Healthy hooves from the inside out

The hoof on this horse has improved significantly since this photo was taken!

I’m going to share more info here on vaccinations and how their over use can contribute to an unhealthy horse.  You can’t expect to have healthy hooves if your horses immune system is shot or if your horse is otherwise stressed.

There are so many things to consider when keeping our horses barefoot that it can’t all be covered in just a few blog posts.  I’ve gone over a few things in the past in regards to transitioning to barefoot.  Click here for part 1.  Click here for part 2.  Click here for part 3, which is also about vaccinations.

Click here for useful barefoot transitioning tip.  We really have to look at the total picture and include everything regarding or horses health care when it comes to keeping their hooves healthy from the inside out.

A horses hoof can be made sore or sensitive by so many different things that have nothing to do with the horses hoof quality or regardless of how terrific your hoof trimmer or farrier is.

It doesn’t take much.  Thrush.  Feed too high in NSC.  Vaccination reactions.  Stress.  Changes in feed or weather or workload.  Leaving boots glued on for more than a week.  I’m sure that I am not covering everything but those are some of the main ones.  A hoof can also be made sore by an improper trim or by riding or working too aggressively on a not fully conditioned bare hoof.

I know riders that have had to cancel going to rides this year because their horses came up footsore immediately after being vaccinated.

A blog reader recently wrote and asked me to go over head shaking syndrome.  I looked it up – and surprise, surprise – lots of what I found indicates that this too can be caused by us over vaccinating our horses.

Click here to read this page about vaccinations.  It does make you think, doesn’t it?  Why DO we give our animals more vaccinations than we do ourselves?  Do they *really* need them?

Our horses are not healthier as a result of the practice of over-vaccinating. Instead our horses are developing chronic conditions and immune systems that over react to the slightest sensitivity.

Here is a news story about a group of veterinarians who are stating that we are over vaccinating our animals.

The present practice of marketing vaccinations for companion animals may constitute fraud by misrepresentation, fraud by silence and theft by deception.  Vets’ group

Have you ever noticed growth or stress rings on your horses hooves not too long after vaccinating them?  I’ve seen it happen.  The effects can be mild or severe or you might not notice anything to having a horse founder.  Some horses are more sensitive to things like vaccinations and often will end up becoming more and more sensitive to everything – future vaccinations, worming, etc.  These are the horses we have to be really careful with.  You can tell a lot about a horses health sometimes by looking at their hooves.  Like growth rings on a tree, stress rings on a hoof can tell a story.

For many years now I have been extremely careful with how I vaccinate my horses having been through a horse with a compromised immune system caused from a nasal strangles vaccine.  For more than a dozen years now I have cut back on the number of vaccinations my horses have gotten.  I will never again give a nasal strangles vaccination as the vaccine caused the sickest horse I’ve ever had, much worse than a normal case of strangles would cause.  Besides that, it wiped out his immune system and caused irreparable harm that lasted for years.

Horses that have vaccine reactions (even one) become much more susceptible.  They are such big strong animals, but once we compromise their immune system so much can go wrong.  This year, Chief had a reaction to being vaccinated.  Photos here.

There is so much information about hoof care and horse health on the internet that it can get confusing.  I am definitely not advocating that anybody stop vaccinating their horses.  Horses die all the time from diseases that could be prevented by a vaccine.  I am saying that we need to be more careful about how we choose to manage our horses.  This applies whether we keep our horses barefoot or shod.  It also includes how we vaccinate, feed, stable, trim or shoe, exercise and so many things.  Our horses aren’t living in the same natural environment like a wild horse does because they are in captivity.  We need to find a middle ground and learn to compensate for the deficiencies that will occur because we are keeping our horses captive.

Every time our horses experience inflamed laminae it can affect their soundness long term.  They may be sound with hoof protection but without it, they are sensitive.  This is where the fine details come in to play.  Little things like which types of hay, grains, pasture are best to feed.  Paying attention to reactions when we vaccinate, worm, give medications like antibiotics or steroids and such can be so important.

For example, when Chief injured his eyelid he became foot sore by the second or third day after receiving treatment for the injury.  His treatment included being tranquilized, a tetanus shot and antibiotics.  What caused the hoof sensitivity specifically I don’t know and may never know – could it have been the vaccination for tetanus (he had been previously vaccinated six months prior) or the carrier agent that it contained?  The antibiotics?  The stress of the injury itself?  Either way it was clear that Chief was uncomfortable.  It was subtle enough that nobody else noticed it.  Walk was fine, trot was flinchy over rocks and that was not normal.  His hoof temperature was going from 2 to 4 degrees higher than normal.  That is NOT a difference you can feel and without the temp gun I wouldn’t have known that.

This is why I am now seeing a few minor stress rings growing out on Chief’s hooves.  This validates for me that the laminae in his hooves had been inflamed.  If irritated enough the laminae can separate.  That separation doesn’t just go back.  The hoof has to grow out in order to repair itself.  These little stressing episodes can affect a horse for many months.  Chief may be more hoof sensitive while that growth period takes place, or he may not.  Because I was paying close attention to this and got Chief’s feet cooled off and kept him off of pasture (which could have further exacerbated the problem) it seemed to resolve quickly and he went back to being comfortable at all gaits in all types of terrain within a few days.  Hopefully it was mild enough that the hoof capsule stays nice and tight.  If you look at his feet right now, they look nice and healthy.

I am going to be much more careful and more observant in the future with my horses well care.  Any time they are wormed or vaccinated I will be giving them probiotics for a couple of days in advance, and afterwards.  I will also check for any subtle change in hoof temperatures, attitudes, appetites or general appearance.  I will never give more than one vaccination (and will only vaccinate for diseases that kill) at a time and I will not worm or have any other medical procedure (like dental work) done within two weeks of worming or vaccinating.  I will also make sure to not do any of these procedures right before, or following an endurance competition.  Or a long trailer ride or any other type of stressful event.

Horses with insulin resistance (like my horse Rocky) seem to be more prone to adverse vaccine reactions than the general population.  My vet suggested giving him a low dose of Banamine (5 cc per 1000 pounds) any time he is vaccinated.

If your horse gets hives, large swellings, or becomes colicky after being vaccinated, get tested for Insulin Resistance.  These horses are also more prone to problems with the combo shots – the ones that contain 3, 4, or 5 items in one shot.

Evidence of a link to immunologic hyperactivity in chronic laminitis

Researchers from Texas A&M University have conducted a well-designed study that implicates a link between routine vaccination and acute episodes of horses with chronic laminitis. Their results were quite convincing, presenting clear evidence that there is a relationship between vaccines and acute episodes brought about through changes in the immune system produced by the chronic laminitis, which then leads to a heightened sensitivity to vaccines.

Click on the link to read the more about the Immune Laminitis Connection.

Click here to read more about laminitis.

I find it fascinating how much a hoof can tell us about our horses health.  I often see things in my horses feet that I don’t like or that I’m not happy with.  Then I see other horses hooves at rides and usually those misgivings go away because I see that…really — my horses feet aren’t perfect and never will be but they sure look nice compared to a lot of competing horses out there.  I’m still learning how to better manage them so they can be as healthy as they can be.

Go check out the horses feet at the next ride you go to.  Years and years ago my previous farrier used to come to the rides and he would show and explain the differences in good hoof care versus the not so good hoof care.  I learned a lot. I’m still learning a lot.  Judging by the feet I’ve seen at rides this year….there are a lot of other endurance riders that need some education on what a healthy hoof should look like.

Here are some recommendations for vaccinating horses.  More here. And here.

I recently read this article that was pasted online by a Facebook friend about human vaccinations. It deals specifically with human flu vaccinations.   More stuff to think about!  Here is an excerpt:

Whether this season’s swine flu turns out to be deadly or mild, most experts agree that it’s only a matter of time before we’re hit by a truly devastating flu pandemic­one that might kill more people worldwide than have died of the plague and aids combined. In the U.S., the main lines of defense are pharmaceutical­vaccines and antiviral drugs to limit the spread of flu and prevent people from dying from it. Yet now some flu experts are challenging the medical orthodoxy and arguing that for those most in need of protection, flu shots and antiviral drugs may provide little to none. So where does that leave us if a bad pandemic strikes?