Hoof diseases
On the hoof of the horse many diseases may occur.
thrush
→ Main article: thrush
The thrush is a bacterial disease of the frog, caused by insufficient hoof and stable care. When scratching out the hooves, a putrid, acrid smell is noticed. There are cavities that are filled with a black mass. Lameness occurs only in advanced cases.
Hoof abscess
A purulent inflammation of the hoof dermis is called a hoof abscess . The infected horses usually show a severe lameness and a higher temperature on the infected hoof. The treatment is carried out by making punctual incisions in the hoof so that the pus can drain away. Often the hoof is soaked by watering beforehand in order to “break through” the abscess. Then a hoof bandage with ethacridine (or a similar active ingredient) is applied to treat the resulting wound with antiseptic. As soon as granulation tissue has formed, the wound can be covered with healing clay.
Hoof ulcer / horn maceration
A hoof ulcer is inflammation in the hoof. A stone that has been entered can be the cause of such an ulcer. Contrary to popular belief that it is going into the hoof, it is putting pressure on the hoof. If the skin of the hoof is overexcited by pressure, it can lead to purulent inflammation - a hoof ulcer. A pain signal then occurs when the maceration product enclosed within the horny capsule exerts pressure on the neighboring sections of the dermis. Hoof ulcers can develop into hoof abscesses when septic inflammation occurs in the opened hoof areas . Severe lameness is the result. Hoof ulcers almost always have their cause in an unphysiological stressful situation.
By the time the vet or farrier arrives, some preparatory work can be done with a Rivanol infusion. Such an infusion can also cause the ulcer to open. As the pressure subsides as soon as the pus can drain, the pain subsides. Hoof ulcers are usually treated by the farrier. This cuts the hoof until it reaches the ulcer, so the ulcer can leak out of the hole. Sometimes the pus has to come out of the coronet. This can be achieved with ointment or flaxseed. In addition, the hoof should be rinsed three to four times a day with soft soap and water so that the hoof breaks open more easily.
Horn column
A horn pillar forms on the inside surface of the hoof's horn wall. The dermis produces more keratin in a limited area than is needed for the horny capsule of the hoof. This formation on the inside of the horny capsule in turn presses on the dermis and indirectly on the underlying coffin bone. This can react with a breakdown of the bone tissue to relieve pressure, which creates a notch (called usur) opposite the horn column and the bone can become so unstable that it breaks. The bone deformation will also show up on the X-ray. A notch in the hoof bone shows the location of the horn column.
Horn columns arise, for example, from injuries to the coronet and / or inflammation of the hoof dermis.
Lameness can occur.
According to the current state of medicine (2017), a horn column is removed from the hoof by splitting the hoof above the horn column and cutting out the entire horn wall including the horn column in a narrow area. The hoof then has to grow back from above, which takes about a year. In the meantime, care must be taken to ensure that the split hoof is neither deformed nor infected, which is usually achieved by means of a special bandage that has to be changed frequently and therapeutic shoeing; The animal is not allowed to move much during this time.
Alternatively, it has apparently been possible in some cases to "scoop out" the excess keratin from the underside of the hoof without interrupting the supporting horn wall, whereby this procedure has to be repeated every time the bandage is changed, i.e. every two days, until the hoof has regrown in normal shape is. But these were cases where the horn column did not reach the edge of the crown.
As long as the animal is neither lame nor a deformation of the coffin bone is noticeable, it is an incidental finding that does not need to be treated.
Laminitis
→ Main article: Laminitis
Laminitis is an inflammation of the dermis, mostly triggered by metabolic problems, which in extreme cases can lead to the detachment of the entire hoof capsule - the so-called shoeing.
For laminitis, various deer shoes are used or alternative therapies are carried out by various hoof care schools.
Farfoot inflammation
→ Main article: Podotrochlosis
The hoof roll inflammation is usually caused by overloading the forehand. Since it attacks the bone of the navicular bone, it is irreversible and usually leads to the horse concerned being unrideable.
The Strasser Hoof Care School sees a frequent cause of hoof roll inflammation in the neglected shortening of the corner struts and heels pushed under, which lead to a forced hoof. The corner struts are thereby pressed from below into the hoof and against the hoof roller mechanism, which leads to lameness in the horse and the triggering of an inflammatory process in the hoof roller. The anatomically correct cutout of the hoof, in particular the "digging out" of the corner struts, as well as the widening of the forced hoof by restoring the hoof mechanism can, according to Strasser, eliminate the lameness and the inflammation of the hoof rolls.
Hoof injuries
The ball kick is an injury to the ball of the ball that the horse inflicts itself if it kicks the balls of the front feet with the hind feet too far or another horse steps on the balls of the hind limbs. A crown kick is a kick injury caused by the front hooves on the hind legs in the area of the crown.
Flat hoof / flat hoof
Flat hoof or flat hoof refers to a hoof shape in which the sole does not have a pronounced arch and the toe wall and partly the side walls have a flat incline and sometimes do not run straight, but are widened towards the ground like a gramophone funnel. Cause can u. a. an inflammation (deer), as a result of which the hoof wall has partially detached from the coffin bone or the coffin bone support has widened considerably and the coffin bone has sunk. Therapy is tedious, but almost always possible.
Stone gall
→ Main article: Stone gall
Stone galls (kick of nails, blue marks) are caused by bruising and inflammation of the hoof dermis, especially on the front hooves of horses.
Slipped traditional costumes
→ Main article: Slip-on costumes
Under heels pushed under is understood a deformation of the rear areas of the horn capsule, in which the horn tubes of the hoof wall lie flat and slide under the hoof.
Heels that are pushed under are either caused by a hoof toe that is too long or, if the horn is worn too heavily in the rear area of the hoof, by wearing iron. A horse with the heels pushed underneath gets strong pressure on the hoof toe when it is footed, which is why it puts more strain on the heel, so that the toe no longer receives any abrasion and continues to grow forward. A hoof orthopedic correction of the heels that are pushed underneath is therefore absolutely necessary.
Forced hoof
→ Main article: Forced hoof
A forced hoof is a deformation of the horn capsule in such a way that the bearing edge in the area of the heels is so steep and the heels are so narrow that the frog is narrowed. In extreme cases, the end edges of the heel do not diverge downwards, but are parallel or even come together. The result is that the hoof does not expand when it is footed, but rather narrows, which causes pain and can lead to lameness.
A distinction is made between crown constrained hoof, bearing edge constrained hoof, traditional costume constrained hoof, sole constrained hoof.
