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  Discussion on Time it takes for White Line Disease to Develop
Author Message
Member:
Jchadola

Posted on Wednesday, Dec 15, 2004 - 1:33 am:

I have read your article, Dr. Oglesby, and many other articles on white line disease. I have a question I have not found the answer to. I have read that a too-long toe can be a contributing factor in the development of white line disease. If a horse owner got a horse who did not have white line disease when purchased, used a farrier for 4 months who left the toe long, then changed to a farrier who kept his toe shorter, how long would it take for white line disease to be apparent if the long toe was a factor in its development? My current farrier has not resected either front hoof of my horse yet but has taken a small part out of each. She says it is improving. My horse gets his feet done very 6 weeks and she is keeping an eye on it. I will discuss resecting both front feet with her this Saturday. The only thing I can think of that could have led my horse to develop white line disease is the way his feet were previously done and I am wondering if it was a case that too long of a toe contributed to him developing white line disease, how long would it have taken for it be become apparent?
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Wednesday, Dec 15, 2004 - 7:52 am:

While logically a long toe might promote white line disease because it can create injury and weakness in the white line, I do not remember seeing WLD in a horse with a long toe and none of the horses in my practice with long toes have WLD. Horses can go a whole life time with long toes without developing WLD so would not look at the long toes as causal.
DrO
Member:
Jchadola

Posted on Wednesday, Dec 15, 2004 - 5:14 pm:

If a long toe didn't cause my horse to get white line disease, what are the possible causes? He is a 4-year-old appendix quarter horse. Has a stall with a small paddock off it so he can go in and out as he pleases - is turned out every day except in the summer he was turned out all the time with another horse. He gets a special hoof and vitamin supplement plus other vitamins, hay and a small amount of pellets each day. He is shod every 6 weeks - sometimes less. He over reaches and has pulled his front shoes off a few times (I assume it is from over reaching or playing). He is lunged and ridden about twice a week by a trainer as he has a not-so-little problem of spooking in the ring and I was falling off too much. Anything jump out at anyone as to a possible cause?
Member:
Suzeb

Posted on Wednesday, Dec 15, 2004 - 9:59 pm:

Hello Janice,
The thing that jumps out at me is:
Does the long toe have a long underrun heel to go with it? It could be that this horse is landing toe first therefore creating some trauma. Your second farrier did reduce some toe to bring the breakover point back I assume. What did he/she do with the heels?
You might also consider the sanitation of his small turnout; could this be a contributing factor in his inability to hold a shoe?
He is getting shod every 6 weeks or less; why is that?
You state that you have only discussed this with a farrier, have you ever discussed this with a vet?
Don't mean to overwhelm you with all the questions, but perhaps your answers could provide some more insight.
Hope this helps,
Susan B.
Member:
Jchadola

Posted on Wednesday, Dec 15, 2004 - 11:11 pm:

Thanks for your comments Susan - I can't recall what his feet looked like with the prior farrier - he was big on putting the largest size shoes on a horse that he could - it seems that whenever he would do a new horse for the first time, he would comment that the shoes on the horse were too small. I suspect everything was long when he did my younger horse's feet. When I first got my younger horse in August/04, he had just got shoes for the first time I think the week before - he definitely needed them - his feet were broken off around the edges and the vet who vetted him said he needed shoes - he had a flat sole and stepping on such things as stones could be uncomfortable for him. I don't believe he has underrun heels now. I'll ask my current farrier about the heels. To my untrained eye, his feet look good except for some crumbling around some nail holes apparently because of pulling his shoe. The small paddock off his stall is picked out daily and is kept clean. My older horse digs around the edge of his small paddock off his stall and when he is turned out - I think he has taught my younger one who also started digging - my older horse never had white line disease but perhaps the trauma associated with digging that the younger one did was a contributing factor. I understand from the people who own the place where he is boarded the he plays with the horse he is turned out with - a 5-year old - and he plays over the fence when he is turned out with my older horse - rearing and also digging I believe. He recently had a red bruise on one of his back feet - I suspect from kicking a board. He is quite energetic when he plays and a few boards have come down - although no one ever sees which horse knocked them down usually. With the prior farrier, he was always losing shoes. It got to the point where I put bell boots on him last winter when it was muddier to keep his front shoes on longer. It did seem to work - although then he lost his bell boots or destroyed them. Since the new farrier has been doing his feet, which is since January/04, he has lost maybe 4 shoes - not a lot - one was when I was riding him and neither of us was very coordinated as he started to canter and I think he caught one shoe on another foot. He gets shod every 6 weeks or less because his feet grow fast and he did lose a shoe when we waited longer. We tried to leave him longer so both horses could be done at the same time but the younger one's feet just grew too much. My 22-year-old's feet grow slower and he is done every 7 weeks.

I haven't discussed it with a vet as I just found out it was a bit of white line disease that he had 2 days ago. There is a vet I have used previously who used to be a farrier who might be the most appropriate vet to look at his feet.

It would be interesting if there was some way to tell when he developed the white line disease. I will ask my farrier if she has any idea.
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Thursday, Dec 16, 2004 - 7:02 am:

WLD is an infection, so your horse got it by being exposed to and contracting the organism. I have seen WLD develop in a herd of burros, that were well trimmed though on dirt and develop is well cared for jumpers, sometimes it just happens.
DrO
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