Hoof (foot) care, shoeing and lameness
The equine foot is a very sensitive area and must be examined frequently.
A well fed, strong animal is no good if a hoof is bad. |
Learning objective
After studying this unit you should know:
1 The structure of the equine foot.
2 How to keep the foot healthy.
3 The importance of shoeing animals.
4 How to recognise lameness in equines.
5 How to treat the lame animal.
The equine hoof
The foot of equine animals consists of three bones, the long
pastern, short pastern and the pedal bone. What we see of the hoof is
the wall of the hoof and underneath is the sole.
The equine hoof
Keeping the hoof healthy
The animal should be made accustomed to having its feet picked
up. Clean the sole of the hoof from mud and dung. If these materials are
not removed the moisture they contain may cause infection of the sole
of the hoof.
Dress (cover) the wall of the hoof regularly with grease or oil to keep it moist. This will prevent the hoof from cracking.
The importance of shoeing
The wall of the hoof grows like the nail of your finger. It is
worn away as the animal walks. When animals walk or work on hard
surfaces such as concrete, tar or mountain roads the hoof may be worn
away more quickly than it grows. In this case shoeing the animal
protects the hoof. If an animal is shod the shoes should be removed
every 6 weeks so that the extra growth in the hoof can be removed.
Shoeing and oiling the hoof stops it from splitting. Contact the
farrier (horseshoe maker) every time you want to shoe the animals or if
the animal develops lameness because of a problem with the shoes.
Lameness
Lameness is an abnormal walk and is caused by injury or disease.
Remember that it can be difficult to discover where the lameness
is and what is causing it. To identify the lame leg you will need to:
· Halter the animal and ask someone to lead the animal around for you.
· To check the front legs ask your helper
to trot (faster than walk) the animal towards you when a lame animal
will be seen to nod the head as it trots. The head is raised as the lame
leg touches the ground.
· To check the back leg have the
animal trotted away from you. Watch the back of the animal and you will
see it rise as the lame leg hits the ground.
· Examine the lame leg for any heat, swelling or pain.
· Lameness is usually caused by a problem with the foot.
Lameness
Treating lame animals
You should ask for veterinary advice but you may be able to do something about the problem.
· Sometimes lameness
is caused by the sole of the hoof becoming infected. The sole is painful
and pus (yellow secretion) is formed. Clean the wound and apply
tincture of iodine. Leave the animal to rest and do not work it.
· A crack in the wall of the hoof can cause lameness and is cured by oiling the hoof and correct shoeing.
· The bottom of the foot can be
infected and becomes wet, black and smelly. This is called thrush and is
seen in animals kept in wet conditions. Cut away the infected material
and put formalin or tincture of iodine on the area