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  Discussion on Squishy around coronet?
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Member:
Aeowen

Posted on Tuesday, Jul 15, 2003 - 1:53 pm:

Not sure if this is the right spot...
We have a morgan gelding, 9 years old, who had some major coat issues (he was losing hair due to what was diagnosed as an opportunistic fungus from his allergy to fly bites) and was put on sho-glo and wheat germ oil. He was also extremely gas-colicky until pasture was restricted to a little bit of hand-grazing (he's an extremely easy keeper). After all of these changes, his hooves have changed considerably. While he does have a great DEAL of new growth, it seems to be, for lack of a better word, mushy. It doesn't feel squishy really, but it looks wet and flaky (instead of dry and flaky) - almost kind of scaly. He doesn't seem to mind it at all and isn't lame. It looks kind of like what happens when the horse's coronet stays wet, which we know is not the case due to his being stalled most of the day (he does get daily exercise under and not under saddle both). Could we be unwittingly over-supplementing him? He also gets 2 flakes grassy hay twice a day, and 1 1/2 quarts of a mixed sweet feed twice a day.

I should also add that since he's being stalled most of the day we are being extra careful to keep his stall clean and dry. Could this be more of the fungus that is plaguing his skin (getting better, by the way, due to the feed and the treatments that we are applying to the fungal spots)?

Thanks
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Wednesday, Jul 16, 2003 - 8:27 am:

Hello Bevin,
I don’t think over supplementation is likely but that really would have to be evaluated by looking at all your feed components including the contents and percentages of yor supplements and with a knowledge of the mineral profile of your area. When the coronet stays excessively wet it turns milky looking or white, is this what is happening? How does the skin adjacent to the horn look?
DrO
Member:
Aeowen

Posted on Wednesday, Jul 16, 2003 - 2:44 pm:

Well, no, it's not milky looking or white today (it seemed that way yesterday), but the top of his hoof to about two inches down looks almost scaly, not smooth, like the rest of his hoof growth.

Today his coronary band isn't squishy, but there is a patch of hair missing (thin) on his left front foot. I'm not sure if that patch of hair was ever there, so who knows if that's relevant! It almost looks as if his hoof is growing too fast, and there's a cuticle over it - I know that's not remotely a correct observation, but that's the only way I can think to describe it. Other than the small line of hair on the one front foot, the rest of the skin looks normal - not irritated or anything like that.

He's not ouchy or lame anywhere and other than being a little long now (I've called the farrier - he used to be a 6 week trim boy, and I think he's going to have to be a 4 week-er) he's moving fine. His toe is not splitting or wearing oddly, if nothing else, he's not wearing enough at the bottom - but that's where his hooves look normal.

I'm not sure about our feed itself - the feed store mixes it and I don't have the latest nutritional content (I think I need to get that!). We are located in Western Indiana which from what I can tell is selenium deficient, but I'm fairly sure that his diet is relatively balanced, as our barn is owned by a vet (who created the feed) - she's out of town right now otherwise I'd have her take a look at him.

Other notable things would be that he does have some weird rough patches on his coat - almost patches of longer hair, but still hair that I would call "acceptable" summer coat, and he's itchy. He is dewormed by another vet every 3 months with a syringe of some sort of liquid - I also have a call in to her to see just what she's deworming him with (the whole barn is done in this way).

Okay, hopefully that information tells you something?

Thanks so much!
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Thursday, Jul 17, 2003 - 10:47 am:

Hello Beth,
Try this recent discussion that has pictures and commentaries about a coronet band like you describe: » Equine Diseases » Lameness » Diseases of the Hoof » Forum for topics not covered in the articles and discussions above » Abnormal Hoof Growth in my yearling-Help!
Member:
Aeowen

Posted on Thursday, Jul 17, 2003 - 1:10 pm:

Okay, well I've waded through the discussion, but one thing is unclear - how can I tell if it's normal stuff under a rough and dry periople? Should I oil it (I was not doing that on the off chance that it was a fungus that would LIKE the oil :-) ) and see if I can see the "normal" hoof stuff underneath? Would that happen because of the drier conditions that this horse is encountering? My only other guess is that the fungus made it down there, but since there is no swelling or abnormal skin (after that one episode where it did look squishy) I would guess maybe not?
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Friday, Jul 18, 2003 - 6:29 pm:

Hello Bevin,
A dry environment does not cause hoof problems and it does sound like you may have had a transient coronitis. Best is to wait until the periople wears off but the odd looking horn is not treatable. If the skin is healthy now you d not have anything to treat.
DrO
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