# Bad rear hooves - can I do anything?



## MB (Apr 20, 2007)

My ten month old doe, Maybelle, has bad back feet. The front hooves are normal and the other goats look fine. Her back hooves are quite curved and small and it's almost like she doesn't grow enough heel. I can't ever get them squared up because the heel is so shallow. Is there something i'm doing wrong (quite possible, i'm new at this)? The heel also seems to grow at an odd angle inward between her toes. 
Thanks, MB


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## fishhead (Jul 19, 2006)

Could you post a picture? I've got a boer cross that I just can't seem to get straightened out too.


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## Middle River (Apr 11, 2007)

I have an Alpine doeling that i can't seem to fix either - i've been wanting to find a way to get pics so i could ask this same question too. Her back feet are very weird and i have no idea what to do. Her two toes are completly different, not so much in size, but angle - her outside toes on each side point straight up in the air - her inside toes look normal - and when i pick up her foot like as in to trim it it looks great, but when she is standing on it it looks like an elf slipper, only not over grown. Is your doe like this at all ? Can you post a pic ?


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## CountryHaven (Jul 17, 2005)

Bad feet are something to definately 'cull' for. They are heriditary and make care a pain, not too mention can make life difficult, especially for larger animals. As pets, the best you can do is to keep them trimmed as well as possible, there's no real 'cure' that I know of.


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## Starsmom (Nov 7, 2004)

Maybe you can gradually get them in line with constant filing. You could clean off the exterior of the hoof and get a permanent marker and draw the natural line of the hoof. Its there, just follow it with the marker so you can see it. Then begin trimming and filing until you are in balance with your line. If you file daily or every other day while milking, it will become part of the routine and could get her straightened out within a few weeks. I have a doe that has the same/similar problem with her back feet and I have to do this after her pregnancy each year. She just grows so fast and the weight of pregnancy makes her walk funny. but once straightened out she is fine. I guess If I continued doing this while she was pregnant it wouldn't happen, but when I dry her up, I don't continue with the daily "filing".


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## fishhead (Jul 19, 2006)

What's a good tool for squaring up a bad hoof?

Also, how much of the fleshy center can be trimmed away over time?

I saw my boer cross standing on a table last night and his hooves are awful. It's almost like he's nearly walking on the outsides in the rear hooves.


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## Starsmom (Nov 7, 2004)

Just use a pair of shears and clean off the outside of the hoof good. You'll see a natural line, just keep in line with that. As far as the fleshy middle, trim it a little at a time. If you start seeing pink before you get where you need, STOP as you are to the point of bleeding. Sometimes it takes several sessions to get them where they need to be once they have gotten so bad. If you do draw blood, you'll need to put something on it to prevent infection, koppertox is good. What you are wanting to achieve is a level foot, flat all the way across from heel to toe. Thats why I always tell people to clean off the outside of the hoof and you will see that natural line. Follow that and you'll do fine. When my goats feet get bad (sometimes it sneaks up on you) I will trim a little every couple days, or just take out the rasp and run that over every other day or so and it gets evened up in no time. Just don't try to take off too much at once. Get them a somewhat level foot and worry about getting it exact over a little time. At least they will be able to walk better. Also, if they were walking on the sides of their feet for very long, it may take some time to get their feet adjusted back to normal.


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## jBlaze (Dec 26, 2007)

I use a planer for my show goats so they look spiffy. It is the tool you would use to trin the edge of a door with. OFr me it is much easier to get a hoof even, and you see when you get close to the pink. 
How are her pasterns? Is it just the hoof material or is the whole foot / ankle involved? (I have heard that low selenium can show as weak pasterns.)


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## fishhead (Jul 19, 2006)

I trim the edges whenever they start to stick out beyond the fleshy part. I was wondering how much of the fleshy center can be taken off over several sessions. Can I just keep shaving it as long as I stop before it bleeds?

I watched him tonight and he kind of rocks back so the toes lift off the ground. Then I watched the others and they do the same so maybe I'm just being overly concerned.

I'd like to walk them to the farm (4 miles) this spring on a gravel road but if his feet aren't right I don't want to get part way and have him start limping.


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## LFmenagerie (Mar 29, 2007)

Hi fishead-
Wonder if it is like a goat or two that we have. The back feet rolled/rocked back so the toes leave the ground. Seems like they are going to walk on the pasterns if it keeps goig. We took a look and the hooves were really long at the heel. The wall and the soft inside. Its so much easier when only the hoof wall and heel is long so a person can get an idea of what to trim. 
So we started trimming back the soft part of the heel more always looking at the hoof line. We trim until it looks pink. Did this several times, couple weeks between. 
Anyway, that worked for us, amatures that we are.

Pam


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## Goat Servant (Oct 26, 2007)

A couple of my does have the same problem. Rear hooves rolling in, when I get done trimming the rear toes are off the ground:flame:
Someone has got to know how to fix this! I like the idea of using magic marker to make a line with the coronary band.


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## fishhead (Jul 19, 2006)

I trim off the little flap in the back but am starting to think I should leave it to force the weight towards the toes.

It would be much easier to see if they were on something flat but we had snow and now we have mud and poop until the ground thaws and lets the water seep into it.


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## havenberryfarm (Dec 9, 2003)

If you have one, try getting her up on the milk stand to trim. Then you can see if it is even when she puts her hoof down.


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## BethW (May 3, 2007)

fishhead said:


> I trim off the little flap in the back but am starting to think I should leave it to force the weight towards the toes.


I have the same problem with one of my goats. He rolls back on his heels. I've been trying to leave his heels untrimmed to force his weight towards the front of his foot. I rarely trim his heels, anyway. His toes are trimmed/rasped until I see pink, so I know they're not too long. It makes me nuts.


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## Starsmom (Nov 7, 2004)

If the toes are sticking up into the air, your angle is off. It is so easy to do that, you need to take a good look at the angle. When mine do that and I really look at it, I discover that just where the part of the toe begins to angle up, if I rasp that part down, it begins to come back down. You really need to look at the natural line.


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## jBlaze (Dec 26, 2007)

Here is a nice link about hoof care:
http://www.barnonemeatgoats.com/hooftrimming.html

" If a goat is down on his/her pasterns make sure his heels are trimmed short enough. Long heels will cause goats to be down on their pasterns. With severe cases the rear toes actually point up towards their belly! Sometimes in Boer goats we see young goats that are down on their pasterns. They seem to be fine one day, and then over night are walking down on their pasterns. Make sure the goats feet are trimmed properly. If they are you may want to talk to your vet about purchasing a selenium supplement. "

I had a doe that appeared to have weak pasterns two weeks ago, I trimmed her hooves at that time. I gave her a shot of BoSe about a week later as she still looked down in the pastern. And a week later she looks great, pasterns do not look weak at all.


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## fishhead (Jul 19, 2006)

Thanks for the suggestions. I'll see if I can get a better look at the natural line this weekend to see which way I need to go.

I noticed on that website that fast growth can sometimes lead to unstable joints. My wethers have been eating almost nothing but alfalfa hay or pellets since fall. Plus they get a small amount (1/2 lb) of grain each day along with some AC so they have really grown. Soon they will be on just pasture for the summer so they should slow down on the growth.


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