What is the best white line treatment for horses?
B Gone White Line Treatment is easy-to-use and effective because it’s applied directly to the infected hoof area using a convenient 60cc syringe. Its blend of proprietary ingredients is the only product that halts equine white line disease, even on stubborn, long-term white line cases.
What is white line disease in horses?
What is White Line Disease? It's a hoof infection caused by fungi, bacteria, or a combination of both that destroy tissue connection within the hoof (it's also called Seedy Toe). These organisms are thought to enter the hoof via old nail holes, cracks, and other weak points.
Is there a cure for white line disease?
Researchers have spent a great deal of time trying to find the single organism that causes the destruction of hoof wall at the stratum medium, referred to as white line disease. The hope is that the discovery of the elusive bacteria or fungus will result in a definitive cure.
How does a farrier treat white line disease?
Here's how a farrier does it. First off, abnormalities in the hoof need to be addressed. The mainstay of white line disease treatment is hoof-wall resection, where a skilled farrier cuts away all three layers of the hoof wall to remove the infected material.
What is the best treatment for white line disease in horses?
The mainstay of white line disease treatment is hoof-wall resection, where a skilled farrier cuts away all three layers of the hoof wall to remove the infected material. A hoof knife or Dremel tool can clear out the powdery hoof wall.
What do you feed a horse with white line disease?
A Dietary Approach Kempson's gave this overall advice on nutrition and white line disease. A diet should be well balanced with calcium and phosphorus. You need a ration of 1.6-part calcium to 1-part phosphorus. Alfalfa is a good source of calcium for poor absorbers.
What is the difference between laminitis and white line disease?
“White line disease and chronic laminitis can sometimes be confused with each other,” Fraley said. “The difference is where that cavity—a gas pocket—shows up on the X-ray. White line disease can also cause some rotation of the coffin bone, like laminitis, but it's a little different type of rotation.
Is white line disease in horses painful?
The separation occurs between the stratum medium and stratum internum within the non-pigmented area known as the white line. As separation progresses upwards towards the coronet, it can cause significant pain and discomfort and affect the horse's mobility.
Can white line disease make a horse lame?
Fungi or bacteria invade the white line within the hoof wall (laminae) causing it to break down. If left untreated, white line infection is a potentially devastating disease that can spread rapidly around the hoof, inside the hoof wall, making the horse extremely lame. It can spread to other healthy feet quickly.
Is seedy toe the same as white line disease?
White line disease (WLD also known as seedy toe) affects the inner layers of the hoof wall and presents as necrotic and crumbly grey-white material along the white line as shown in figures 1 (normal foot) and 2 (with WLD) below.
Is white line disease fatal?
The reality is that deeply rooted infections like white line disease and chronic thrush are nearly impossible to kill with one application of a strong topical agent. Bacteria and fungi are very adept at hiding among healthy hoof tissue due to millions of years of evolution.
What is Kopertox used for?
KOPERTOX ® provides water-resistant protection without bandaging. It is applied directly to the affected hoof to aid in treating horses and ponies with hoof thrush due to organisms susceptible to copper naphthenate.
How serious is white line disease in horses?
Indeed, it is one of the most common hoof diseases in the world. According to the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP), approximatel...
Is white line disease painful?
White line disease is a painful condition that lasts anywhere from a few weeks to several years. The horse may experience intense pain at night or...
Does laminitis cause white line disease?
Laminitis and white line disease share many similarities, including a common genetic susceptibility. But they are two different conditions. The onl...
Is seedy toe the same as white line disease?
Seedy toe and white line disease are two completely different conditions. Seedy toe is a focal defect that affects the sole-wall junction while Whi...
How to get rid of white line on hoof?
If it is not a complication from another hoof problem, proper hygiene and regular trimming are the best ways to combat white line disease. Some experts believe that extreme weather can also impact a hoof’s susceptibility to fungi.
Why do horses have white lines?
The most common causes of white line disease in horses are poor hoof structure or hoof imbalances. These problems can be natural or “man-made”, but any damage will create susceptibility. Other hoof issues that create a “stretching” of the white line or other structural problems can also lead to white line disease.
What is white line disease?
White line disease is something that typically affects horses that have a weakened hoof wall- it is considered opportunistic, and frequently a “perfect storm” scenario. The white line “widens”, which is the separation of the sole and hoof wall.
What is the white line on a horse's hoof?
You can learn more about hoof anatomy here. The white line is the light area between the hoof wall and where it joins the sole. Essentially, damage to this area makes it susceptible to fungal or bacterial invasions that will ultimately separate ...
Can you treat white line disease in horses?
If caught early enough, white line disease is fairly easy to manage. Horses may not even need time off if there is no severe damage to the hoof wall. There are many products on the market to treat white line disease, such as CleanTrax. Your farrier will likely have a preferred product recommendation.
Why does white line disease appear on horses?
First, because it is not caused by a single organism, white line disease may appear different from horse to horse, depending on the particular makeup of the colony of microorganisms present. For example, if there is a very aggressive fungus present mixed in with a virulent bacterium, a fast- growing, hard-to-treat case will result.
What causes white line disease?
White line disease is caused by two different types of opportunistic microorganisms that exist in a symbiotic relationship. Together they produce enzymes and exotoxins that break down the protein and collagen of the hoof wall. This dynamic colony of microorganisms consists of at least one type of destructive bacteria and at least one fungus.
What are the problems with a horse's hoof?
White line disease, seedy toe, hoof thrush, hoof abscesses, and many other hoof problems are the direct result of the domestication of the horse. The horse has been a roaming animal for 40 million years. In its natural habitat horses would not be in constant contact with manure and urine. Horses’ feet have no natural protection against ...
How to prevent hoof disease?
The best ways to prevent hoof disease is to: (1) Seal out pathways of infection, which are cracks, nail holes and fissures. (2) Frequent cleaning and trimming are the most important steps in dealing with infection. Horse handlers or owners need to be consistent with their hoof grooming. You cannot stop hoof disease with any one treatment.
Can you stop hoof disease?
You cannot stop hoof disease with any one treatment . Removing diseased tissue by the farrier and opening up the hoof to oxygen will give a head start to recovery. Improperly trimmed hoofs prevent oxygen from getting in crevices. (3).
Do white line disease colonies grow faster?
To add another variable to the mix, these colonies are dynamic and grow faster when the environment is wet and warm, and slower when it is cold and dry. In white line disease, bacteria and fungi live within the confines of the hoof wall in a symbiotic relationship. That is, they can live independently, but mutually benefit by each other’s presence.
Do horses have to be in constant contact with manure?
In its natural habitat horses would not be in constant contact with manure and urine. Horses’ feet have no natural protection against the effects of ammonia for example. When you consider that the average horse produces 40 pounds of manure a day and gallons of urine, it is no wonder they have hoof problems.
How to tell if a horse has white line disease?
Signs of White Line Disease 1 Horses can develop WLD in one foot, or in all four. 2 Your farrier will usually notice a powdery hoof wall where there should be a solid junction. 3 The farrier might also notice a hollow sound when he taps the outside of the hoof wall with a hammer.
What is white line disease?
White line disease is characterized by an invasion of bacteria and fungi that destroy hoof-wall tissue. Learn what it is and how to treat in horses. To understand the basics of white line disease, it’s helpful to know a bit about equine anatomy. The hoof wall – the outermost surface of the hoof – has three layers.
How often should you debride a horse?
Every two weeks a farrier – or horse owner, if he or she is confident with a hoof knife – should debride the area with a hoof knife. Clean up any area that isn’t looking good, clearing it down to solid tissue. During the debridement, a dye marker such as merthiolate is used to stain the tracts of infected material.
What is thrush on a horse?
Thrush is a bacterial and fungal infection of the frog. You can spot it by its foul smell and black tar-like discharge, which often ends up on the end of your hoof pick. Learn more about thrush in horse hooves.
Can horses have WLD?
Many horses have a separation in their hoof wall and do not develop WLD. So it’s hard to say what causes the disease to develop. Wet living conditions may play a role, although WLD can also occur in horses in arid conditions.
What causes white line disease in horses?
While nearly any horse can get white line disease, it is often caused by mechanical, environmental, physiological or nutritional issues. It can also be caused by trauma to the hoof.
What happens if you get a bruise on your hoof?
Trauma to the hoof can cause bruising or bleeding, which can lead to broken blood vessels. These bruises are a feeding ground for harmful microbes, like those that can lead to white line disease.
A proactive approach is the best defense against hoof wall fungal infections
Buffing the hoof wall can eliminate the microscopic crevices that house fungi and bacteria.
Jeff Cota
Jeff Cota has been a writer, photographer and editor with newspapers and magazines for 30 years. A native of Maine, he is the Lead Content Editor of American Farriers Journal.
What is the white line on a horse?
What is it? The white line is the junction between the hoof wall and the sole on the bottom of the horse's hoof. White Line Disease is a widening of the white line, or a separation of the hoof wall from the sole. This separation is then invaded by bacteria and fungi, leading to infection that progresses up towards the coronary band which produces ...
What to do if you remove more than 30% of your hoof capsule?
As a general rule of thumb, if you remove more than 30% of this base of support in that procedure, then you're going to have to support that hoof capsule with some sort of appliance. It may be a bar shoe, a heart bar shoe, any number of ways that you would provide support back to this capsule.
What to do if your hoof is separated?
If a large section of hoof wall has been separated from the inner tissue the detached wall may need to be removed. Any infection should be treated and frequent trimming used to make sure new hoof wall grows correctly. A hoof supplement containing biotin and methionine may be helpful to ensure healthy new growth.
Is white line disease a fungal infection?
Thrush is a bacterial infection. White Line Disease is a fungal infection, therefore, it's more pervasive, more difficult to fight and get rid of. White Line Disease causes more of a problem, and it comes in in the white line or the lamina, and it simply eats away at this area.
What is the white line on a horse's hoof?
The white line is the thin, “whitish” area between the outside hoof wall and where it meets the sole. It can be seen by picking up the foot looking at the sole of the hoof without the shoe, around an 1/8 ” thickness. To farriers, it’s the area nails are driven to hold a shoe on.
What is B gone white line treatment?
B Gone White Line Treatment is the only solution endorsed by professional farriers to stop white line disease (WLD) in its tracks. B Gone White Line Treatment is easy-to-use and effective because it’s applied directly to the infected hoof area using a convenient 60cc syringe. Its blend of proprietary ingredients is the only product that halts equine white line disease, even on stubborn, long-term white line cases. It’s affordable and really works!
Why is my horse's hoof so lame?
Because the hoof wall supports most of the horses’ weight, any structural weakening in the hoof can cause lameness, even leading to laminitis or founder, a potentially crippling condition. White line disease can initially appear as a small spot where the sole of the foot meets the white line.
Can a horse get white line disease?
Equine researchers do not know why one horse is prone to white line disease in the same barn in the exact conditions while other horses are not. In fact, researchers are not able to transfer the disease from an infected horse. Barn hygiene or muddy conditions do not appear to be a factor in a horse developing WLD infection.
Can white line infection spread to other feet?
If left untreated, white line infection is a potentially devastating disease that can spread rapidly around the hoof, inside the hoof wall, making the horse extremely lame. It can spread to other healthy feet quickly.
What You Can Do to Prevent White Line Disease
It’s always best to prevent a white line disease infection rather than fight one. Simply put, the alternative often results in a fight that’s difficult to contain. While hoof-care clients can spearhead prevention by providing a clean and dry living environment for their horses, farriers are likely the first line of defense.
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Jeff Cota has been a writer, photographer and editor with newspapers and magazines for 30 years. A native of Maine, he is the Lead Content Editor of American Farriers Journal.