Hoof wall growth?

Are you sure it’s not the way he is shod? Is his foot balanced?

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I like McCauley’s BioTime. https://store.mccauleybros.com/McCauley-s-BIOTIME-p/21436.htm My horse lost a lot of hoof wall after a bout with white line disease. I started feeding him this and I was pleasantly surprised by how fast his feet grew. It also increases his rate of tail and mane growth, which can be a blessing or a curse. It comes in a smaller size, I buy the big one and it lasts about a year, it’s more cost effective for me.

I have mine on California Trace and have been pretty happy with that. My old man, who is prone to laminitis is on Remission and SmartFlex.

Both supplements were discussed with my vet prior to starting either.

I’d be careful about throwing a lot of extra supplements at any horse without talking to a vet. At best, you just throw more money into the manure pile because the horse doesn’t metabolize what you are giving him. At worst, you can really screw up mineral balances. It can be a big deal.

You said the feed has been analyzed, I’d discuss that with the vet and see what they think. Maybe have the horse tested to make sure he isn’t missing anything.

Sorry I missed the question earlier about why he foundered. Reaction to dexamethasone and then high iron levels kept him reacting until we figured that one out.

Hoof is balanced. Farrier is one of the best and vet is out after every reset to check feet. He foundered severely, that is the reason the hoof wall growth is slow.

Vet has been involved in all decisions for supplementation. He is not getting anything that the vet hasn’t approved. Horse has been tested for EVERYTHING every 6-8 weeks to keep an eye on balances/imbalances. There is a reason for each item he is getting.

Hay has been analyzed. He doesn’t get a commercial feed. Only gets small amounts of timothy pellets, some beet pulp and rice bran.

I looked at the Biotime but it is oats and a molasses base.

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Thankyou:). I have an insulin resistant horse that foundered pretty bad. The vet had me put him on Nanric’s Extra Strength Biotin 100. I also use Timothy pellets to mix the supplements with.

he is one of those rare horses that gets warm hooves on flax (Omega-3 Horseshine). I tried feeding it to him three times and all three times he ended up with hot hooves:(. Just a heads up in case your horse develops a puzzling case of warm hooves:)

mine grows a lot of hoof all year but now that the weather has warmed up, he is growing hoof faster. I had corrective aluminum wedges on him for ten months but he is now barefoot and is doing well.

The he farrier comes every five weeks, which is usually ok but the hooves have really grown this last period. Next Wednesday is five weeks and it can’t get here soon enough. I’ve already done some rasping between “ten and two” on the foundered hooves.

Thanks for the heads up about the flax. He’s been on it most of his life but I’ll definitely keep that in mind. I check his pulses and hooves about a hundred times a day now… :frowning: shell shocked and paranoid.

I have been thinking about up his biotin levels so thanks for that supplement idea. I don’t think I can get it in Canada but I can figure out how to get him those amounts of biotin and methionine if the vet agrees it might help.

You’re very lucky to have good hoof growth! My farrier comes every 5 weeks too and sometimes he could definitely go longer because there is little growth. I think he just needs the toe rasped off and could stay in the shoes for awhile longer.

It’s been frustrating for sure.

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Sometimes it’s not about what you add, but what you don’t add to a diet that makes a difference. Most all commercial feeds and ration balancers include iron - which competes with copper and zinc uptake. Copper and zinc are important in skin and hoof quality and growth. I have had great success in switching my horses to a diet of grass hay, a handful of Timothy pellets, salt, and California Trace Plus vitamin/mineral supplement. Nothing else. Both of my horses have shown increased hoof growth and quality on this program, as well as beautiful coats. This regime is especially good for IR horses, as the total sugars are low.

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MSM?

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The iron is exactly why I switched mine to CA Trace.

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The only iron he receives is iron that is naturally occurring in the hay/grass or water supply and I installed an iron filter for the barn so the water is pretty much a non issue now.

If you look at one of my previous posts he doesn’t receive a commercial feed or ration balancer, only gets grass hay and 2 cups timothy pellets, 1 cup rice bran, 1 cup plain beet pulp split into two feedings with his supplements. None of the supplements have iron in them.

If he foundered severly it might just take time until the corium grows back…

Five weeks in winter is pretty frequent; lots of horses don’t grow a lot of hoof during winter.

If the trim is good and the farrier is good…I’m not sure there is a solution other than patience and time. You could push the appointments another week or so…but in the end you just have to wait.

I have had this issue with my mare more than once and my farrier did switch to glue on shoes for a cycle or two to minimize any more damage to the wall with nails. In one instance he used some acrylic over/around the broken area to try to keep it from breaking any more as it grew.

I know in my head it will take time but I don’t want to wait! Stomping feet like a child! :slight_smile: We have discussed glue ons.

Equicast has allowed my OTTBs hooves to grow stronger while being nail-free, and still in shoes.

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I don’t have any particular input on promoting hoof wall growth that hasn’t already been said.

But since you mentioned that your horse has some sensitivities that need monitoring, have you used FeedXL before? It’s something I’ve been using recently to help me balance my horses diet. Essentially it’s a diet analysis tool, they have a database of values for feeds/supplements/forages. You input what your horse is eating, and it will spit out a report that shows that nutritional content of that diet vs. your horses daily needs. I’ve had lots of success with it managing my own horse. I enjoy the ability to play around and see the effects of switching to a different grain, or adding a vitamin/mineral supplement, etc. There is a membership fee, but I thought it was well worth it, especially for a horse that needs extra care!