Cracked Hooves

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firesweepranch

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Joined
Jun 17, 2010
Messages
1,685
Location
SW MO
What, if anything, can be done for cracked hooves? I have a heifer I bought about 30 days ago, bred, that has cracks in her front outside hoof on both feet. The crack starts at the top, in the coronary line, and goes down in an almost straight line. The right one is about 1/4 long, but the left one is a good 2 inches (goes more than half way down the hoof). She is not lame, and it does not seem to bother her. Any advise would be appreciated. Should I take her to the vet? I hate to waist the money. I am going to call her breeder tomorrow to see what is up, but she is due the end of December and I bought her more as a recip than anything else.
Thanks  ???
 

amandaraithel

Member
Joined
Nov 13, 2010
Messages
7
Location
Southeast Nebraska
Howard Fehlman is the best man in the country for fixing cracked hooves. He's in Central Kansas and makes some runs trimming feet to Missouri sometimes. You can contact me direct by email and I will send you his number.
 

Silver

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Joined
May 16, 2010
Messages
331
Location
Dietrich, ID
So I think they are sand cracks that start from the sole and work their way up the hoof. I've done a lot of horseshoeing and hoof trimming and the best thing would be to give her a good trim and add some biotin to her diet. I would just get her through raising this calf and then get rid of her.
 

firesweepranch

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Joined
Jun 17, 2010
Messages
1,685
Location
SW MO
Silver said:
So I they are sand cracks that start from the sole and work their way up the hoof. I've done a lot of horseshoeing and hoof trimming and the best thing would be to give her a good trim and add some biotin to her diet. I would just get her through raising this calf and then get rid of her.
The cracks start at the hair line and go towards the toe. I am unsure of the mineral program she came from, but she did come from a large ranch in Manhattan, KS. Not sure what the soil is like there, but I know the weather out here was dryer than normal.
My questions is; what can you do about it? Amanda, I will e-mail you for the number, but what can he do if there are high like that?
Thanks again...
 

Silver

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Joined
May 16, 2010
Messages
331
Location
Dietrich, ID
Well that changes everything. Those cracks can come from a few things, but the most common is damage to the coronary band. It doesn't have to be much a decent cut will permanently affect the hoof. I've never went through the trouble of treating this in cattle, but if its a horse I put in about 10 screws depending on the crack and lace it together and hope that it grows out. If worst comes to worst lacing could be an option.
 

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