I have Googled a lot, but you know how that goes... everyone has a different story or suggestion. Spyder has a split in between his heel bulbs (front only, and one is worse than the other). Thrush? I know I need to get a picture for the proper analysis, but initial thoughts? He's not bothered by it at all, and his frogs are good and there is no sign of thrush anywhere else. Do I just keep treating for thrush or is there some hidden secret I'm not aware of. I'm sure the mud and riding in the wet grass don't help, but I do clean it every ride.
[Update]
Snapped a few quick shots. Ignore the blur as he was moving and the dirt.. he was eating and didn't want to be bothered.
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| Circles the area, the arrow points to where the heel bulb is funky and you can see "funk" |
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| Crack up the middle, and the two small circles show the bulb areas that are worn away |
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| Picture without markups |
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| Close up |
Split more than the central sulcus? Or perhaps the moistness has cause slight contraction making the central sulcus more prominent than before? Definitely hard without a picture, haha.
ReplyDeleteThe hell bulbs were kinda soft? And his overreach doesn't help because he hits them... same deal last summer where he kicked them to the point of bleeding, but not bad. The boots seem to cause more issues... I'm updating with pictures soon... It's between the heel bulbs and it's deeper than it should be. Good news is, he isn't bothered and nothing is different than last year. I treated for thrush last summer, but the crack never closes, it just doesn't get deeper. Sorry for the bad pictures, terrible phone camera and he was moving!
DeleteThat's the central sulcus. Its a natural part of the foot. It is a little contracted and tight, but I wouldn't worry about it - Dom's advice is solid. I have a copper based spray I use and you can always use bleach water to spray, too. And of course there is ye olde tea tree oil + cotton ball you can stuff down in there and leave until it falls out. There might be something going on, but definitely doesn't appear to be anything serious. Keep his feet picked out and dry. Being dry and having nothing caked anywhere will do ya as good as anything. Dry and moving on good surfaces for 3 days and I bet you see a huge difference! =)
DeleteNote the same area on Q's feet.
DeleteHere's a forehoof where its deeper, but open. During the winter it was more contracted but she's never had an issue with them being super contracted.
http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2885/9089736172_142113eee1_b.jpg
Here's a back hoof. This frog is beefy to the point where the central sulcus is just a slight deviation in the rest of the hoof.
http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2822/9089735200_7c56383f9d_b.jpg
And for contrast, here's one of Griffin's feet from god-knows-when over a year ago. His feet are WAY different now, especially after our trail ride where he really had to work on rougher surfaces. His heels were less contracted than they'd ever been in the days after that and his frogs were considerably bigger and stronger.
http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5119/7112595635_8683f24b35_b.jpg
Hope those help you out!
I WISH that keeping them dry was an option.. We've been getting rain here almost every day which is crazy! Thank you for the pictures as they def. help! I'm going to have to make sure I can get something in there to keep the bacteria cleaned and the area dried. It's not bothering him which is great, but I was so worried. I know bacteria LOVES to hide in there because it's so deep so thanks for the advice! And the product options! :) .. pictures, too!
DeletePut ToDay in it and don't worry unless he goes lame.
ReplyDeleteDo you have a link? Googled this product and I'm dead ending! lol. Updating with a picture or 2 soon!
Deletehttp://www.pbsanimalhealth.com/details/Today/20-1000.html
Delete