The X Rays are in from the rescued mare

[happy appy]

There is separation but no drop which is good. She has been left foundered for quite some time the vet said though. They just make me sad to see. We are going to try her with frequent trims and boots for now to see if there can be any difference for her. I hope I can make her pasture sound.

These were taken after 2 agressive trims.

 

[Shari]

The Rescue mare I took in April 09.. had foundered really bad in the past... Chronic founder. Knew her to be totally unsound for 5 years before I got her and the owners did nothing for her.

It has been an up hill battle with her hooves but she is now walking well and not in any pain.

Am sure in time, with the good care you give her, she will be sound again.

 

[kaykay]

Sending good thoughts. Its such a hard thing to deal with. We had a rescue similiar and she would be fine for months and then bam it would rear its ugly head

 

[Minimor]

Those two x--rays were taken AFTER two aggressive trims?

I've been working on a Mini that was very badly foundered at one point; his feet are just about back to normal now, and I'm hoping that they will stay that way. He is on Remission, and I feel that has helped him a lot. Another horse I'm working on is not on Remission and isn't showing as much improvement in the same amount of time. I credit the Remission for the difference.

 

[R3]

Do you have any regular photos of the mare's feet, taken from the same angle/perspective as the x-rays?

It is hard to see the hoof and how it is trimmed from just the x-rays. One person's 'aggressive' trim may only be considered a 'light' trim by a different farrier. Also, there are different schools of thought as to the 'correct' way to trim a foundered horse. Without photos, it is hard to evaluate the 'type' of trim and its aggressivess.

 

[StarRidgeAcres]

I'm going to show my ignorance here, but can someone explain what I'm supposed to be seeing here? I understand there are xrays of a horses lower leg and hoof, but what should I be seeing that tells me about the founder? What looks abnormal?

I'm not sure I've ever seen a horse that had truly foundered. There is one that when she lived here I never noticed anything unusual; she was trimmed every 10-12 weeks, was a middle-aged broodmare. She left here and went to another boarding place and all heck broke loose that she supposedly had foundered. My vet didn't think so, but the new vet and farrier sure did. Now when I see this mare, her hooves are all turned up like elf shoes and I'm told they are doing that to her purposely. And she is stalled almost 24/7/365 now and never allowed to eat outside or get any exercise. When she left here she was running around with the other broodmares and seemed to be just fine.

I've never known what to think of the whole situation, but I sure think I could learn something from this thread if someone can explain in detail what this pictures show.

Thanks in advance for your time!

 

[Matt73]

Parmela. See the coffin bone (the bone at the bottom of the x-ray)? It is normally attached by the laminae to the hoof wall; it should be parallel with the hoof wall(the top of the coffin bone should be attached to the hoof wall). See how it's pointing down in these x-rays? It has come away from the wall (rotated) through constant inflammation/degradation of the laminae. There is a lot of pain with not only the separation, but now the pressure being exerted on the sole. At this point there is a danger of the coffin bone actually punching through the sole. This is what "founder" looks like. Whereas laminitis refers to the condition of inflammation of the laminae etc. with little or no rotation of the coffin bone.

I hope I explained it okay

 

[White Socks Miniature]

Parmela. See the coffin bone (the bone at the bottom of the x-ray)? It is normally attached by the laminae to the hoof wall; it should be parallel with the hoof wall(the top of the coffin bone should be attached to the hoof wall). See how it's pointing down in these x-rays? It has come away from the wall (rotated) through constant inflammation/degradation of the laminae. There is a lot of pain with not only the separation, but now the pressure being exerted on the sole. At this point there is a danger of the coffin bone actually punching through the sole. This is what "founder" looks like. Whereas laminitis refers to the condition of inflammation of the laminae etc. with little or no rotation of the coffin bone.

I hope I explained it okay

I was thinking the same thing... I definately think there is some rotation on these radiographs unfortunately...

 

[Kim~Crayonboxminiatures]

My pony mare had problems with laminitis this year and at the end of the summer I had the vet out to take x-rays so we could determine what was going on. She has very little rotation only 1-2% on each front foot. But our ground was rock hard from being very dry and she was on 24/7 turn-out, her digital pulse was strong and she was sore from stomping at flies on the hard ground. Vet recommended Soft-Ride boots, and I went ahead and ordered her a pair. They are wonderful! Within 24 hours her digital pulse was back to normal, there is absolutely no rubbing from them, and she wears them 24/7, they are holding up great! They are easy to put on and take off, and the gel insert looks comfortable, I'd love to have a pair of them.

If I ever have another mini/pony with laminitis (hopefully not, knock on wood) I will order these ASAP! Not worth trying to mess around with the styrafoam shoes. I would think they would make your girl a lot more comfortable, and she could go on any surface with them, they even stay on in the mud!

 

[White Socks Miniature]

I dont know if this helps...

 

[StarRidgeAcres]

Oh wow! Thanks Matt so much for the very clear explanation! It was extremely helpful and informative.

And thanks for the updated xray with the lines drawn. I see exactly what Matt was telling me. I hope things inprove for your mare or at least become manageable.

 

[Karen S]

I have seen the results of a mare whose coffin bone came through the sole of her foot. Not a pretty sight and you knew the mare was in a lot of pain. She had to be put down as there is nothing you can do.

Karen

 

[Matt73]

Oh wow! Thanks Matt so much for the very clear explanation! It was extremely helpful and informative.

And thanks for the updated xray with the lines drawn. I see exactly what Matt was telling me. I hope things inprove for your mare or at least become manageable.

No problem, Parmela. And, yeah, thanks White Socks Miniature for that!

 

[White Socks Miniature]

No Problems! I hope it helped!