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Following on from Part II of our series.
A surprising majority of lamenesses involve the foot.
If the problem does appear to be related to the horse’s lower limbs, feet, or hooves, a farrier may be able to diagnose the problem and provide corrective treatment.
HORSEY PODIATRISTS
Your farrier has an intimate knowledge of the anatomy and physiology of the horse’s lower limbs, and is obviously especially familiar with common foot and hoof problems as they specialises in hoof care. With this expertise your farrier can often determine the cause of lameness and devise / employ corrective measures to rectify or treat the problem.
PREVENTION IS BETTER THAN CURE
Good farriers will be proactive in preventing development of hoof and limb problems by making sure hooves are balanced, correctly shod (or not) correctly and appropriately for the horse’s workload and conformation, and will note any signs of trauma or infection in the lower limbs and feet.
DIAGNOSTICS
Using a hoof tester, your farrier can check for trouble spots in the foot and hoof along with noting:
– any puncture or other kinds of wounds
– diseases of the frog
– heat
– swelling
– increased pulse indicating possible infection, disease, or injury.
A farrier will be able to differentiate form problems that result from orthopedic diseases of horses, laminitis, sand cracks, flat feet, corns, sole bruises, navicular disease and contracted heels, among others. Corrective trimming and shoeing form an integral part in treating these diseases and conditions: contracted flexor tendons, tendonitis, ligament injuries, ringbone, sidebone, bone spavin, dropped sole and cunean tendon bursitis also respond well to corrective trimming and shoeing.
SUGGESTION… It is always a good idea to have a set of x-rays of all the hooves as a starting point for farriers. After 6 or 8 shoeings a follow-up set can ascertain if the corrections are effective, and from then on it is a great idea to radiograph hooves annually to monitor changes.
TREATMENTS
In some cases, such as white line disease (seedy toe) and puncture wounds of the white line, the farrier will pare out diseased horn and unsound tissue, pack the cavity with betadine dressing and treat the hoof until healthy horn begins to develop. Prosthetic hoof repair material and special shoeing techniques are used while making sure that any predisposing conditions are treated and corrected.
Farriers are often called upon to repair various types of hoof wall cracks, chipped and elongated hooves, and to do corrective trimming and shoeing that solve problems with conformational hoof and limb imbalances.
BEYOND THE FOOT
Although your farrier may treat a wide range of foot and hoof problems, your horse may need the more advanced medical knowledge, diagnostic tools, and facilities associated with your veterinarian.
Fortunately, most farrier’s have your horse’s best interest at heart and will readily recommend the services of your veterinarian if they find that your horse’s lameness needs further evaluation and treatment.
We will cover this in PART IV.
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