Ask Alun Jones, MRCVS & equine podiatrist

[VeronicaF]

Ask Alun Jones, MRCVS

Alun Jones, MRCVS is kindly giving up time to answer any Questions for IH's charity the Equine Market Watch

Alun Jones, MRCVS is a small animal and equine vet and qualified equine podiatrist based in swansea.
Alun Jones has been practising for over 26 years


You can post a question to the charity email box ([e-mail])

and upon the receipt of a donation, Alun Jones will answer your questions.

How to pay your donations:
Any cash / cheque donations can be made directly into any HSBC bank:-

HSBC Bank
Wantage Branch
A/C 81248715 Name: Intelligent Horsemanship Charity donations.
Sort Code: 40-45-36

Credit / Debit card payments can be made through: www.paypal.co.uk
The payment reference is: [e-mail]

[VeronicaF]

Cathy’s question:



I have an 18yo TB mare with poor feet. I have owned her for 7 years. Her front feet are not a pair - one is boxy and upright, whilst the other is flat and flared. Her hind feet are better than her front feet. When shod, she can only go 5 weeks between visits - her feet crack around the nail holes and she loses shoes really easily - during the summer months when it is hot and dry she often struggles to even go 5 weeks between visits. Her hoof growth is very slow and doesn't improve on Farriers Formula, cornucrescine or other supplements. When she loses a shoe, she is very footsore and uncomfortable.



I took her shoes off 18 months ago because she was in foal and living out in a soft, grassy field. During the last month of pregnancy she suffered from abscesses and bruising in the heel of her flat foot, due to the weight of the foal she was carrying. She is now weaned and I am considering re-backing her. My question is, will she transition to barefoot properly? She is currently stabled at night and out during the day, and she walks quite happily between her stable and field. Her feet are due a trim as they are starting to flare a bit, but I don't want to get her feet shod if unnecessary. I am worried that the weight of a rider will cause pain in her heels again - conversely, I am worried that re-shoeing her will cause her feet to crack and break (and they actually don't look too bad now she hasn't worn shoes for so long).



Secondly, if you think she is worth trying barefoot, please can you recommend someone - we are between Gloucester and Chepstow.



Many thanks,



Cathy



Alun’s answer:



I am assuming that the mare is sound at the moment? Since she has been out of shoes for so long it would be a shame not to see if further improvements cannot be made. To transition properly you would need to be able to condition the feet which requires access to the right environment, smooth tarmac, concrete and a sand school if possible. She is not going to be an easy horse in that respect because of her past history and I would imagine initially, and possibly for some time, all work will need to be done in-hand.



If your goal for her is a light hack, then this should not be a problem since there are many different boots on the market to choose from. You will need to think about what you do want to do with her before seeing an EP.



Realistically, the first step is to get an EP to come along and have a chat and do an assessment. If they feel that to continue shoeless is not for you, then they will give you this advice.



I would recommend you contact Jayne Hunt to see if she has space on her books at the moment for you: [e-mail]. If she cannot cover you, please get in touch with Justine who will recommend the nearest student EP: [e-mail]



Kind regards,

Alun Jones, MRCVS, EP

[Alun Jones]

Louise's Question

I have 13yr old 16.2 chesnut gelding. Last August he contract canker in all four feet. Our vet treated this with 500mg daily dose of prednisolone and regular debridements (monthly) The prednisolone was reduced as progress was made. The two hind feet cleared first and are still clear of canker.
The two fronts were trimmed in January and one was totally clear the other had small signs of canker still remaining. Since January we have been on a dose of 250mg pf prednisolone.

However, the last week we have had a major flare up of canker in both fronts - hinds still remain clear. This time the canker on one foot has ruptured above the bulb of the heel, something that hasn't happen previously.

My vet this week has said that he felt the condition 'has beaten him'. He suggested that we withdraw treatment with prednisolone (we still continue to keep any infection at bay by tubbing in Virkon), in the hope that the immune
system will kick start itself again, but he is not that hopeful.

The horse has been unshod since August last year and appears quite happy on his feet, although handling his affected feet without sedation is difficult.

He has continued to be sound throughout and is ridden with the exception of debridement weeks.

So, my question would be - Are you aware of any other treatments for this condition?

Thank you for your help

Louise Baulch (and Seamus)

Aluns Answer:

Hi Louise,

Firstly I would advise contacting an EP and getting them to make an assessment of Seamus. Trim if necessary.

Then I would try Cleantrax which is a chlorine based compound which when diluted will kill infection without damaging any healthy tissue.

The EP may then advise pads.

Veterinary treatment for this condition may include NSAIDs and antibiotics.

Please do not hesitate to contact me on [e-mail] if you need help with locating an EP.

Kind regards,
Alun

[VeronicaF]

Hi Sam,



I have more questions than answers for you at the moment!



Is he sound in boots?

Is he sound on an arena (sand etc)?

Is there any bit of his leg obviously swollen or is there any part painful on flexion?

Has he ever had a lameness workup done? Has anyone ever used hoof testers on him?

When the x-rays were taken, was the source of lameness isolated in the foot by nerve-blocks?



Kind regards,

Alun




Question

Hi Alun,

Hope you can advise as I don't know what to do next!

I have a 15.2hh appaloosa gelding, 6 years old, who I have owned for 2 and a half years. He has never been shod as I bought him as a backed 4 year old and carried on with being barefoot.

Since moving to my current yard last winter he has been lame about half the time. It all started this Spring with a suspected abscess - he was very lame in the right fore foot, could barely stand. My vet came out and bored a hole in the foot, though no pus came out - it bled a bit, creating a crack in the front hoof wall which won't now grow out. He then had laminitis, about a week or so later, diagnosed by the yard vet, apparently in all 4 feet. This cleared up on restricted grazing, bran, hay and supplements, but came back again when I took him jumping and there was a frost. He was hobbling then. (about a month ago). Treated for laminitis (Damilon?) and restricted feeding, and he is now fine again, except when ridden. It's just the off fore foot at the moment thankfully, so I don't think it is laminitis.

He lives out 24/7 and is trimmed by my EP every 6 weeks, more often after the first bout of laminitis. I have a set of Boa boots for his front feet which he wore all the time for a few days after the laminitis this time round, and it seemed to help a lot. He has excellent feet, though they are very wide rather than being long. I bought the boots with advice from the Saddlery shop, as apparently some makes are not suitable for big fat feet?!
I had his back checked by a chiropracter in August, and she said his stride was a bit short in front, but otherwise no problems. He really enjoyed the treatment and got a bit 'spaced out' during it!
He has always been 'girthy' and will warn, then nip you if you are rough with the girth. He has a very deep chest, and looks fatter than he actually is.
He has remained well in himself, throughout, not even minding the restricted diet that much. Though he does not appreciate being kept in (climbs out) or away from his friends (we make a pen on the poorest part of his field when he needs it). He is on hay this winter, last year it was haylage and I considered moving him to somewhere where they only feed hay, but no need now.

I had some x-rays done in the summer, and nothing was found, as I was worried there was a keratoma or something lurking in the lame foot. There is some debate as to whether there was any pedal bone rotation, as the vet told 2 of us different things. I couldn't see any, but I'm not an expert of course. Certainly not much, if any and none in the hind feet.

My horse is bred to event, though I usually just hack and school a bit, and he generally enjoys his work. I would like to jump him and do endurance, but obviously need his lameness sorting before he can be worked enough.

He has lost weight recently, while the grass had died down, and is fed a small feed of lami-lite, carrots, apples, daily, with his supplements, and a handful of coarse mix when it is very cold or he has worked hard (hardly ever then!). He is not rugged as I would like him to lose more weight over the winter. I only rug him when it rains for days to let his coat dry off.

The chiropracter suggested he had a badly bruised foot the first time, which is taking ages to heal, or an abscess. The soil in his field is light and sandy with large boulders just under the surface, so I can see how that may well have happened when he was playing or galloping round the field - as he often does. But as it has gone on so long I am getting concerned that there is another problem in the off fore which needs dealing with.

My horse is insured, and I would do whatever I could to get him the treatment he needed. He travels brilliantly in any vehicle.

I am looking for another vet as the yard vet is extremely anti-barefoot and gives me a hard time for working a horse with no shoes on, and then again for not starving him enough, which upsets me. It doesn't help that the yard owners agree with her! I would never choose to shoe my horse as I don't believe it would make the situation any better and fully intend to keep him barefoot and manage him accordingly, but I do waver sometimes, if shoes would help when he is in discomfort. I don't know enough about shoes or have a farrier I trust enough to ask for such advice. My EP has been brilliant and has helped me a lot. He is the only male my horse will have near him after the first vet sedated him then cut the hole in his foot. He has trimmed him for 2 years now and I feel does an excellent job.

Can you suggest a course of action please?

Sorry this is so long. Thank you for reading.

SamC