| BEFORE |
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| Bandero in Acute laminitis |
| AFTER |
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| Feb. 2012 No laminitis stance here! |
Bandero is a Paso Fino gelding. A breed known for being
"easy keepers" that struggle with Insulin Resistance, Equine Metabolic Syndrome and having chronic laminitis if
the feed is not carefully controlled. Bandero is now part of my own herd, though I had started trimming him before I purchased
him. His background history is full of mild, chronic laminitis from an early age. As more information about NSC's has come
available, and barefoot trimming, he has done better and better and he has come around really well. He currently (in
February 2012) has been without any acute flare ups for several months and has no trouble walking across pavement, when just
a few months ago he would hobble over the pavement. He was never neglected, so the damage to his hooves was not as dramatically
visible as neglected laminitis cases, but he is a good case to train your eye on.
| Bandero September 2011 |
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| Sporting his hoof boots for a trail ride |
*CLICK ON PICTURES TO ENLARGE IN A SEPERATE BROWSER WINDOW*
CURRENT HOOF PICTURES ARE ABOVE, BEFORE PICTURES ARE AT BOTTOM OF PAGE**
As of February 2012, Bandero is doing well. He is fed prarie hay, some beet pulp, alfalfa pellets and his
supplements that include D-Carb balance, Horseshoer's Secret, and SmartFlex Senior. He also has some clean wheat straw that
he nibbles when he is bored and the herd has finished their hay ration. The straw is just filler to chew on instead of my
barn. I do not count on it as a big part of the daily nutrition. But, without the grain heads, it is not causing blood sugar
spikes to trigger any laminitis. His hay ration is fed via slow feed hay nets on the ground, in a herd of 5 horses. The supplement
and pellets are fed in a stall to ensure he gets his ration and to give me a chance to look him over for wounds, etc.
He does have some Easyboot Bares with pads for trail rides.
Now,
for the hoof notes. The before pictures were taken when he was in an acute phase laminitis. He was on Bute, and the previous
farrier had tried to set him up on his heels for comfort, but he was miserable. But now, in 2012, his old foundered hoof is
almost all grown out. He shows no signs of pain. However, his diet will always need to be managed to avoid NSC's (Carbs).
No grain, carefrul trimming and plenty of exercise is what he needs. His hooves will still improve even from today. He is
using "lamellar wedge" instead of hof wall at the toe. You can see I dubbed the flare off the toe, so it's a little
distorted looking, but only 1/3 or less up the hoof wall.
Now, the after pictures are actually at the top, to see his "BEFORE" hoof shots, look below. You will see flare
from the top of the hairline to ground, lots of horizontal ripples and a flat sole with a long breakover at the toe. You can
see that by comparing the tip of the frog to the toe wall. Now look at the above "AFTER" pictures and compare the
tip of frog-toe ratio. Much improved. There is no prying forces on the toe wall to perpetuate the flare. In a few more months,
he should have a normal hoof, complete with solar concavity and a healthy frog!
| BEFORE |
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| Lateral view. Note ripples in hoof wall? |
| BEFORE |
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| The frog seems a long way from the toe wall. FLAT FLAT FLAT! |
| BEFORE |
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| Flared around the WHOLE foot, not just the toe. |
