Doe with crooked feet

[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?