Frog Support Case Studies
Case 1
This horse suffered an attack of acute founder following injection of a corticosteroid to treat a minor skin inflammation. Both front feet were affected, he was found "rooted to the ground" the next morning. Despite 2 grammes of phenylbutazone twice a day there was no improvement in his lameness after 4 days. He was box rested, Styrofoam pads were fitted and he was started on acepromazine medication. There was still no improvement, in fact he became more uncomfortable.
On admission to the Laminitis Clinic, the Styrofoam pads were removed and TLC Frog Supports fitted. He was stabled on a bed of clean dry whitewood shavings covering the whole floor area to a depth of 18 inches. He was taken off phenylbutazone but his acepromazine medication was continued at a higher dose.
His lameness improved over the next week, despite receiving no pain killers. The TLC Frog Supports were replaced at weekly intervals for the next 4 weeks.
His lameness has improved so that a pair of steel non-adjustable heart bar shoes were fitted to his front feet and limited dorsal wall resections made.
As with most acute founder cases, he has had minor setbacks where he became more lame on his right fore as the old sole separated and he developed minor infection beneath as the new sole was being produced. This lameness is now resolving.
He has been on a gradual but strict diet, incorporating Formula4 Feet, and has now lost over 200 lbs in weight.
This Frog Support has been stuck in position with double sided adhesive tape for demonstration purposes only.
During treatment Frog Supports are bandaged to the feet as above.
Case 2
Hettie was admitted to the Laminitis Clinic in a sorry state. She was very sore on her right fore. Her owner, Sue, was very upset and worried, she had been told that Hettie might have to be put down; not an unreasonable prognosis as she was starting to shed her hoof.
Hettie had not only foundered downwards but also sideways.
The top of the inside wall of her right fore was pressing deeply into the skin above her coronary band, to such an extent that it was cutting off the blood supply to the underlying tissues.We removed the constricting top of hoof wall to allow the blood supply to re-establish and nourish the damaged skin, coronary band and laminae. The wall below the lesion was removed to prevent any upward pressure on the damaged tissues and TLC Frog Supports were fitted to both front feet to reduce the strain on the laminae and improve her comfort.
When tissue has been killed it cannot grow straight back as skin and hoof, it has to regenerate by forming an intermediate tissue, granulation tissue, which is what you can see in the pictures on the right. The whitish areas are where new horn is forming as islands within the granulation tissue. These islands of new horn enlarge and coalesce.
The foot was reguarly tubbed to keep the regenerating tissue clean.
The horny tissue is gradually replacing the granulation tissue.
Hettie was fed Laminitis Trust Approved Feeds supplemented with Formula4 Feet. With careful nursing she began to heal. At the Laminitis Clinic we tend to see the most severe cases. When horses' lives are at stake we only use products which consistently give us the best results; TLC Frog Supports and Formula4 Feet.
Hettie is now sound and Sue is starting to have fun riding her around Lancashire.
Now, if Formula4 Feet can help Hettie get back from the mess she was in, imagine what it can do if your horse just has a few hoof cracks, poor horn quality, collapsed heels or can't hold shoes for six weeks.
Not only is Formula4 Feet the best hoof supplement available but it also provides over 65 micronutrients making it the most comprehensive supplement and feed balancer.
