We have had some internal concerns regarding possible heat buildup with the new EasyCare Med/Therapy Boot. The intended use for this boot will be on laminitic horses that could already have elevated hoof temperatures. We definitely don't want our new design to exacerbate any hoof problems.
I did a simple temperature test today with an indoor/outdoor thermometer. The thermometer takes one temperature reading from the unit and a second from a probe on the end of a long wire. I taped the probe to the hoof, ran the wire up the horses leg and vet wrapped the unit into the mane. The readings were taken in a shaded barn out of the sun.
After getting everything set up on a non booted horse, outside air temp ranged between 79 and 81 degrees Fahrenheit. Hoof temp ranged between 87 and 88.5 degrees Fahrenheit. These temps stayed constant over a 20 minute period.
Next, I fitted one of the new EasyCare Med/Therapy boots over the hoof and temp probe. Air temp ranged between 80 and 82 degrees Fahrenheit. Hoof temp slowly climbed from 87 to 91.4 degrees Fahrenheit over a 40 minute period.
After removing the boot, hoof temps quickly returned to the original 87-88.5 degree ranges. I'm going to do a similar test over the weekend outside in exposed sun. In addition I'm going to walk the horse to see if the air vents remove more heat.
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