Other ??possible hoof wall separation?

Hello, I am looking for any info/help on this 13 y/o QH gelding that I have owned for 12 yrs and have never had a hoof problem beyond a hoof abcess. There are pictures where taken 1/19. Last trim 2 wks before that. The gaps started in the fronts-lateral or outside aspects...and then started medial. Started like in October? Basically just wondering 1. If this is hoof wall separation? 2. what could be the causes? He isn't lame presently. But was minimally "off" a few months ago. I thought maybe if he was "off"that he was putting weight on fronts. BUT It more recently started on one of his backs. I also have a small pony and it stared minimally on his fronts.Others previously owned horses have never had anything like this..3.Other input would be on anything you see with his angles and frog.(Last trimming he left with his hind frog bleeding) He really hasn't been in alot of mud. I had pasture which was dry and now snowy. (If you see purple stuff...that was a spray I used). It started before giving hay....and my hay is good this year. The horse barely gets any grain(which pellet)..if does.. its a coffee can(aprox.1 lb )a day and it is not even recomm amount to get the daily allowances out of the feed. And even that was something started like in Dec and now I cut out because really doesn't need anyway. Thanks for any help!! View attachment 2952 View attachment 2952 View attachment 2952

White Line Disease......................there is white lightning out there for this.

"The horse barely gets any grain(which pellet)..if does.. its a coffee can(aprox.1 lb )a day and it is not even recomm amount to get the daily allowances out of the feed"

That's probably a red flag. I see this in horses that have mineral imbalances. Not supplemented properly. Once weak, and then subjected to moisture, falls apart.

Hoof issues frequently go back to Copper, Zinc and Manganese.... which WLD can probably be traced to as well but I don't know that I would diagnose this as that. Mostly as yours is a separation at the waterline.

IMO, you should pack the crevices with something antifungal/bacterial. You can use Magic Cushion, Keretex Hoof Putty, Impression material with copper sulphate mixed in, or something of the like. Doing a White Lightening Soak or Clean Trax soak first would be beneficial also like Linda mentioned.

But look into your diet and make sure you have your minerals properly balanced. Katy Watts (safergrass.org) is awesome at that.

What about selenium? I've never seen it but if I remember correctly ( from discussions on the horseshoes site) it's starts out looking like WLD.

I could be way off base on this but, could it be a possibility?

David

Were you thinking toxicity or deficiency, David? Selenium is almost always thought of as in toxicity with hooves. But it is extremely important to hoof health. I think many are afraid to supplement it due to fear of toxicity. Selenium is incorporated into glutathione peroxidase enzyme, which is an important antioxidant for protecting the fat in the hoof.

You may have had some separation, for what ever reason, then going from dry to snow, maybe the snow packed in and made it worse.

David, selenium toxicity starts as a separation around the coronary band. and is parallel to the coronary as it grows down. The selenium replaces the sulfur in the amino acid molecules. Separation and flaring at the white line only happens after the insult reaches the distal portion of the hoof wall. Since most selenium salts are water soluble, it almost always occurs in arid to semi arid locations, where those salts can collect. I've seen one case from irrigated ground and that involved a well producing selenium contaminated water.

The sudden polo pony deaths in Florida a few years ago involved a massive overdose of selenium when a vet wrote a prescription calling for .1 units instead of 0.1 units of selenium per cc and the pharmacist didn't see the decimal point That 10 fold overdose led quickly to organ failure.

For Marlo, picture 2, the posterior shot, does show hoof wall problems that could be parallel to the coronary. Lateral shots would be good. An October onset could suggest selenium or some other plant poisoning from ingesting plants that weren't touched as long as the grass was green. A second horse in the pasture with similar symptoms suggests the same. Selenium often causes the mane and/or tail hairs to fall out. Any sign of this happening?

Mr. Evers,

I think you were involved in the discussions of selenium on the other forum and I know you know more about it than I do so, I appreciate your clarifications.

Thanks
David

As I hope I suggested in my next post to the OP, I wouldn't rule out selenium toxicity W/O more pictures and a better understanding of the environmental factors. It is a possibility.

The OP posted better pics on the other site. here are my remarks.

I hate to say it, but if these pics are within two weeks of a trim, your trimmer is way short on experience. Of course "natural" is the most overused sales pitch in the English language today. I have naturally flat feet, arch supports make it much more comfortable for me to hold up a horse and do my job. I also have naturally poor eyesight, Contact lenses are a great aid in doing my job. Arsenic is naturally occurring in a neighbor's well, It killed several of his bulls, but it's natural. Natural isn't necessarily a good thing.

You have a beautiful pasture. That is not natural ground for a horse. In pictures 36, 6 and 86, there is a great deal of retained sole that is only there because of your beautiful, non abrasive pasture. In picture 85 he has removed that retained sole, probably because it was getting loose and causing the gaps, but without reducing the wall and that creates a lever to start the separation. In none of the pics is the wall rolled which would be natural and also reduce the lever effect. The trim is the problem, I'd suggest you get someone with more experience.

Ignore my remarks on the other site, I now have what I need regarding lateral views and environment.

Jack Evers CJF AFA#426

obese.

I have shod 2 horses with selenium poison
both of them lost all 4 feet
still shoeing one of them
the other broke its neck jumping when raceing
i have pics some were