Hi,
BTW, is that horse with him in the recent pic the same one pictured with your avatar(if that's what you call the pic that comes up under your name)? If so, interesting colour change!
Anyway... how old is Miles BTW? Yes, he's definitely quite thin, but being used to looking at ancient horses(people tend to retire their oldies to the property I agist at), I wouldn't say 'disturbingly'. It seems the case, as with people, that some, despite good diets, just get thin when they get old. Of course you want to rule out other reasons he could be thin, but it *might* just be his age & body type. Re his teeth, has he lost any? Have you had him seen to by a dentist in the recent past? If you haven't had the dentist in the last 6 months, that's where I'd personally be headed next.
Re feeding lucerne, IR/lami-prone horses, oldies, etc, if you would like to PM me with your e-addy, I could forward you a few great articles if you like. Interested to know why she thought he was so obviously wormy, despite the low fecal count? Is it his pot belly? This *could* be the result of Cushings/IR related issues, nothing to do with worming. Having a quick look at the lucerne article, it seems like a great choice for lami-prone horses, but is contraindicated for horses with HYPP due to high potassium levels.
She said he doesn't walk like he's foundered. .....She announced he has severe thrush. .....so wet right now. (
red flag red flag) .....that has antibiotics, iodine, formaldahyde .....and squeezed his toe with it. YES he's sensitive so he probably had a founder episode. ....outside of he hoof seems spongy below the coronet band.
Walk like he's foundered?? IME that very much depends on what the surface is, the mechanical details of the founder - eg rotation or not, whether the horse is suffering lami currently, how he's been trimmed & how well maintained...
Yes, living in wet or putrid conditions can make a horse *more susceptible* to thrush. Doesn't cause it of itself tho. It's more to do with hoof health & function. Unfortunately, with all the probs, age, lack of exercise, etc, I'd say it's pretty likely he'd be susceptible to thrush & the likes. Can't tell you whether or not your horse has thrush without at least having pics, but you're right that thrushy feet are generally pretty manky & stinky. If you're concerned about thrush or other stubborn infections, something like the concoction she gave you may be the best treatment. But the prob with heavy duty chemicals - even straight iodine - is that it damages healthy tissue as well. So I'd only use that short term, to kill the infections, then revert to something like apple cider vinegar to keep it at bay.
IMO hoof testers - the clampy things - are largely useless, and while sensitivity at the toe/sole is indeed one general indication of founder, it could also be due to abscesses or thin soles - so therefore lack of protection to the corium - for some other reason. If he is indeed foundered, there will be plenty of other indicators - such as the horizontal splits you mentioned - to be able to tell without hurting the horse. Spongy below the coronet band could indicate a complete breakdown & wall weakness in that area, which is also likely due to metabolic 'disease'. I'd be interested to see pics of his feet?
She wants him on Farrier's Secret - the only PROVEN hoof supplement. [8|]
Won't ask how it's 'proven'. It depends on what a horse is already getting in his diet as to what nutrients need to be supped for a balanced diet. So I'd say 'it depends'. Eg. he might be getting adequate biotin, calcium, etc in his diet already, so doesn't need more.
never commented on the crack that is forming on that one foot that looks to be heading for all 4 feet. She had no explanation for that. HOWEVER I think it's going to benefit from the hoof concoction so I'll use that stuff on his soles, frogs, AND the outside making sure it goes down into those cracks.
Horses with metabolic/diet/nutrition issues generally have weaker feet, so are more susceptible to cracks & the likes, but cracks at the base of the walls are generally due to incorrect/infrequent hoof trimming. If your farrier's not trimming the walls enough, not doing a well balanced job, the horse is foundered with 'long' toes or the horse isn't being trimmed frequently enough, for eg. Cracks occur when the walls are under too much stress. It's always good practice to trim a horse frequently enough to *keep* the feet in good shape, rather than allowing them to overgrow before getting the farrier to 'correct' them.
If they're stubborn cracks that despite the best care, refuse to grow out, then it may be due to fungal infection in the separated laminae. Therefore I'd use that concoction or some such on them too. But as mentioned, these chemicals damage healthy tissue as well as infection, so I'd use it as little as I possible & certainly not use it on his feet generally. It won't help them grow strong, and the formaldehyde will make the walls more brittle, so susceptible to cracking.
Oh, and *superficially*(only a guess with so little info), it sounds potentially good that your farrier trimmed the walls back to 'put him on his soles'. This will relieve the weak, stressed walls/laminae. But so long as the farrier doesn't thin the sole *at all*.
Anyway, hope this info is of help to you. Best wishes & keep us posted.