Lake Loudon large animal veterinary service

05/03/2025

Good visual of abnormal hoof angles.

This is a great visual to understand what is meant by bony column alignment the term I use as this is how I was educated.

In the picture it’s called hoof pastern alignment.

I assume it’s the same thing…

So the historic and current thinking is that those 3 bones at the bottom of the horses leg, are the most biomechanically efficient and all the tendons are in balance if those bones are aligned.

It’s all related to levers and moments. The way I understand it is if you think about carrying shopping bags, if they are close to your body they are easier to manage. If you stretch out your arm a bit then the weight of that bag will be harder to manage plus the muscles are worked more. Stretching out your arm is acting like a lever.

The 3 photos show nicely the different ways those 3 bones can present.
Farriers and trimmers will be striving to maintain or get to bony column alignment. By removing hoof or adding to it, adding by shoes, wedges, casts, acrylics, etc.

Note that to look at the bony column line, the cannon bone must be vertical.

I can’t give credit to this person that owns this photo but I am grateful to them and if anyone knows the owner, please let me know so i
can give credit.

Added to give credit to the canadian horse magazine

Image used for fair use- educational and critique

Lindsey

http://www.patreon.com/hoofstudies

04/23/2025

April showers bring…

…the increased risk of your horse developing a skin condition like rain rot, a contagious bacterial skin disease (often mistaken for a fungal condition) called dermatophilosis which is caused by the bacterium "Dermatophilus congolensis.”

How does rain rot happen?
The organism responsible for rain rot lives in the outer layer of the skin; if the skin is compromised by too much moisture or cracks, or if the horse has a weaker immune system, it’s easier for the pathogen to activate and establish an infection that causes from pinpoint to large, crusty scabs (pro tip: Your horse will NOT thank you for picking at them!).

Why should you not mistake rain rot for a fungal disease?
Antifungal medications and topicals have no effect on the bacteria responsible for rain rot, therefore diagnosing the condition correctly is critical! If left untreated, the condition can even progress to a point where it opens the door for more serious, secondary skin infections. It’s also important to note that this organism is contagious and may be passed to other horses by tack, equipment or insects, therefore disinfection of equipment is vital to prevent spread.

If you suspect your horse has rain rot, be sure to consult your veterinarian on the best treatment plan. While there are a million over-the-counter products available, your horse doctor may have cause to prescribe a specific course of action based on the severity of your horse's case.

03/05/2025

Good old images of aging by teeth.

03/04/2025

Hello Clients and everyone, I am updating that I am back to working full time. Thanks everyone for being understanding that I needed time to recover after arthroscopic knee surgery. I will have a few slight limitations still for 2 weeks but can do almost everything. So give us a call at the office and speak with Nancy Hamilton to set up your spring time appointments. It's time for vaccines and coggins in preparation of the spring weather that will soon be here. 865-986-5086.
We are here to help you take care of your equine and farm animals 😀

12/25/2024

Merry Christmas , wishing everyone a happy new year.

09/18/2024

Common injury with horses, I have sutured many of these over the years. Luckily this is a very vascular area and if there is enough tissue they tend to heal well. This is really swollen due to the lidocaine reaction, but fingers crossed it heals well. ❤️ usually caused by a nail or the bucket handle ends or hooks. 🥺 check your stalls for safety.

07/10/2024

The rescue could really use your help to take care of these little ones. Please consider a small donation. Thanks

07/02/2024

East Tennessee Miniature Horse and Donkey Rescue little Sargon is doing so well. Back in May we decided to do a last chance procedure to help him. We intended to do a Deep Digital Flexor Tenotomy to release his tendon contractions. We'll during surgery we decided just the DDF was not going to release enough to save him, so we drastically decided to sever the SDF also. He has made a fabulous recovery and the pictures show how much improved his foot position is. Now we are waiting to see if we need to address the DDF in the opposite foot which was not as contracted. Great job on his farrier work also Kim.

05/08/2024

Interesting case. This horse had a chronic lameness of a month +-. Owners found a large lump on the frog and the farrier cut into it a little which caused massive hemorrhaging. So had ro see it as an emergency. Turns out to be a large lump of granulation tissue/ proud flesh from a wound to the frog. Sedation and nerve blocked the foot and was able to surgically remove the mass. Cannot sutures the frog closed so decided to cauterize it with my dehorning tool. Worked well. Bandaged to continue healing.

05/07/2024

So eye injuries are always an emergency. This poor little guy had a weepy eye when I saw him to do vaccines and a dental. Flushed his eye and saw the little end if something behind his third eyelid. With hemostats had to pull this grass seed out. OuCH. This would have turned into a scratched cornea if not resolved.