Hoof and Leg Issues in Pack Goats

Reader Contribution by Lauren Hall Ruddell and Planet Goat
Published on February 17, 2016
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They say among horsemen “no hoof, no horse.” This is just as true with pack goats. Proactive hoof and leg care is critical to a pack goat fitness and packing longevity. Many things can go wrong with goat hooves and legs.

Hooves can begin to take on a funny growth pattern in mid-maturity. Sometimes the dark gray matter of the hoof bulb begins to take over. This can cause the goat to look like its walking on stilts (hard on the goat’s knees) or grow into one claw of the hoof more so than the other, causing the goat to become knock-kneed. This can be a laming condition if left untreated.

Normal hoof trimming may not suffice. In the picture below, you can see how one leg seems to curve into the other. Two months ago, they curved toward each other equally. Through therapeutic hoof management, I was able to straighten one leg and the other is steadily improving. What was required was aggressive trimming of the outer claws of both front feet. The inner claws were left a bit long as a counter balance, almost like an insert in an athletic shoe for people who pronate.

On goats with a tendency for bulb incursions, continuous aggressive trimming of the bulb is also required. In winter, when animals are not being as closely observed as other seasons, hoof problems can really creep up on you quickly. This snuck up on me.

The front left leg responded to custom trimming more than the right, but the right is steadily responding. In another two months, I anticipate that both legs will stand square and balanced. Then, this goat can be fully engaged in pre-season physical conditioning with his cohort without knee pain. This is very important for this particular pack string because this goat is the size of a small Shetland pony and critical to packing logistics.

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