08/29/2024
Long toe is a NO GO!
The goal of orthopaedic intervention for equines with laminitis is to immediately shift the weight of the equine from the damaged, weakened and most painful areas of the hoof to the undamaged areas.
The characteristic stance you often see of a equine suffering with laminitis is the equine trying to do the above itself (to shift its weight onto its heals) = the “classic laminitis stance”.
Why oh why would anyone think that leaving a long toe would have any beneficial effect. There are tens of scientific papers clearly explaining the detrimental effect of a long toe.
The highest amount of loading of the toe occurs when an equine walks (during breakover) and during this time the main shift of the load within the hooves of laminitic horses occurs between the toe and middle hoof regions.
I really shouldn’t have to point this out, but for the 100,000 of people who might be persuaded to think that a long toe is an appropriate rehab for equines recovering from laminitis, I will make this easy to understand:
EASING the breakover phase (which is the time from heel-off to toe-off), by appropriately unloading the toe will MINIMISE the load on the damaged lamellae in the toe region allowing it to heal faster and with the least amount of pain and suffering. Appropriate reductions in the heal and not removing the sole is also extremely important.
In case you are still unsure:
The breakover phase is significantly longer in horses with a long toe, as it acts as a long lever arm. A long lever arm is the last thing that is going to help equines with laminitis.
Ps if there is a laminar wedge - there has been movement within the hoof capsule - this includes rotation and sinking and cannot be estimated by looking at the outside of an equines hoof.
In fact, you can have an equine with more than 2cm of sinking and the hoof can still look “normal” from the outside.
Removing the source of laminitis is paramount (which by the way is not always nutritional), but so is appropriate orthopaedic intervention under the guidance of X-rays.
PPS unsoaked, high quality hay can cause laminitis just as easy as grass, especially in metabolic equines!
Huskamp B. Some notes for the orthopedic treatment of laminitis (Anmerkungen zur orthopädischen Behandlung der Hufrehe) Pferdeheilkunde. 1990;6:3–9. doi: 10.21836/PEM19900101.
Reily PT, Dean EK, Orsini JA. First aid for the laminitic foot: therapeutic and mechanical support. Vet Clin North Am Equine Pract. 2010;26:451–458. doi: 10.1016/j.cveq.2010.06.004
Clayton HM. Comparison of the stride of trotting horses trimmed with a normal and a broken-back hoof axis. Proc Ann Conv Am Assoc Equine Pract. 1998;33:289–298.
