White Line Disease Laminitis

The horse hoof disease forms after fungus and bacteria enter the crack and begin to destroy hoof tissue.

White line disease laminitis.

Tapping on the hoof wall over the separation produces a hollow sound. White line disease is an opportunistic disease meaning the pathogens take advantage of a weakened or compromised hoof wall such as hoof wall separation caused by an improperly balanced hoof i e. The more a farrier tries to patch or cover up the damage the wetter and darker the environment becomes for the fungi and they just get happier and more aggressive. Whether white line disease or laminitis was the primary lesion remains unclear.

Paring away the damaged horn reveals separation of the hoof layers leading upward from the toe toward the coronary band. Dropped soles or flat feet. Lameness was of 6 weeks duration and the mare had been treated with stall rest and phenylbutazone dominion veterinary laboratories winnipeg manitoba 2g d po. Laminitis is now regarded as a syndrome that occurs secondary to something else rather than a discreet disease all in itself.

White line disease suspect laminitis if. White line disease thrush solar abscess laminitis white line disease. Fortunately in the last 10 to 20 years there have been great strides in understanding the causes of this terrible condition. White line disease may be diagnosed during a routine trimming when a farrier notices a small area of crumbly or powdery black or gray tissue at the white line.

The difference is where that cavity a gas pocket shows up on the x ray. During the weeks that followed the high fever the gelding was slow to walk in small circle and. Signs of chronic laminitis may include the following. Bruised soles or stone bruises widened white line commonly called seedy toe with occurrence of seromas blood pockets and or abscesses.

To identify this hoof problem you should look at the sole of your horse s hoof. White line disease and laminitis in a horse. In general however the disease leads to chalky crumbly tissue in the stratum medium layer of the hoof. A 5 year old quarter horse mare presented with a grade iv v lameness 1 in the right front leg.

One year prior the gelding had developed a high fever of unknown origin presumed viral. The rise of white line disease has driven thousands of horse owners and farriers to natural hoof care. At the toe or heel you will see a separation in the form of a crack or hole. Equine laminitis has been with us for a long long time.

The radiograph in figure 1 is that of a middle aged gelding that presented for intermittent foot pain. White line disease and chronic laminitis can sometimes be confused with each other fraley said. White line disease can also cause some rotation of the coffin bone like laminitis but it s a little different type of rotation. The horse becomes very lame or topical antibacterial or antifungal treatments don t seem to help.