Hi, I thought you might be able
to help me….
My horse foundered about a year
or so ago maybe a little more. She was
not mine at the time but I do know some about what happened. Right after it happened she was given bute for
a week to ease the pain and her feet were soaked about 2 times a day in ice
cold water. A neighbor, who had
previously had a founder problem with her horse, would occasionally come and
tape a pad made of thick foam to her feet. This seemed to make her a bit more comfortable
but the pads did not last long (they got flat after a short time) and it was
not done completely consistent. After a
while she seemed comfortable again so nothing really was done to correct her
feet (the coffin bone had rotated down - obviously as a result of foundering). Over time they started to look a little unlike
a normal hoof (not really terrible looking but definitely not normal). The
farrier said that she would roll the toe because that would help her feet. So that was done and now her feet, after about
a year or so, finally look almost if not normal from the top. The bottom is still a flat sole though. How do I know if the coffin bone is again
parallel to the ground as it should be? Is
there something that should be done to make it so she doesn’t have a flat sole
anymore?
I just want to make sure everything is right with my girl. I love her so much and she deserves the best
and what is right. I want to prevent
more rotation in the future and make sure her hoof is as normal as possible. Please tell me all you can about what to do! I
hope I explained it ok. I’m sorry if it
is hard to understand. Just make of it
what you can and any information would be very helpful and so much appreciated.
Thanks so much for you time! I hope to hear back from you soon!
M
Hi M,
Best advice I can give you is to read like mad about founder
on the internet. Do a search for
"barefoot founder" and you'll get LOTS of good stuff to read.
The flatness of the sole will improve over time if the
coffin bone isn't too badly damaged. If you have a veterinarian take
x-rays of the hooves you can tell the position and condition of the
bones. An experienced natural hoof care provider can also give you an
accurate idea how the coffin bone position is doing.
Keep up the research,
Dr. Tom T.
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