Brittle hoof:
ymptoms of a brittle hoof
These are obvious. The horn is hard, and when cut by the farrier's tools gives the impression of being baked hard and stony, the natural polish of the external layer is wanting, and there is present, usually, a tendency to contracted heels. With the dryness is a liability to fracture, especially at points where the shoe is attached by the nails.
As a consequence, the shoes are easily cast, leading to splits in the direction of the horn fibres. These run dangerously near the sensitive structures, giving rise in many cases to lameness. Even where pronounced lameness is absent the action becomes short and 'groggy,' and the utmost care is required in the shoeing to keep the animal at work.
Causes of a brittle hoof
To a very great extent the condition is hereditary, and is observed frequently in animals of the short, 'cobby' type. In ponies bred in the Welsh and New Forest droves the condition is not uncommon, especially in the smaller animals.
Clean hoof:
Animals who have had their feet much in water — as, for instance, those bred and reared on marshy soils — and afterwards transferred to the constant dryness of stable bedding, are also particularly liable to this condition.
It is noticed, too, following the excessive use of unsuitable hoof-dressings, more especially in cases where coat after coat of the dressing is applied without occasionally removing the previous applications.
Symptoms of club-foot
Even in its least pronounced form the condition is apparent at a glance, the alteration in the angle formed by the hoof with the ground striking the eye at once, and the heels, as compared with the toe, appearing much too high. When the condition is slight, the wall of the toe is about twice as high as that of the heels, while in the most marked form the toe and the heels may in height be nearly equal (see the picture on the right).
When congenital, but little interference with the action is noticed. Such animals, by reason of their 'stiltiness,' are unfit for the saddle, but at ordinary work will perform their duties equally well with the animal of normal-shaped feet. When acquired as the result of overwork, of contracted tendons, or other causes, however, the gait becomes stumbling and uncertain. The body-weight is transferred from the heels to the anterior parts of the foot, and the shoe shows undue signs of wear at the toe.
Causes of club-foot
Upright hoof is undoubtedly hereditary, and is even seen as a natural conformation in the feet of asses and mules. When hereditary in the horse, however, it is certainly a defect, and is associated commonly with an upright limb, and a short, upright pastern.
Thrush
Fusobacterium necrophorum is the most common of several species of bacteria that cause thrush. F. necrophorum are anaerobic bacteria that die when exposed to air. They are most abundant in wet soil and are prevalent in muddy areas combined with feces and urine. Horses that stand in these muddy areas pack mud in their hooves. This creates an airtight compartment in which the bacteria can thrive.
Thrush Hoof Care
Proper hoof care is important for preventing thrush. The hooves should be picked daily to remove any mud buildup. Hoof picking also exposes the bottom of the hoof to air, which kills thrush-causing bacteria.
Equine thrush is an infection in the horse hoof that is accompanied by a foul smell. This odor is most prevalent while picking the horse's feet to clean debris from the hoof. When looking at the bottom of a hoof, the frog is the middle, triangular-part. In the presence of thrush, a black discharge may be seen on the frog. Equine thrush can be quite painful leading to lameness.
Spongy hoof
Symptoms of spongy hoof
Spongy hoof is quite common in animals that have large, flat, and spreading feet — in fact, the two appear to run very much together. It is a common defect in animals reared in marshy districts, and of a heavy, lymphatic type.
The Lincolnshire Shire, for instance, has often feet of this description, and, the causative factors being in this case long-continued, render the feet extremely predisposed to canker.
The horn is distinctly soft to the knife, and has an appearance more or less greasy. Animals with spongy feet are unfit for long journeys on hard roads. When compelled to travel thus, the feet become hot and tender, and lameness results.
A mild form of laminitis, extending over a period of three or four days, often follows on this enforced travelling on a hard road, more especially in cases where the animal is 'heavy topped,' and the usual food of a highly stimulating nature.
Acute laminitus
The term 'laminitis' is used to indicate a spontaneous and diffuse inflammation of the whole of the sensitive structures of the foot, more particularly the sensitive laminæ. Usually it occurs in the two front feet, often in all four, and occasionally in the hind alone. With the descent of the os pedis we get in many cases a penetration of the horny sole, leading always to serious displacement of the sensitive sole, and often to caries of the exposed bone.
The backward displacement of the os pedis may be accounted for in two ways. Firstly, the greater vascularity of the membrane covering its front leads to a greater outpouring of inflammatory fluid in that particular position. Here, therefore, loss of adhesion with the wall is greatest, while into the cavity so formed is poured a large quantity of a fluid that is practically incompressible.
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