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Tica
1997 Andalusian Mare
Initial Assessment
Tica's left front is one of the scariest hooves I've seen lately: this
is an EXTREME club foot, with extreme heel contraction. The base
of the foot is narrower than the coronary band, and the new growth
directly under the coronary band is almost vertical. There is an
old injury to the heel bulb that probably initiated the club foot, but
the extreme deformity of the hoof capsule was exacerbated by the way
the hoof was managed. Thrush accounts for some of the heel
contraction, and Tica is going to be getting LOTS of hoof soaking.
Correcting the left front as much as possible will be a slow, cautious
process!
Recommendations
First and foremost, aggressive hoof hygiene. Diet balancing is
recommended to correct iron overload relative copper, zinc and
manganese deficiencies.
Trim Notes
09-25-08
Tica shed out a BIG layer of sole on both front feet at about 2 weeks.
As a result, her 4 wk trim was more dramatic than I might have
expected. Left front is so incredibly contracted with so much
heel, cleaning deep in the collateral grooves and central sulcus was
almost impossible, and the thrush I uncovered this trim was
considerable. Eradicating that deep infection is critical to
alleviating the extreme contraction. Heel on the left front is still
outgrowing toe; the more exaggerated bevel on her flared toe will
help, and should steadily improve as we get Tica using that hoof in a
more natural manner. Her right front, while much less deformed
that the left, is still considerably contracted, and will also benefit
from the Oxine soaks.
10-27-08
HUGE progress...a picture is worth a thousand words, so see for
yourself:
10-28-09
This radical club foot will never look normal, but the changes we've made possible are still dramatic. Taking regular photos helps me keep progress in perspective; sometimes it seems like nothing has changed, until I compare a new picture with how the foot looked when I first saw it!
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