruising. By January, 1996, the hoof wall was almost completely grown out. Radiographs show the hoof wall profile to be nearly parallel to P3 and the white line is tight. The sole is healthy, and the horse travels sound.

The radiograph to the left shows Bambam - Right Front, on July 19, 1995. The 5S Sole Eliminator System had been in place for four months. Note the thick sole, and the new hoof wall at the top, closely attached to P3.

The radiograph to the right shows Bambam - Right Front, on February 12, 1996, eleven months from the initial installation of the 5S. Note the dense hoof wall closely attached to P3.

Meet Crook
Crook is a 5 year old quarter horse gelding. In the late summer of 1994, Crook was diagnosed with Potomac Fever. He received veterinarian treatment shortly after the initial occurrence of diarrhea. Crook responded to the treatments and in three days was on the mend. But, within that time, laminitis symptoms appeared on the front. Crook was immediately shod with 5S Eliminator pads on the front and was trimmed short on the hind. He was turned out in a grassed paddock. The symptoms, associated with laminitis, disappeared right away. Crook remained comfortable, with regard to his feet, as he regained his condition that was lost due to the fever. The 5S system was removed after three weeks. Crook has since remained sound with no sign of founder.

Meet Cat
Cat is a 15 year old quarter horse gelding. He is used during the spring, summer and fall for ranch work and team roping. Cat's feet have naturally thin hoof walls. The hinds have stayed in good condition but the fronts have been plagued with deep wall cracks. The sole was somewhat dropped while the walls displayed a dished profile, flares and weak heels. Cat was kept going reasonably well with wide branched shoes, rocked toes and extended heels. There was never much wall growth on the ground surface. Trimming involved dressing away the flares and backing up the toe. There was not much solid wall to drive nails into. The shoes came loose within three to four weeks.

Over the winters there was a notable improvement to Cat's hoof condition, He was left barefoot and turned out in the snow to winter graze. Each year, come spring, the new wall growth would have fewer cracks for about one inch below the hair line. However, when the hooves were shod again during the work season, the cracks would migrate back up to the hairline even when a horizontal groove had been cut at the top of the cracks. The cycle would be repeated each season and the hoof condition stayed the same.

In the spring of 1996, Cat was shod on the front with the 5S System using Supporter pads. The shoe type varied from plain shoes with corks during calving season to rimmed shoes during the summer roping season. The toes were still backed up and the shoes had a rocked toe and extended heels.

Once the 5S System was installed, most of the cracks did not migrate back up to the hairline, leaving the new wall growth free of cracks. One or two of the major cracks, near the toes, still tended to work their way upward but did become progressively narrower. The hoof wall condition continued to improve over the summer. There was less flares to be dressed away and more actual wall length to be trimmed. The heels and bars became stronger. The sole became healthy, tough and concave. The shoes stayed on between the five week resettings. Meanwhile, Cat has remained sound while carrying a full workload. He is under saddle three to five days a week in rough ranch conditions.

The winter of 1996-97 was long and cold with deep snow. Cat's feet were neglected without being trimmed from October until the end of February. The walls then displayed a straight profile, but there were still two cracks near the toe on both front feet (see left photo, below). The 5S Supporter System was again installed and maintained over the summer. Three of the four cracks became dormant and steadily grew out. The one crack stubbornly moved upward during the wet spring season. Going into the dry part of the summer that crack was given a deep cross groove at the top. Finally it too gave up and the new wall growth stayed crack free.

All but the one crack had disappeared by winter time. Cat was again turned out barefoot, but this winter the trimming intervals have been five weeks apart with the walls trimmed quite short leaving the sole and bars untrimmed. It is now January 1998. The walls are straight and upright and the remaining crack is half way to the ground (see right photo, above). Cat will again be fitted with the 5S Supporter System when calving season starts and will be kept that way until the last crack is gone.

Cat's cracks probably could have been removed within one year if the 5S Eliminator pad would have been used. However, he would have had to be laid off work for that year. Cat's feet have steadily improved without him missing a days work. It will be an easy task to maintain his new feet.

It is typical of cases like Cat or Holly for the new hoof wall growth during sole support to be noticeably thicker and stronger. After twelve months, when that new growth reaches the ground, the hoof wall is now more resistant to flares, and the shoe nails do not come loose as easily.

Indications are that most horses can handle the positive sole support necessary to unload the hoof wall. The majority of these cases did not suffer any major ill effects. The sole becomes thicker, less sensitive and remains healthy. Most cases became more comfortable upon unloading the hoof wall, and remained comfortable for the duration. Some horses have worn the 5S System for 8 to 10 months.

Shared loading is practical on an ongoing basis, for cases like Holly, to maintain healthy conditions on genetically weak hooves. Shared loading is beneficial to normal hooves to maintain healthy conditions. Partial unloading can be useful when treating some cases of whiteline disease where a portion of the effective weight-bearing hoof wall is temporarily lost. Partial unloading can be helpful to prevent laminae breakdown on street horses traveling long hours on pavement. With partial sole support in place, horses could continue their performance activities, and in many cases, achieve a higher level of performance.

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How to Choose the Right Pad, and Using the 5S Equine Sole Support System

Risk Management