Doe with crooked feet

[klex]

Hello everyone,
I hope it's alright to post here. This isn't about a pack goat (yet - hoping to have my own some day), but I figured y'all are very experienced when it comes to goat feet!

I'm part of a community farm that takes care of a small herd of goats.
One of our does, a pregnant (due in 2 weeks) Anglonubian mix, has front feet that splay outwards + back feet that bend inwards. She has her hooves trimmed regularly but they seem to grow back this way.

We're looking to get some bloodwork done to check for selenium deficiency, what else can we do to help her?

Front feet:
   
   
   

Back feet:
   
   
   

[Nanno]

Welcome, and I hope you get your packgoats one day!

It looks like some of that splay is due to her conformation. Notice how her front legs bow out from the knee down? That conformation lends itself to hooves that splay out to either side and it makes them harder to maintain. You have to trim them more often since they won't keep themselves properly trimmed from just walking. I've had a few like that and I just have to make sure I keep up with their hooves more often than the others. The more often you trim the easier it is to prevent these deflections from occurring. The outside toes on the front feet look like they could be trimmed some more right now. I would also recommend rasping the walls after each trim to round them out and prevent cracks from forming. Hooves like this are a lot more prone to splitting because of the uneven stress placed on the hoof walls.

It looks like the hind toes are curling inwards and this is something that often happens in late pregnancy. I'm not sure if it might be mineral related, or if it's just a function of the excess weight taking its toll. It often resolves over the summer after the kids are born as long as you keep trimming them down properly.

Good luck!

[klex]

Welcome, and I hope you get your packgoats one day!

It looks like some of that splay is due to her conformation. Notice how her front legs bow out from the knee down? That conformation lends itself to hooves that splay out to either side and it makes them harder to maintain. You have to trim them more often since they won't keep themselves properly trimmed from just walking. I've had a few like that and I just have to make sure I keep up with their hooves more often than the others. The more often you trim the easier it is to prevent these deflections from occurring. The outside toes on the front feet look like they could be trimmed some more right now. I would also recommend rasping the walls after each trim to round them out and prevent cracks from forming. Hooves like this are a lot more prone to splitting because of the uneven stress placed on the hoof walls.

It looks like the hind toes are curling inwards and this is something that often happens in late pregnancy. I'm not sure if it might be mineral related, or if it's just a function of the excess weight taking its toll. It often resolves over the summer after the kids are born as long as you keep trimming them down properly.

Good luck!

Hello and many thanks for your excellent reply! It's great to know that we can help her and that the hind toe curling is relatively normal. We've ordered some bloodwork done for tomorrow just in case. 

We're also now looking to bring in an experienced goaf hoof person (is there a word for it?) to teach us how to best correct her hooves. I've ordered myself some quality clippers + a rasp so I can start helping as well. 

Out of curiosity, how does rasping the hoof walls prevent cracking? And do you mean the outer walls?

[Nanno]

Seeing someone else trim firsthand and then having them guide you through doing it yourself is the best way to learn. Quality trimmers are a must, and I love my little mini hoof rasp for filing down sharp/rough edges.

Cracks (if they happen) usually start at the bottom, and if you have an uneven or sharp edge on a hoof wall it creates a weak spot for a crack to form. Strong, well-formed hooves aren't fazed by this and they will naturally round themselves off through normal wear-and-tear as they walk. But weak or malformed hooves aren't able to properly self-trim so they tend to start cracking if you don't round that edge for them. And yes, it's the outer hoof walls and toes that need rounding. My horses' hoof trimmer once explained it to me by describing a broom handle. It's rounded on the end to help keep the handle from splitting. If you bang that rounded end on the ground it will chip before it can split. But cut the round end off flat and bang it on the ground and it won't take long for the broom handle to start splitting.