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 PREVENTIVE FOOT CARE PROGRAM
What is it? The Preventive Foot Care Program is designed to evaluate the
status of your horses hoof capsule, digital bones, and their relationship to one
another. The program involves gathering historical information about the horses
feet, a physical exam limited to the lower limb, (usually of just the front
feet, but can include the hind feet as well), lateral radiographs of each foot,
photographs from the front, side, and solar aspect of each foot, evaluation of
that information, and consultation with you and your farrier. Follow up
radiographs and photos are taken yearly.
How is all of this accomplished?
The most efficient way to accomplish
all of the goals listed above is to schedule an appointment with you, your
horse, your farrier and a member of our staff at the hospital when your horse is
regularly due to be trimmed or shod. This way we can get all of the pertinent
history direct from you and your farrier, have the farrier pull the shoes for
the exam, radiographs, and photos, complete the measurements and evaluations,
share information and ideas on the spot and proceed to reset the horse all in
one visit. This provides the best level of communication and interaction for the
owner/farrier/vet team. If that is not possible, the veterinary visit is
scheduled within a week of your next scheduled farrier visit. Following the
evaluations, a consultation is done with the farrier at the office to review the
radiographs prior to the farrier appointment. If the work is to be done at your
barn it is necessary to have a level smooth surface to work on close to
electrical power.
What is the value of this exam? *Remember* – no foot, no horse. The
health and balance of your horses’ feet affect everything he does and carries
through to the rest of his body. By paying careful attention to detail and
evaluating the relationship of the bones of the digit to the hoof capsule we as
a team can work to prevent injury and prolong the useful life of your equine
friends. This is an excellent opportunity for farrier to get “x-ray vision” of
the feet they work with daily, for owners to understand more about the function
of their horses, and for the veterinary staff to communicate with the farrier
and owner about the long term health of the whole horse as it is affected by the
feet. Occasionally the exam will bring to light early signs of a problem, that
if managed early and effectively will not end an athletic career. This
evaluation is not a lameness exam. Lameness examinations are separate and
require more equipment and time. Please note that when scheduling an exam.
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