Hi guys!
Thank you for all of your advice in my earlier post. It was a while ago, but my long reply is now there for those of you who helped me out. http://easycareinc.typepad.com/team_easyboot/2008/05/need-help-relie.html
Here is Celo's recent feet shots. The one with the hoofpick is blurry,
but since it's a standard cheap brush pick, I figured it would be
enough to show how deep these are! The dinnerplate foot is his front
one, just before I trimmed him last week. The real trim is tomorrow. :-)
My farrier is coming tomorrow, but I need to advise her in this problem, since she has little translated info on Pete Ramey and so dearly wants to learn more. So few people here are interested in natural hoof care and boots, I'm delighted to have send my gradual converts to boots to her for good trims. :-)))
The white areas in the photo are where I just cut some dead dangling frog away and scraped with the pic at the crumbling sole. I'll ad pics tomorrow of what's left now. ;-(
OK, after having my vet out who look, he couldn't find anything wrong with my horse. He didn't look closely at the feet, not his thing. !? Just in case of beginning founder (had dig pulse after 15 min riding), he cut my horse's grain. Now my poor horse has dropped weight, way too much, in two weeks. He doesn't finish his hay either, but he's a smart fellow and leaves the weeds and moldy stuff behind. I'll switch him to silage and increase his food. I've ordered supplements for feet, though is actual horn is rock hard!! AS for standing on his toes, it's been that way for so many years the vet says not to worry.
Phooey with the vet, I hope the farrier can get to the bottom of this! On top of all the things I wrote in my prior post, I have noticed his frogs are small and don''t grow. He barely has them contacting the ground, even with his new boots and dome pads, which he doesn't seem to like much. There is no thick cushion to pump blood through the leg.... The frog has even tried to grow over the deep grooves in the back, over in the appearance of a healthy frog. underneath.... ewe.
So... my horse has been Barefoot since November 2006 and I have treated his mild thrush with every darn product out there, and them some homemade ones, since I bought him. He hasn't had any sole or frog cut away since we found no more thrush 6 months ago. I still put treatment, on just in case.
What I need to know... My farrier says she read not to trim back any sole or frog, just loose flaps. This is all we have done. However, does this mean to leave behind the white dead frog and let it fall off itself? I've left it, except when it made pockets in the groove. Isn't it OK to cut down to live frog, but not cut away the healthy frog? Granted, there seems to be no healthy frog growing in and cutting the dead stuff makes even less contact with the ground. Argh! How far can/ should my farrier cut back on the frog? He needs a trim badly since I've hurt my back and can't keep up as well. His heel need cut back a lot, but will this help him or increase his pain? Is there anything special, but still in thee natural hoof care method, that my farrier can do? Normal farriers would cut back until thee is no more damaged frog, then go a bit more... They also scrape away the sole for some odd reason. The sole nearest the frog is white and crumbly and easily with the hoof pick.
Someone had mentioned deep, deep thrush. Does this mean that thrush can also be hiding under healthy looking frog? Besides the trim, what is the best treatment for it? Topicals I can buy online don't seem to penetrate. Is there some solution that I can fill the inside of my boots with for a good soak while I ride? I've ordered Copertox, one of the solutions I haven't tried yet. After all the others, I don't hope for much. I've also heard of using Reducine as a thrush treatment. There's EquipackCS, but nothing to keep it in the hoof on a BF horse. I've put anti-bacterial soaps in my Easyboots with some water, but no luck. i'm all ears for topical solutions too!
This is frustrating. If thrush IS the deep problem, is it the cause of the frog not growing? Are there any other reasons?
Now for his boots... He's a short toed fellow with a size 2 boot and 1 strap. I've added thin a foam rubber insert, glued to the toe and sole area of the boot. This takes up space front to back to make the boot hold better. I have new dome pads inside, since the comfort pads are shredded and useless after 2-3 short rides. His horn is VERY sharp and hard, like steel! SO far, they have not sliced up the dome pads, but Celo has been stumbling a bit in them. These pads are placing more pressure than his comfort pads did. Good for blood flow, but causing pain? Is frog pressure or relief the key here? The pressure pads will create even better blood flow as does the dome pads, a little. The relief pads will give pain relief, but will the frog grow? I can always cut a groove in my dome pads if need be.
There's here's the story.. I can't change the quality of reed, hay, and footing in his turnout. I can only add supplements (and pay dearly to have them given) and say my horse is lucky to have a giant well drained pasture in this area of Germany. HE also has a small run-in off his stall. He's ridden 3-5 times a week 1-4 hours a time. Boots are only used outside on the front. and over 3 hours for the back feet. His back feet are picture perfect, but also could use more frog and have a bit of thrush. Otherwise, horse care here is the same as passed from grandfathers and generations. Home grown oats, hay and straw are what you get. I'm blessed to find a place with daily stall cleaning.... not yearly!!
If anyone else has advice for me, please let me know. I did forget to mention, as a Spanish horse, my horse likely has never been out of his stall from 3 years until the day I bought him. That is how it's done there. Hooves are not trimmed my a farrier and cold shoes are placed on and the foot trimmed to match. All horses get the same size. I've been there, seen it, sad. My vet said my horse has likely stood his whole life on his toes, as many is Spain do. He said not to alter his hoof angle or it could cause joint problems. ?! Celoso is 8 years old, I bought him at 6years. Please keep this in mind...
Thanks!! Jen
Here's a recent photo of my sweetie:
Sorry about another looong post!
Hey , it worked, I can add th to this. LOL! Here's my hoof job from today. Explained in one of the comments below:
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