Jim's ongoing mystery hoof problem-UPDATE

[samantha]

Whew!! That is good news, Elizabeth!! Glad to hear it isn't the "L-word"...

[Luci]

I bet you will be so glad to have this resolved and on the healing end. I'm so glad your vet doesn't think he has laminitis and hope that he'll be on the other end of this soon.

[TeachU2Ride]

Not to be an alarmist, but for the purposes of general instruction...
Founder (separation of the laminae from the hoof wall, allowing the bones of the foot to shift from their normal position) can happen within hours, so radiographs taken even earlier in the day can "miss" a worsening of the condition. A horse being treated for founder at a clinic is usually subject to xrays on a daily basis during the acute phase to monitor rotation of P1/coffin bone.

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Current rads are also your best friend when it comes to shoeing for soundness, as they can show medial-lateral imbalance, negative palmar angle, the relation of the hoof capsule to the bony column and sole thickness as well as fractures and large abcess tracts. What they can't show, though, are ligament injuries (collateral and impar), which are a fairly common cause of persistent lameness, especially in horses who jump. For that, an MRI is most effective.

It's also important to be aware that healing a foot through correct trimming and shoeing can also cause a period of abcessing and lameness! In a poorly trimmed foot (especially those with long toes, low heels and a thin sole), the digital cushion (a fatty pad rich with blood vessels that lies under the frog) is often reduced to a small, ineffective glob of under-functioning tissue. When proper foot function allows good blood flow to return, the digital cushion can come back to "life" but first must clean itself up of old, dead material. This is often the cause of abcesses, but they are happening for a good reason - returning the foot to normal, healthy function.

Jingling for Jim to feel better soon!