chunk of hoof missing above shoe?

[notpoodle]

angel has a bit of hoof missing above the shoe. it's like a hole in the hoofwall, maybe about half an inch. the shoe is still firmly attached (though the nail thats right next to the hole is a bit loose) and it doesnt seem to bother her. it looks ghastly though :o farrier can't come before the 27th. not sure what to do! stick eg putty in it? leave it and keep it as clean as possible?

Julia
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[Sammii]

Red is the same, noticed it last night. It's not bothering him anyway, the shoe is still firmly attached, it just "looks" wrong (I hope)...farrier comes in 10 days..not sure what to do either! :confused:

[Bay Mare]

It's possibly come off because of infection underneath (like barefoot horses do when they self trim). I wouldn't fill it with anything if it all looks fine, just keep an eye on it and take some anti-infection measures. You can't soak with some of the stuff because of the shoe but maybe clean with tea tree soap or something and then coat with honey, sudacrem or the like (I've found honey very helpful if a bit sticky!). Pioneer do an excellent tea tree soap and WLD balm.

[notpoodle]

it looks like it came off because there was a crack from a previous nail-hole ie. it started off flaring off a bit and then broke off. i could hibiscrub it i suppose. am not a big fan of honey because its sticky and attracts flies (pony has severe sweet itch so the last thing i want to do is attract flies!) and is impossible to wash off.

Julia
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[mogadoga]

alex's are always doing this as his hooves arent strong. i leave it but keep it clean :)

[MelanieD]

Its usually best to leave chips like that open, and they don't usually cause any problems apart from looking messy. Cleaning it out regularly is good but no need to worry about things like her getting mud in it while turned out.

You can soak with borax with a shoe on. Since she's had laminitis she's more at risk of getting infections in the wall and chunks breaking off are usually because of a bit of infection so worth soaking.

[Retty]

Max gets dry feet and chunks of hooves cracking off in the summer months (even tho' has rained alot recently!) there was a hot dry spell just before that. His white foot is especially susceptible to this and before his last shoeing a big chunk came away complete with nail :eek: Shoe was then loose rather than nice secure shoe so we filled the hole with Adhere - this helped keep the shoe secure and stopped the hole getting any worse. Adhere is a glue that farriers use as it's flexible, can be nailed and doesn't inhibit the natural hoof. You are allowed to fill holes but not allowed to glue shoes on - only a farrier can do that. My farrier is happy for me to fill holes like this as it helps keep max's hooves and shoes intact so that he has a better hoof to work with next time, if his shoe comes off then it's a nightmare! Only have this problem in the summer months though, winter is fine!