Temperature of horses feet...

[SarahC]

Just wondering...are the feet supposed to be an even cold temperature all the time?

The reason I'm asking is that Spangly has had warmth in all four feet for a couple of days now (not raging heat, just a warmth more towards the top of the hoof). Of course, I bought her straight in and she's not had any grass turnout since (she was only out at night anyway). Today, her front feet were cold but her back ones were slightly warm. Tonight I went to see her at about 10pm and they were all warm again!

Can their feet warm up due to being stabled and on a warm straw bed? Am I being paranoid?!!

She has no signs of laminitis whatsoever (have been speaking to NR's resident lammy expert!!). She isn't lame, isn't uncomfortable or have any kind of abnormal stance (resting back etc), she has no temperature, breathing is normal etc etc. I felt around her heels and couldn't feel any digital pulse either.

I'm waiting for the vet to confirm a time to come out and see her tomorrow as she needs something else looking at, but in the meantime, thought I'd see what you lot think!

S

[NoviceNic]

I am sure that Spangle will be ok. Hoof's will be warm on warm days. Not neccesarily a sign of laminitis. To put your mind at rest ask the vet. He may be able to suggest if she is a little overweight and needs her grazing cutting. Keep us up to date and don't worry too much. I too have had a panic attack about captains weight this week as I noticed his crest was wobbly. I really started to panic as I don't want to harm him. :(

[amandal]

Last time farrier came I had the same panic - turned out Ziz had been lying down so her hooves were warm :o

[intouch]

It is NOT normal for a horse's feet to be icy cold, however in a shod horse we are used to the restricted circulation causing this, so tend to panic when some circulation returns!
It's good to get used to your own horse's variations, some will have warmth after exercise, or after they've been lying down, sometimes in back feet or/and front, some have no "routine" to speak of but you can get to know the degree of warmth that is normal for him.
Barefoot horses have lovely warm feet and legs most if not all of the time, but you still have to be aware of any variation in case of injury. :)

[virtuallyhorses]

Hoof temperature can vary from hoof to hoof, according to the day, activity and a number of other reasons. It isn't really a very good indicator of very much. If you are concerned about what is going on in the hoof you should familiarise yourself with the digital pulse. This can be felt around the back of the pastern - and when there is laminitis or infection etc the pulse tends to 'bound' - however you need to know what is normal first in order to know when this pulse is different. :)

[Yann]

I agree that it doesn't sound like anything to worry about at all, it's purely a case of getting to know what's normal for your horse. Rio has quite warm feet in general, especially so after any exercise or activity. The laminitis affected feet I've felt are definitely different, you'd describe them as hot rather than warm, and the heat is uniform throughout, sole and all, as opposed to just the coronet band area.

I'd have to question the idea that shod horses have little circulation in their feet though, they'd surely all get gangrene and drop off if this was the case:D

[eventerbabe]

if it were laminitis, as yann said, her feet would be really warm, and this wouldn't change day to day, they'd just stay hot constantly. if her temp and breathing are normal, and no shifting then i wouldn't be too concerned :)

[SarahC]

Thanks guys...guess I'm being a tad over-protective/paranoid (or both!).

It stems from someone I know banging on at me about spangly being a 'high risk' laminitis pony and that I should keep a very close eye on her! Fair enough but I think that person has put the heeby jeeby's into me!!! :D :o

Thanks again!

S

[SarahC]

OK, so vet came out today to look at a knock on Spangly's leg, which thankfully is fine and at the moment, doesn't need any further investigation.

Had a quick chat with him about her feet etc and he says I'm right to be a little cautious and limit her grass turnout at the moment. He said her feet were a little too warm, however her digital pulse was fine. Therefore, she's just going to be on 2-3 hours of turnout a day for now.

S

[intouch]

Glad all is well.
Yann - I said restricted circulation - and unfortunately, maybe not gangrene exactly, but most horses that die below the age of 15 it is due to foot related disease which is mostly due to shoes! :eek: :D (And I know there will now be a multitude of quotes of 50 yo horses with shoes..... :rolleyes: )

[eeyore]

it's quite normal for horses feet to be "warm"
i've actually noticed that when someone on my yard applies the kevin bacon supplement to their horse's feet, it melts in better than it does on my horse's.
(all because his horse is barefoot, which means better circulation so therefore warmer foot).
my boy is only shod up front so he has a nicer circulation on his back ones! :D

[Drummers mum]

Glad all is well.
Yann - I said restricted circulation - and unfortunately, maybe not gangrene exactly, but most horses that die below the age of 15 it is due to foot related disease which is mostly due to shoes! :eek: :D (And I know there will now be a multitude of quotes of 50 yo horses with shoes..... :rolleyes: )
Lol! :D Not me though I,m with you 100%!

Drummer always has lovely toasty hooves. I read that the hoof is like a central heating system in winter so its bound to be warm! Found this out when I had the same panic as you!

Can't you get a muzzle instead of limiting turn out, I'm sure he'd be much happier out with his friends?

[Yann]

I don't disagree that there is a difference in circulation, but I think it's possibly exaggerated. The assertion is based on thermographic images of the limb, and doesn't take into account the fact that the shod foot is sat directly on a brilliant thermal conductor.

And lets face it, unless I'm very much mistaken the main killer of horses under 15 will be laminitis, which is rarely related to whether the horse is shod or not. I think it's also safe to say that a lot of foot problems are caused by poor trims by farriers rather than the shoes themselves.

[SarahC]

Can't you get a muzzle instead of limiting turn out, I'm sure he'd be much happier out with his friends?
Good point but actually, most of her friends are in too at the moment! 3 of them are in on box rest due to various injuries :(
When most of them start to go out again, I would probably consider a muzzle.
Any recommendations for good ones?

S

[eventerbabe]

ah, my specialist subject, muzzles!! we've been through the lot, with exception of the shires one. Bucket muzzles (the big plastic ones with a headstrap) really do make them miserable, Greenguard don't work and rub terribly. Best friends are good, we've had a deulux model with built in headcollar but bonnie mauled it (lasted a good 6 months though!) so we now have the standard best friends which we fitted onto a soft headcollar. this one works. she can't get it off, is comfortable with minimal rubbing and they can still eat/drink through it.

[SarahC]

Ooh thanks EB...do you know any web addy's of where I could get the Best Friends one? (cheeky mare I know! :D )

S

[eventerbabe]

best friends are availible from onley house saddlery
www.olneysaddlery.co.uk
used to be hard to find but our local tack shop has them in, so if worst came to the worst i could get you one there.

think you can get greenguard from the usual places like derby house, rideaway, robinsons etc.

[alwaysfallingof]

I'm a proud owner of a Shire's grazing muzzle, and my houdini pony hasn't worked out how to get it off yet!! Only odd thing is that he's a 13.2, takes a pony sized bridle, but his muzzle is full sized, so if you get one aim BIG!!

[eeyore]

And lets face it, unless I'm very much mistaken the main killer of horses under 15 will be laminitis, which is rarely related to whether the horse is shod or not. I think it's also safe to say that a lot of foot problems are caused by poor trims by farriers rather than the shoes themselves.

i have to agree - my horse only gained his foot problems by conformation.. but if you ask me, if his previous farrier was good, he would of noticed how low his heels were getting and tried to do something about it! ;)

[intouch]

Oh Dear - now we're really getting technical!! I didn't want to say farriers. My point for discussion was rather, if it's not, broke, why fix it. If your horse is working well without shoes, why risk them. How do we know if our farrier is a good one or not - until things go wrong.
I'm not looking for an argument, just want what's best for the horse. :)
PS: My first pony was called Spangle!

[Yann]

Absolutely - I don't think there's any question once you've looked into it a bit that a correctly trimmed barefoot horse is a healthier option, if it is an option that you're prepared to follow through with and accept the consequences of in terms of what the horse may or may not be able to cope with workwise. Quite right too about farriers unfortunately:)