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  Discussion on White line-post hoof wall resection
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Member:
Melody12

Posted on Tuesday, Feb 14, 2006 - 11:02 pm:

Dr.O

I have a 4 year old Quarter horse gelding that I sold a year ago. He was the type of horse who needed a real professional to shoe him as he had 2 different feet. I warned the buyer about this when she bought him. 1 year later he was given back to me with a horrible white line infection. My shoer had to resect the whole quarter of his foot from the toe back to the heel. It is very extensive. We did radiographs to evaluate his hoof balance before we did the resection. He now has a bar shoe on with some clips and 2 nails in the heel area along with the nails on the good side hold the shoe on. He is sound at the walk but sore at the trot. I am treating it with Save-a-hoof spray and he is in deeply beded 12x24 stall. My question is he has a funny buldge and a wavy look to the side that was effected the most and I am worried about rotation. Is it always necessary to do heart bar shoes or is the bar shoe he has on enough support. I am worried I should be doing something to support his bony colum but this horse is very thinned soled and in the past has not been able to take any type of frog pressure. Is it OK to leave him in the bar shoe if he seems comfortable? I have not had a vet look at him yet as I just got him back 2 weeks ago and we did his feet right away the shoer says it will take a long time for it to grow out and he should be on stall rest with hand walking.
New Member:
Jockyrdg

Posted on Wednesday, Feb 15, 2006 - 6:41 am:

Hi Melody
I can only comment on some of the growth and general care of white line. I had a TB mare which was plagued by it twice, the second time we had to take half of her hoof off. I was lucky to be within a 3 hour trip to UPenn Vet and worked with Rob Sigafoos the master farrier there. Both he and Wildelstein of Cornell are very good about answering phone and e-mail questions. Rob is glue on oriented and Micheal is a nail boy, both succeed. Krista was put in a glue on shoe and reshod every month, but was able to go to full work the day after being shod. She stayed in the special glue ons (these are not the small, bottom slap glue ons) for 6 months until enough hoof had grown to hold a bar shoe. The critical part of each shoeing was testing for any new presence of the disease. Like a wound victim Sigafoos debrided the hoof wall back until it was a solid attachment to the lamina. This was frightening the first time because it exposed how extensive it was and took a good bit of the hoof back to the coronet band. On some visits she had no disease regrowth and other times there was a small bit which would be debrided again. That was discouraging; but we kept going in a general forward motion. She stayed sound throughout the entire year on her normal turnout routine. This was possible due to the shoeing. I would mention that the fabric of the shoe covers and creates as new hoof wall so no dirt can get into the area. She has a slight bump down her hoof wall that will be there forever. She will always be predisposed to the disease. New Bolton did pack the area with some Rx, but they admit it's a fuzzy area because there are so many possible organizisms contributing to the disease. I found the two farriers mentioned to be of great help and you always learn something.
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Thursday, Feb 16, 2006 - 8:51 am:

Hello Melody,
Rotation is unlikely and I am not a fan of the heartbar shoe. I would bed the stall deeply to provide sole support.
DrO
Member:
Melody12

Posted on Friday, Mar 3, 2006 - 1:07 pm:

Well, it's been 4 weeks since the hoof wall resection. The shoer added Eui Pak to the resected foot to give some support. He is on MSM, Isoxusprine, Farriers Formula, and B Calm. No turn out for fear of tearing off the shoe and loosing what little hoof he does have. What do you do with a 4 year old 17 hand quarter horse on stall rest who is a monster in his stall on a good day??? Also treating area with Save-a-Hoof.
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Saturday, Mar 4, 2006 - 8:01 am:

We have an article on stall resting horses Melody that might give you some ideas, see Training Horses » Behavioral Problems » Stall Resting Horses.
DrO
Member:
Melody12

Posted on Sunday, Mar 12, 2006 - 12:19 pm:

Latest and greatest news..I left for a horse show with my other horse when I left Thursday I checked in on my hoof wall resected/stall rest boy and all was well. I came home Saturday morning all 4 legs are swollen. The worst one is the resected one it is swollen all the way to the knee. I took him out to get him to move around and he seems pretty sound and very perky no temp. He has been on extended stall rest in the past and has never had a "stocking up" problem. I did just start him on a new hoof supplement about a week ago.
Poor Boy.
New Member:
Sherrifl

Posted on Sunday, Mar 12, 2006 - 7:04 pm:

How is White Line Disease spread? I once heard it can be spread by the farriers tools. Our farrier swears it's not. All our horses have developed a mild to moderate problem in their hooves over the years. We never had this problem 10-15 years ago. Our farrier say's it's caused by the Florida humidity/rain/dampness.
Member:
Jockyrdg

Posted on Monday, Mar 13, 2006 - 6:08 am:

To Melody and Sherri;
Melody, the Isox is a vasodilator, was he on it before when in stall rest? It may be a contributing factor as it is diltating the blood vessels, but the leg is not moving extensively to help move the blood back up. Something to ask your vet about.
Sherri; They still don't know exactly what causes white line as they have cultured fungus and bacteria from the areas. It could be one follows the other, but it still is in the embryo stage of research. It is not thought to be contagious, but to be in the soil. There may have been a climate change (could have been an unusual wet or dry season) that may have kicked the organism into activity. A lot of these "germs" can lay dormant for decades. While the tools themselves may not spread it, it may have gotten associated with Farriers if you have a farrier who shoes is a manner that allows the toe more stress than normal. I would not be quick to blame the farrier, though, I'd look at the ground and climate conditions first. There is nothing to do about the ground. Some people who have horses predisposed do some preventative treatment such as dosing with a preparation when the foot is shod. (White Lighting comes to mind, but there are several preps) or soaking in Betadine twice a month. It's an area to keep an open mind about and an eye out for new literature. There is no end to this story as of yet.
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Monday, Mar 13, 2006 - 9:14 am:

One correction on Beverly's otherwise wonderful response, isoxsuprine at the doses used orally in horses does not cause vasodilation in the horse. In fact experimentally we cannot find any systemic effect when used in horses which greatly questions its use in the horse, for more see Equine Medications and Nutriceuticals » Miscellaneous Drugs » Isoxsuprine.

Though stocking up has not been a problem in the past Melody the horse is older. However that it is acutely all 4 suggests a mild vasculitis to me, possible a subclinical virus has stimulated the immune system. Bute, handwalking, and alternate warm (first) followed by cold hosing would all be logical. Also watch for quadrilateral break of a superficial skin infection. For more see, Equine Diseases » First Aid » Pressure Wraps, Poultices, Cold and Heat Therapy for Swelling in Horse Legs.
DrO
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