Another idea is the foam mats sold for kids to play on - they are interlocking squares you can cut to size and duct tape on, about 12"x12" and you can get them on Amazon or at Walmart etc. This kind of thing
There is no evidence of white line. Bottom of the hoof looks great. Y’all with the poultice in place, would it be better to fit the foam IN the foot or cut for the whole hoof if that makes sense? Most of these EVA foams are of similar density, kneel pads, floor mats etc.
I’ve seen rads like that. The horse had severe white line and from all reports you could not tell from the outside of the foot. I’m not so sure about those reports(I did not personally see this horse but know the owners well), but it’s definitely something to think about.
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As his tear, (the black line on the front of the hoof) does not intersect the bottom of the hoof at any point, it is likely that it represents laminar tearing secondary to primary contra lateral limb laminitis. Generally the line of separation goes all the way to the bottom of the hoof in seedy toe. It’s not impossible but if the separation represented white line it’s not likely that he would have returned to soundness with no treatment for white line for six weeks.
I had previously asked the vet if this was white line. It was ruled out when pulses wnet away and soundness returned.
and if you call and leave a message, soft-rides will call you back and will OVERNIGHT your boots. They really work and are really worth the cost.
For white line, you want the cause exposed to air, so ask for partial resectioning of hoof by farrier to help. But make sure it is white line before having resectioning done.
I too would assume WLD until proven otherwise, since, as Boyle pointed out, the outside of the foot can look normal. It’s not common for sure, but it’s happened.
As for your foam question - not sure I saw the original question answered, but the answer to “how much” is "as many layers as it takes for them to provide the support. The softer and thinner the material you use, the more layers you’ll need. You may find that the first layer works for 12 hours, but then packs down too much, so you just add another layer - don’t replace. If that packs down too much, add a 3rd layer. At some point- a few layers, not talking a dozen, things will not compress much, and that’s where you stop.
You want to cut out the whole foot outline, so you get initial coverage from toe to heel, packing all up into the collateral grooves and through the toe area. Using a whole cutout means you aren’t starting with any “lumps”.
Many jingles!! 
That dark line/pocket is torn lamina, and will most likely erupt [serum and or blood] at the hairline. The horse will have immediate relief from the pain.
Can you feel any weak, soft, or bulging spot on the coronary band?
Wrapping the hair line with wet warm cloths and smearing it with ichthammol are age old ways to bring a ‘gravel’ to a head.
I would not try to soak his foot as that will be intensely painful.
@Second Star To The Right Not sure if you have ever hit a finger nail with a hammer badly enough to cause it to bleed under the nail. It is excruciating, and that is very similar to what your horse is feeling and what is happening to him.
In humans the cure is to heat the end of a straightened paper clip till it’s red hot, touch it to the nail and let the blood out. the relief is immediate. Wish we could do that for these poor horses.
We can - ressection. That is sometimes done in cases of severe laminitis, to relieve the extreme pressure.
If vets could some how pin point where to apply a thin red hot nail to relieve the pressure beneath the hoof wall resections might not even be needed.
No weak or bulging spots YET. His coronary band has had an indentation ever since he rotated. He does not seem tender at the band, just throughout the bottom of the foot. In the olden days (or mine at least) those gas pockets were opened as soon as they were discovered but it’s my understanding that is not common practice today.
@JB, while in my own mind I can see the potential for white line disease being there, I have two vets two farriers and an orthopedic surgeon telling me it’s not and I don’t have enough knowledge about a hidden case of it to talk them into considering it. Local vet will back out tomorrow. If you guys can crash course me in an argument that would support the possibility, I will certainly use it. Could a closed white line be secondary to the laminar tear?
I will be honest that I have never trusted the contra lateral limb laminitis diagnosis. That typically occurs when there is little to no weight bearing in an injured limb and Dexter had been bearing fully through the surgical limb for a month and a half before this occurred. It was also ignored that he had pulses develop in BOTH limbs. He just didn’t founder on the surgical limb. Because it occurred within a week of his enteritis, I’ve always suspected an endotoxin component. Would that in any way support white line?
Yep take off the front of that hoof for laminitis and reverse a shoe and put in a pour in pad. My great farrier guaranteed that the pedal bone would not protrude and he was right.
Usually instant relief although the soft ride boots are terrific too.
Resectioning for white line lets the air in and kills the, is it bacteria? whatever causes white line.
BTDT with my vets and farriers for horses. So my knowledge is not book learning but actual experience with great vets and great farriers.
I have nothing helpful to ad but my heart goes out to you and I wish you and your boy immense luck.
Again everyone, thank you for all of your suggestions. Let’s hope for just an abcess that is going to choose an area and blow itself out. I can picture the reaction of the farriers in my area to the suggestion of resection. The new one would be honest and say he’s never done it I should have Dexter’s surgeon do it. The old one would pretend he knew all about it then amputate his foot and the vets would say I need to go to a surgical center and the surgeon is going to say “SURE! That’ll be 5 grand. Oh no wait he has enteritis that’s another 2 grand. Oh no wait, his foot is infected that’ll be another $1500 in antibiotics…”
In all seriousness, send jingles, cross body parts, wish on stars and click your heels together 3 times that we do not need a resection or if we do a farrier will fall in my lap.
Now say it with me, I DO BELIEVE ITS AN ABCESS, I DO BELIEVE ITS AN ABCESS, I DO BELIEVE ITS AN ABCESS…
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Make a template of your horse’s front feet with some cardboard. If you have access to 2" thick EVA mats, they are a brilliant answer to your cushioning needs. Attach to hoof with duct tape. I had to do this for a month with one of my one ton Shire geldings. His soles are so thin (radiographically), and the new farrier was aggressively removing too much foot while trimming. As soon as the pads were in place, my boy was able to move around ever so comfortably.
He was put on hoof supplement and has just had new radiographs. There’s been an encouraging amount of growth. With the addition of his first pair of shoes, he’s a new horse.
What is an “easy ride boot?”
I meant softrides I had been staring at boots and comparing easyboot cloud to softrides and my fingers did the rest. It should have said softrides
