# Laminitis pony heart bar shoes??



## HOWEN (20 January 2012)

So a couple of weeks ago my pony got diagnosed with another bout of laminitis. X-rays have now been taken and my vet has confirmed that his pedal bone has dropped in both fronts more so on his left hoof and slightly in the back.  He had his first attack in May last year, he has been kept on a lo cal diet ie soaked hay, feed, muzzle on all recommend by my vet.  But unfortunately no matter what of my best efforts he has it again.  My vet has recommend Heart Bar Shoes for him, he is barefoot and always has been.  So my question is has anyone had these fitted to their lami horse and what was the out come? When I have googled these shoes there is very conflicting advice and some websites stating that barefoot is the way to go. Others say heart bars are good as they support the whole hoof.  I am interested in peoples view; did you see a huge improvement straight away when heart bars were fitted?


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## bensababy (20 January 2012)

My boy had an attack a few years ago, Heart Bars were initially fitted but he struggled bad and did not adjust. My Farrier fitted styrofoam pads for a few weeks to keep him comfy and after 4 weeks on to shoeless but i invested in a pair of GMac boots and he wore them as soon as he was walking out. I think each horse is different, i would personally follow the advice of your farrier.. they know best.


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## forestfantasy (20 January 2012)

Moorman knows what he's talking about 
I wouldn't want to have anything nailed onto a lami hoof - the concussion can make the lami worse.

Here's a link to the imprint shoe 
http://www.imprintshoes.co.uk/


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## BigRed (20 January 2012)

In september my pony was footie.  He gradually got worse and by the end of Oct he was clearly in discomfort, my vet said he needed heartbar shoes, he was immediately 90% better.  Great I thought.  i was told to keep up with the diet and increase his walking exercise.  After week 4, he was very sore and got worse on a daily basis.  I asked the vet to come and look at him and she insisted the shoes were right and he just needed to be trimmed and re-shod.  I asked for x-rays and she insisted they were not necessary.  The farrier reluctantly re-shod him.  He went downhill on a daily basis after that.  He could not walk anywhere and was confined to his box.  Bute did not help him.  I had the vet out many times and kept asking for x-rays which were refused.  The farrier said he would not re-shoe him without x-rays.  After christmas I told the vet, either they took x-rays or I would move to a new vet.  There was 15 degrees of rotation in n/f and a little less in the o/f.  We took the shoes off - with GREAT difficulty because the pony was in pain.  The farrier trimmed his feet according to the x-rays and put foam cushion pads on.  He said he would have to come back a week later to finish the trim.  Within 3 days my pony was in so much pain that I took the decision to have him put down.

In hindsight, I would demand x-rays much earlier and I would have had the shoes off earlier, they were causing my pony a LOT of pain.  I won't be using this vet practise again.  I am so disappointed in the advice I got on so many aspects of this laminitis treatment.


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## HOWEN (20 January 2012)

Thanks for your replies I have had a look at the imprints and again conflicting advice online (yes I know you will always have pros and cons) but quite a few people saying they are not worth money as they fall off at £200 a pop.   My farrier is due this afternoon, Matthew Jackson not sure if you have heard of him? So hopefully he will come up with something.  I am sure he will say the same and sway me against putting shoes on. I just interested in peoples views on the heart bar shoes as I havent really heard of my success stories with them. I am not anti shoes as 2 of my 4 horses have shoes on. I have also read a lot about hoof boots and laminitis and they seems to get thumbs up when used with the gel support pads.


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## amandap (20 January 2012)

I can't comment about any shoes except to say that nailing to a compromised hoof is something to consider very, very carefully.

I would join the group linked down the page here. There's a wealth of knowledge and experience on all aspects of care. http://www.ecirhorse.com/
The trim is vital whatever protection you use and as Big red says X rays are needed early to be certain about the trim. You also imo, need a professional experienced with this trim so the right trim for that horse can be done. There isn't (in my understanding) one trim fits all.



moorman said:



			The principle behind a hart bar shoe is to take some of the weight off the painful part of the foot and to place it on to the frog and caudal tissue, this will often work but it is crucial that the loading is done with the utmost care.
		
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That is interesting to me. I believe many horses have very poorly developed caudal tissues (fatty fibrous tissue instead of stronger fibrocartilage) so supporting through this area may actually cause discomfort surely?

I wish you the best for your horse Howden. Sadly, you will find conflicting advice about every aspect. Try your best to understand them and go with what seems the best way. It's a major, stressful learning curve many of us have been on. x


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## ILuvCowparsely (20 January 2012)

Depends on your horses feet, imprint shoes dont come up very big  so they wont fit larger footed equines.

 Personally    I would not want to leave my mare without a shoe while she having a flare up which she is.  she is back in  styrofoam pads.
 Pray this is just a *blip*


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## LucyPriory (20 January 2012)

OP - first of all huge commiserations over your pony's plight. 

Second - shoes or not - this is symptom management, not 'cure'.  I don't understand why your vet isn't searching for the cause?  Or maybe they are?  Until you know why your pony got lami again anything you do for symptom management will be just that.

Re the heart bars - personally I wouldn't - letting the pony find their own comfortable stance is far kinder than forcing something on them.  But you do need to set up your facilities so your pony can make themselves comfortable.  

Which if they are stabled means a very deep shavings bed - not just at the banks or at the back.  That way they can wiggle their feet until they get the right comfy position for them - and the feet will get the support in the places they need.  And you are less likely to suffer secondary problems of thrush etc

If your vet hasn't suggested it already then please do consider a blood pull for Cushings/IR and possibly liver problems.  You need to find the cause.

All the best


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## Wagtail (20 January 2012)

No. I would never shoe a laminitic horse. You can get the styrofoam pads which you can fit yourself. My sister sent me some. You just stand the horse on one and an imprint will form. Trim 1/4 inch around this with a stanley knife. Dress hoof with anti fungal powder and then tape the pad on with gaffa tape and your pony will be nice and comfortable.


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## HOWEN (20 January 2012)

Yes bloods have been taken and just waiting for results.  I have taken all the steps to ensure he is comfortable.  He has the biggest shavings bed, I am talking over a foot deep to support his feet and prevent thrush.  Maybe a little excessive but just thought the bigger the better.


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## LucyPriory (20 January 2012)

HOWEN said:



			Yes bloods have been taken and just waiting for results.  I have taken all the steps to ensure he is comfortable.  He has the biggest shavings bed, I am talking over a foot deep to support his feet and prevent thrush.  Maybe a little excessive but just thought the bigger the better.
		
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Well done you   I hope you find the answers you need and that your pony recovers well.


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## flintfootfilly (20 January 2012)

When they are first put on, the rim of the shoes causes the horse to take weight on its hoof wall, and the heartbar section causes the horse to take weight on the frog area.  So the net result is that the horse's weight is split between frog and hoof wall.

Sounds sensible, and I definitely agree with reducing the weight taken on the compromised hoof wall.

However, what happens when the hoof wall grows even just 1mm?  The shoe moves 1mm away from the frog, so the heart section is no longer supporting the foot.  And all the horse's weight is taken from the hoof wall through the rim of the shoe.

This gives an increasing distance for the foot (pedal bone) to sink through.

And that is my main reason for never choosing to shoe a horse with laminitis.  That, and the fact you cannot adjust the breakover and heel position every few days.

Sarah


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## LucyPriory (20 January 2012)

flintfootfilly said:



			However, what happens when the hoof wall grows even just 1mm?  The shoe moves 1mm away from the frog, so the heart section is no longer supporting the foot.  And all the horse's weight is taken from the hoof wall through the rim of the shoe.

This gives an increasing distance for the foot (pedal bone) to sink through.

And that is my main reason for never choosing to shoe a horse with laminitis.  That, and the fact you cannot adjust the breakover and heel position every few days.

Sarah
		
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Quite - and I'm not at ease with the idea that we know better than the individual horse about what is more comfortable for them.  Nor I am at ease with reducing the blood supply to the foot when it needs to heal.  Although there are arguments to the contrary - because reducing the blood supply may reduce whatever it is reaching the laminae and causing the inflammation - personally I'd rather remove the cause.  And keeping the horse bare you have much better feedback on how this is progressing.


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## paddy555 (20 January 2012)

have you considered these pads, ie sole mates inside a pair of old macs? I have found they work really well for your situation if just left on and taken off daily for cleaning. 
http://www.aepsupplies.co.uk/index.cfm?sid=21583&pid=330565


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## Slightlyconfused (20 January 2012)

When mine got makin last year we had xrays straight away, show a 13 and 11 degree rotation
 Had stirofome pads on for two months then imprint shoes for 18 weeks then heartbars, had then off for normal shoes started getting heat back in his hoof so farrier surjested putting then back on and the heat went but we think he has ringbone now so that's another set of xrays.


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## KSR (20 January 2012)

My horse had heart bars put on for rotation.. He was completely crippled and was considering pts.. 

Found my original farrier, commutes to me from Brighton, whipped the shoes off, changed them for more suitable shoes and I instantly had a sound horse..

I will never use heart bars again although they work for some horses.. Barefoot works for others.. Boots or clogs for yet others..


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## shortstuff99 (21 January 2012)

Actually to go against the grain here, my mare was diagnosed with cushings last year and came down with a crippling case of lami she looked terrible  after x-rays she was shown to have pedal bone rotation also. Even with pain killers she was still in a lot of pain. We put heart bars with pads on her front feet and within 24 hrs she was loads better! After 6 months an x-ray confirmed that the rotation has actually corrected it self and she went back to normal shoes! So if I had stayed the barefoot way my horse would have been in crippling pain for a hell of a lot longer and the shoeing actually helped and fixed the rotation!

Maybe I am just a strange case but its worth thinking about!


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## Brownmare (21 January 2012)

My Mum's horse had heartbars on for lami. They never corrected the rotation and although both vet and Farrier insisted it was the best and only way all that happened was his pain level increased until he was pts just before Christmas. Sorry to be blunt but its still very raw, he was the first horse I ever broke in and I loved him. If it happened again I would go the barefoot route and not take the vets word as gospel.


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