help with problem hoofs

[Dena]

hi...I just rescued a mini and she has a birth defect with her hoofs...maybe is breeding defect ...
her front hoofs have grown under so she is walking on a hard hoof wall...u can not clean out her front hoofs...u can not see a frog..
anyone else have this problem ..do not want to have to put her to sleep..
thanks D

 

[chandab]

Get a good farrier to access her, and possibly your vet as well. She may need frequent trims to correct the issue. It may or may not be a fatal problem, but only a competent farrier and a vet can make that call. The sooner you make the call to either/both professionals, the better.

 

[Dena]

Get a good farrier to access her, and possibly your vet as well. She may need frequent trims to correct the issue. It may or may not be a fatal problem, but only a competent farrier and a vet can make that call. The sooner you make the call to either/both professionals, the better.

thanks...but it's more to it than that...this mini had xrays back in 2015 and vets can see she has no bottom to her 2 front hoofs....I wanted more xrays but the machine is broke and I will have to wait til spring for new xrays....as she is full grown now...
yes the farrier needs to make many trips in to correct it but vet does not think there is hoof to walk on...
so far mini has been on a pain med flunazine liquid worked great just in 24 hours she was back to walking...but she can not stay on this drug...
she is now on a pill Previcox think she can stay on this long term...and she is Oneprazole liquid to coat her stomach ...
poor little thing cant walk...she is on stall rest and has 4 inches of sawdust under her....

 

[chandab]

If she has no sole and inner hoof, she might not be fixable. You need to call around and find a vet with a working x-ray and get her seen sooner than this spring. An orthopedic specialist if you can find one close enough. Every now and then you find a farrier with a portable x-ray machine, but they are rare (one of my last ones claimed to have one, but he didn't have his act together, and could never seem to bring it with him when he came).

 

[Dena]

If she has no sole and inner hoof, she might not be fixable. You need to call around and find a vet with a working x-ray and get her seen sooner than this spring. An orthopedic specialist if you can find one close enough. Every now and then you find a farrier with a portable x-ray machine, but they are rare (one of my last ones claimed to have one, but he didn't have his act together, and could never seem to bring it with him when he came).

we live on an Island...so xray will have to wait til spring vets gets a new one...
I have an idea but to contact vet and my farrier ...
vettec can be used to build up foot..so the sore part does not make contact with ground...this way she might be able to walk again...maybe I get get more hoof trimmed if it works..

 

[chandab]

Sounds like a plan of action. Keep us updated.

 

[MajorClementine]

We've had a horse on Previcox. It didn't help her much but I've heard others say it did help their horses. It was developed as an after surgery drug for pain and inflammation in dogs. Horses take a much smaller dose than dogs even though they are so much bigger.

Here' s my two cents on hoof problems and foot pain. We had a mare start to founder. Not the same, I know, but hear me out. We did everything we could but she kept getting worse. She started losing weight because it hurt to stand and eat. She got sores on her hips from laying down. Hubby really didn't want to let her go. Finally her hooves started separating at the cornet band. He finally understood when I told him we weren't just responsible for taking care of her and keeping her alive but we were also responsible for letting her go when she was in so much pain. We both still feel terrible for letting her stand in pain for longer than we should have. If the problem can't be fixed, if the horse has to suffer until spring and is in pain, you may need to let her go. This is the hardest thing for me to do. I want to fix and save them all.

Hoping for the very best for you guys and that things are better than they sound. But if they aren't, everyone on this forum understands what it's like. We've all been there.

Let us know how things turn out. This little mare is lucky to have someone who cares so much about her.