white line disease

[Discovery]

which treatments have worked best for you?

My farrier (and vet) recommended soaking the hoof in orange juice...but I am not sure that would be benefical. From my research, it seems as though chlorine dioxide is the best way to go. White lightning is a chlorine dioxide solution so I was thinking of trying it, anyone have experience using this product?

Also, my farrier resected the hoof..but did not put a shoe on. He tried to put a boot on, but the one he had with him did not fit. Should I use diapers and duct tape as a makeshift way to protect the hoof? Or would it be better to let the air to it? Also, until I am able to get the white lightning, should I use thrush buster? or give the orange juice a try?

sorry for all the questions, I appreciate any help

[KamiBrooks]

Look at CleanTrax or it might be called ClearTrax

[Shammy Davis]

Be sure your diagnosis is correct.

Is it gravel or seedy toe? Both are considered diseases of the white line and are often confused.

Seedy toe, sometimes referred to as "wall separation" is more serious.

Gravel is an abscessed pocket under the white line and sole. It is drained by cutting down and opening up the abscessed tract with a hoof knife. It is treated best with diluted Betadine solution. Use a syringe and irrigate the tract. Normally the tract runs from the white line/sole/frog through to the coronary band. Make sure when you irrigate that the antiseptic fluid flows freely and completely through the abscessed area from sole to coronary band or to visa versa. Keep the hoof clean with a boot or duct tape/diaper wrap. It normally takes about 2 weeks of daily treatment to clear gravel up.

Seedy toe is more serious and without proper treatment can result in chronic laminitis and founder. As the infection starts at base level and moves up the problem of wall separation and disintegration of the white line is problematic. All diseased and unsound tissue has to be pared away. It requires special shoeing in advanced cases. Get a correct diagnosis before you allow the problem to fester. If it is gravel, you can thank your lucky stars. If it is seedy toe and it is in advanced stages, your Vet is going to be invaluable friend. Good luck.

[Sylvie Hebert]

there is a nice article on thehorse.com:article #9253.resectiing and leaving open to air is the way to go.most horses we get from the track have that problem so i do that all the time...

[valjoe]

Discovery

Here is some input from personal experience. Although some horses are more prone to “white line “the problem is totally environmental. Horses that are kept in stalls with lots of bedding and get washed every day or very often are the ideal candidates. Hoofs are the last part of horse’s body to dry out and sometimes never do completely. Your Farrier is the person who is responsible in this case because he is the only person that sees your horse white line every 6 weeks or so and he or she should stay on top of it. “White line” doesn’t happen over night, and early signs should be addressed properly.

Tell your Farrier to dig the dead hoof as far as he can, then disinfect with Durasole or any thrush medicine then seal the cavity with Keratex(preferably) or any medicated hoof packing and then apply the shoe. I bet your horse has the problem in his other feet just not as severe.
I never heard about the orange juice but it wouldn’t hurt if you try it. Dissecting the hoof and letting the air take care of it is a good way to go but have to be combined with turn out for best results and if shoe can’t be nailed the horse cant be worked for a long time which is a disadvantage.

Also the problem will reoccur if the horse is managed the same as before.

Good luck

[Silver]

I just got a horse off the track with WLD. My farrier cut away a section of the hoof but you still can put a hoof pick inside the wall, he cleaned it out and I`m using the White Lightening gel on it. Filling the cavity with the gel then packing it with gauze and wrapping the hoof. The horse isn`t lame and was raced on 6/24. I would have thought he`d be at least sore but he isn`t. Farrier said his soles are in very good shape and he was able to get front shoes on him. He`s an incredibly sweet horse so I`m hoping he recovers from this. I can`t believe someone would race him with his hoof like that

[Sylvie Hebert]

all the horses we bought in the past six months from Ohio,west Virginia had white line disease and some very deep trush...

[Silver]

yes, it seems like hoof care is a low priority at the cheaper tracks

[majxmom]

Be sure your diagnosis is correct.

No kidding! We had a young farrier in my area about 15 years ago, fresh out of farrier school. He was going around telling everyone that their horse had WLD. Then those owners were calling up their vets. Then the vets would come out and say, no, that's how horses' hooves normally look in this arid area. They flake a little. After a few weeks, all of the vets were clued in, and learned to ask first, "Who told you that?" You'd think that kid would have realized that after 47 horses with WLD, it's either an epidemic, or maybe he could be wrong in his diagnosis!

After that, I really started to notice that this is one of the most over-diagnosed problems in horses.

[Jenny]

We run at a "B" track and purchase cheap claimers all the time. Hoof care is definitely not a priority. We have even seen thrush that bad that there has been maggots way up in the hoof.
How do people expect their horse to run well and make them money when they are treated this way. A hoof pick goes a long way, and bending over to pick them out does not cost you a cent!!!!