What would you do?

CJBegins · #21 11/05/12, 03:28 PM

Time to get the ruler out so that I can make sure the heal and toe length are the same.

You are right about the length, I was no where near any pink. I hate quicking an animal. So I have her walking in stilettos. Poor thing.

I will work at it again in the morning.

Sherry and Mammabooh thanks for your input!

Any other ideas?

Sherry in Iowa · #22 11/05/12, 03:49 PM

Like I said CJ..we all have to learn. I don't know if this is how anyone else does it. But if a heal is that long..I start at the tip of the toe. Start shaving/cutting getting down towards the quick. Work your way back..it kinda is like a natural flow to the heal. Once you get down where southern gal is showing..you will see that the heal wall is way longer than the rest of her hoof. I think as soon as you see it..you will know what to do. Did that make sense?

CJBegins · #23 11/05/12, 03:58 PM

Southerngurl, thanks for editing the pictures. I was so busy looking at the pics I didn't notice who posted them.....

So it looks like at least a 1/4" too long from judging from the pictures. She has got to feel better with another trimming.

Tallabred · #24 11/05/12, 05:37 PM

It is not like dogs if you get down to blood - it doesn't seem to bother them. I just put some coppertox or betadine on them and stop it up with cornstarch.

CJBegins · #25 11/05/12, 05:43 PM

I brought her in the kitchen and laid her down on the window seat and trimmed more. Silly goat loved being in the house. I took off more but was also seeing a little blood and pink so I will hold off a couple of days and do it again.....maybe not in the house

.

She was a little more upright but it's going to take time to get her right.

Tracy in Idaho · #26 11/05/12, 06:31 PM

I have successfully corrected legs like this (and worse) with injectible phosphorus- called PhosAid. It is an rx, so you'd have to get it from a vet. It is cheap, and it works. If you can get a vet script, send me a message and I will give you dosage.

Clovers_Clan · #27 11/05/12, 06:50 PM

I think its a combination of several things. Her heels are too long, if you look at the pictures her pasterns are almost completely vertical. The overall length is too long pitching her off balance a little further. And her pregnancy weight is contributing. Those stresses my be why she is standing funny.

Any hoof with melanin is tougher, and she's obviously being well fed, so she hasn't worn them down the way most animals would. Sometimes, too much grain or rich grass can contribute, but it doesn't sound like you are feeding sweet feed. Trimmed up and without the weight, I think she will straighten up.

I think if it were a conformational thing you would see both feet turning out symmetrically, she just seems to be favoring the right.

Another thing to watch for, pay attention when you are trimming to be sure each one is balanced in respect to the other. I've struggled a lot with this doing pony feet. It is more difficult to hold the trimmers in one direction than the other, so that part of the hoof tends to be less evenly trimmed because its harder to reach. The effect is that each side, rather than being symmetrically balanced, has its own quirks. For example too long on one toe and the other too long on the heel. It helps to have her up on the stand to get a good look, bending over its hard to see what you're doing.

CJBegins · #28 11/06/12, 05:47 PM

She is already walking better.....she is more perky this morning. I will trim a little more tomorrow.

Clovers Clan, you are correct about keeping the feet balanced from side to side. The other issue I am having is there is so much flexability with the toes on each foot. I can look once from one angle and think I have them equal and then another angle it's off. Even just letting her place her weight on her foot after trimming isn't clear on wether they are even or not cause she is so used to bearing weight crooked.

I spent quite a bit of time looking at my buck and my nigerian doe's feet last night. They both have great feet with no issues and the hooves are much shorter.

We will get there! Poor baby legs.

Minelson · #29 11/06/12, 06:42 PM

So glad she is getting better for you!

Clovers_Clan · #30 11/06/12, 10:49 PM

CJ- I have a very big Boer X buck who toes out a bit. I know what you mean. Keeping them short helps a lot. But there is just something about the combination of weight. Depending on how they are standing they can look crooked too, even when they are not. Their hooves are really flexible, guess thats for gripping rocks well. A lot different than a horse's hooves.

Cliff · #31 11/07/12, 05:10 PM

Be careful not to quick her, you have to get her trimmed up gradually. They do hurt if quicked and you don't want her to spend a lot of time laying around because her feet hurt too much to walk.

CJBegins · #32 11/07/12, 05:56 PM

Cliff, she already lays around more than she should due to her legs and feet hurting her. I did see specks of blood today so I will wait a while before trimming more. It seems that I can trim the heals a little more aggressively than the toes.

It's going to take time to get them right but I can see the direction I need to go in with her.

BTW she hates the chewable Vit C. I will be crushing that up and putting it on her feed.

Tracy in Idaho · #33 11/07/12, 08:18 PM

It is not correct that this problem is caused by her feet. It is a symptom of bent leg syndrome, and she will continue to worsen, no matter how you trim her.

Here is a photo of my last doe that did this - right after freshening as a yearling --
What would you do? - Goats

Here she is after 2 treatments with Phos-Aid --- at nationals -- (only pic I had that really showed her now straight front legs, even if it is from behind)
What would you do? - Goats

mammabooh · #34 11/08/12, 06:05 AM

Wow...that certainly does look like the same issue, Tracy!

Tracy in Idaho · #35 11/08/12, 07:35 AM

Yes, it definitely is. Here is the second doe that did the same thing (also a yearling- they are always yearlings)

What would you do? - Goats

This doe took longer to respond, but she DID correct with the Phos-Aid.

I hadn't had this happen in years - and what I found before was that it was feeding pregnant doelings grain in combination with our hay. I quit graining them and the problem went away - until a year ago when it popped up on just these two.

You can trim feet until the cows come home -- it will NOT fix this issue alone. (though obviously you do trim them a lot while you are dealing with this) You have to address the phosphorus problem. One nutritionist I spoke with theorized that the high calcium hay we feed actually inhibits the phosphorus uptake - so that in essence we get a deficiency.

southerngurl · #36 11/08/12, 08:40 AM

Yes, I doubt the feet were the cause, however, they will help keep it that way.