Foot Care

Question 1

basic equine foot care (4)

Answer 1

routine cleaning/picking out bottom of hoof with pick
routine trimming and shoeing if necessary
corrective trimming if necessary
treatment of injury/disease

Question 2

what is a good foot (5)

Answer 2

thick hoof wall
adequate sole depth
solid heel base
growth rings below coronary band are equal size at toe and heel
acceptable conformation

Question 3

hoof pastern axis (3)

Answer 3

cannon bone should be perpendicular to ground when viewed from the side (standing still)
should be straight line that passes through middle of the 3 phalanges
dorsal surface of pastern and dorsal surface of hoof wall form straight line

Question 4

how is sole depth measured

Answer 4

from ground to tip of coffin bone

Question 5

ideal sole depth

Answer 5

0.3-0.4 inches

Question 6

farrier

Answer 6

specialist in hoof care
trim and balance hooves
place shoes
blacksmith’s skills with vet skills to care for feet

Question 7

external/hoof problems (8)

Answer 7

medial to lateral hoof imbalance
sheared heels
contracted heels
quarter cracks
thrush
white line disease
canker
hoof wall avulsion

Question 8

medial to lateral hoof imbalance: definition, effect

Answer 8

outside toe strikes ground before heel, with inside heel landing last
uneven forces across hoof and uneven loading of lower limb joints

Question 9

sheared heels: cause/definition, effects

Answer 9

hoof capsule distortion from displacement of one heel bulb proximally to other heel bulb
subsolar bruising, quarter cracks, thrush

Question 10

contracted heels: definition, more common in what feet

Answer 10

heels narrower than normal
more common in front feet
occurs more rapidly in feet with long toe low heel conformation and with disuse

Question 11

most common hoof wall defect =

Answer 11

quarter cracks

Question 12

thrush: definition, characteristic, cause

Answer 12

degenerative condition of the frog
black necrotic exudate and foul smell
wet, unhygenic conditions

Question 13

white line disease aka

Answer 13

seedy toe

Question 14

white line disease: definition, location of lesion, causes

Answer 14

keratolytic process on solar surface –> break down outer layers, decrease thickness
progressive separation of inner zone of hoof wall (in nonpigmented horn at junction between stratum medium and stratum internum)
mechanical stress, poor environmental conditions, selenium toxicity

Question 15

canker: definition, where it starts, effect, common in what breed

Answer 15

infectious process results in development of chronic hypertrophy of horn producing tissue
starts in frog
common in draft breeds

Question 16

hoof wall avulsions

Answer 16

sheet metal
complete or partial
seriousness/prognosis related to depth of avulsion and amount of tissue removed

Question 17

internal/foot problems (10)

Answer 17

subsolar abscess
laminitis
street nail
navicular disease
pedal osteitis
P3 fractures
sidebone
quittor
gravel
keratoma

Question 18

what is the most common cause of acute, severe lameness

Answer 18

subsolar abscess

Question 19

subsolar abscess: cause, process, target of treatment

Answer 19

localized accumulation of purulent exudate between germinal and keratinized layers
bacteria gain entry through break in white line, misplaced nail or puncture would
establish drainage

Question 20

laminitis: definition, effects

Answer 20

failure of soft tissues that suspend distal phalanx within hoof wall
loss of interdigitation between dermal and epidermal lamellae (distal phalanx displaced)
rotation and/or sinking

Question 21

4 clinical entities that cause laminitis

Answer 21

sepsis/endotoxemia
excessive weight placed on limb due to injury to opposite limb
cushing’s
equine metabolic syndrome

Question 22

street nail: definition, what can be affected, how serious is this

Answer 22

metallic puncture would to sole
can affect synovial structures
always an emergency

Question 23

most common cause of chronic forelimb lameness

Answer 23

navicular disease

Question 24

navicular disease is responsible for what proportion of all chronic forelimb lameness

Answer 24

1/3

Question 25

navicular disease: definition, associated structures

Answer 25

lameness associated with pain arising from navicular bone and closely related soft tissue structures = Deep digital flexor tendon, navicular bursa, distal sesamoidean impar ligament

Question 26

pedal osteitis

Answer 26

inflammatory condition that results in demineralization of P3
focal or diffuse radiolucency of bone
septic and non septic

Question 27

P3/coffin bone fractures: cause, treatment

Answer 27

single event trauma (horse kicks wall)
many configurations
confinement, corrective shoeing +/- foot case

Question 28

sidebone

Answer 28

ossification of collateral cartilages of foot
common in larger breeds (warmbloods, draft horses)
forefeet more commonly affected
usually incidental finding

Question 29

quittor

Answer 29

infection/necrosis of collateral cartilages
direct injury to cartilage
abscess/fistulous tracts break open at coronary band

Question 30

gravel

Answer 30

ascending infection of white line
opening in white line at sole/wall junction permits infection to invade laminae = abscess
abscess comes to head at coronary band

Question 31

keratoma

Answer 31

keratin containing tissue that grows between hoof wall and distal phalanx
visible deviation at coronary band and/or hoof wall
mostly affects toe and quarter