(Drifted to shoeing Qs) PSSM2/MFM Question: likelihood considering this diet?

These were his feet before we put shoes on


Anyways… who knows what I’ll do next with him :sweat_smile:

No one answered this so just chiming in; yes, you can test for PSSM1 with UC Davis Animal Genetics lab directly, with just mane/tail hairs pulled with root bulbs attached.

https://vgl.ucdavis.edu/test/pssm1

I have a PSSM1 Morgan mare with minimal symptoms but a sire line with documented P1. American Morgan Horse Association has recently done a small analysis of on-file DNA and concluded P1 is not an issue in Morgans-and yet we do have lines where it is very much prevalent and an issue. Since the association will not make this standard procedure for registration, it’s on owners to be proactive to test and be willing to share the results publicly.

All that to say…even in a low-incidence breed, sending in hairs is inexpensive ($45) and at least would give you peace of mind you’ve ruled one more thing out. I don’t have experience testing in TBs so maybe it truly is a waste of money, I’ll defer to breed experts on that, but wanted to share the testing info.

Good luck with him regardless of the source of his challenges!

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I’m so sorry if it comes across that way. My genuine intention was real. We want the best and it’s so frustrating trying to figure out what’s wrong.

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And I would add it really is the problem with words and text. You just can’t hear vocal tone or look someone in the eye. It’s why so much goes wrong on the forums. But know I genuinely am here to be thoughtful and help. :two_hearts:

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No I knew you didn’t mean it that way! Just made me pause for a second :joy:

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Did you say you had xrays of the feet? That looks like a LOT of foot up front.

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And I think some of what’s making him look weird in the trotting videos is he clearly prefers the end with the gate. As he goes to the far side he collapses in the inside shoulder to hasten his return to the gate, and then on the way out he’s moving more normally.

It’s hard to say if I see something or not when his shoulders are wiggle worming all over the place. :slight_smile:

Pre shoeing, yes.

Yep with his buddies :laughing::laughing:

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His fronts were better pre-shoes. Unless he grows SUPER fast (not likely), his currently shod feet, trimmed only 4 weeks ago, didn’t have enough foot taken off, and it seems that’s been a trend because of how undderun his heels currently are (which makes frogs unhealthy), not to mention how TALL his feet are.

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I agree…

They do, actually, but not quite THAT fast…

I’ve got horses on a 4-5 week cycle because they have a lot of foot after 4 weeks, so it would be better to see him after his next trim. But it looks like the hinds may have improved. There is a lot of toe on the fronts. I wonder if his sole depth has improved enough by now to reduce or take off those wedges and get more of the correction done by taking off the excess foot.

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Would you suggest maybe trying flat pads next cycle? I could get X-rays in a couple weeks but that vet is $$$$$$ :sweat_smile:

Alternatively he could go barefoot…

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I feel like he’s got plenty of foot to give that a try.

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Remind me, was the tripping an issue pre-this farrier applying shoes? That is a TON of foot in general, toe especially, in the current pics, plus the shoes and pads are fit really full so he’s got extra leverage in front. It’s certainly not what I’d want to see on a horse with a known tripping issue, and I wouldn’t be at all surprised to see a horse that didn’t before to start tripping in a setup like that. I agree with JB that his feet were much better pre-shoes.

I typically try to aim for a 50/50 shoe fit around the COR, although I’m not fanatical about it and listen to the horse’s opinion (sometimes they prefer 55/45, 60/40, etc etc…). I can’t say for certain with these pics, but I’d be surprised if his current setup is 70/30. Possibly closer to 75/25. :grimacing:

I know you’ve really been through it with this guy, nd you’re doing everything you possibly can for him! It’s SO hard when you’re battling mystery issues and have a dearth of good practitioners in your area.

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Yes. Though, perhaps not to the degree in these videos. The rope walking downhill is definitely new or at least exaggerated.

So pro tip, don’t buy acetyl L-cysteine in bulk to make up the formulation of the MFM pellet, because it smells like the worst sulfur rotting death substance. I had to put the (resealed) bag in an old 5 gallon bucket with lid just so I wouldn’t stink bomb my garage. That’s going to be a nope on getting any horse to eat it. Thought I might give it a try for the horse I was talking about in the head tossing thread so that I can keep all of my feedstuffs soy free. BCAAs in bulk are pretty benign though.

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Noted! :laughing::laughing:

I think even my Eat Anything horse would turn up his nose at that!