Radkin Equine Podiatry

29/12/2024

Radkin Equine Podiatry had some volunteers for a day (friends from vet school & my lovely wife) 😎

24/12/2024

15/12/2024

Acute, mild laminitis in a mare. Shod with rockered 4 point rail shoe from and super soft pour in from Glue-U

06/12/2024

29/10/2024

Thanks Mike Stine for having me on your podcast again! We'll be presenting at the SCHC seminar November 9th - details in the photos

https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-equine-dynamics-with-mike-89105963/episode/s10e11-meet-megan-radkin-again-232307838/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oO-JvVzHNrw

20/10/2024

Thank you Stony Rock Farm for organizing this opportunity for me to give back to the community!

14/10/2024

14/09/2024

Toe length and base proportions are vital for creating equilibrium, but what does that mean?

There are big debates at the moment on the importance of toe length, some suggesting its not as important as we make out. Some suggesting it doesn't matter in laminitis, others suggesting toe length doesn't matter in locomotion.

But there seems to be a lacking of understanding of the importance of creating correct strain share between the tendons and ligaments of the digit, AND the importance of maintaining a level hoof on soft ground when the weight of the horse moves over the hoof (midstance). Both of these being a state of equilibrium which basically means a state of balance between opposing forces.

This understanding of the physics involved in the digit has relevance in the treatment if laminitis and in every day shoeing and essentially maintaining a healthy digit.

I will be doing an introduction to digit biomechanics, with The study of the equine hoof, where I will look to explain these things in simple and easy terms to allow for everyone to be able to assess the different theories from a more educated place.

3rd October 7pm BST
Get your tickets now...

https://equineeducationhub.thinkific.com/courses/digit-biomechanics-101

13/09/2024

Shod with rockered Avanti shoes and pour pad

09/09/2024

I had the pleasure of taking x-rays for & collaborating with my good friend .farrier this past weekend. This is a thoroughbred that was having trouble growing hoof & keeping shoes. We placed casts on his fronts & Mike shod him with rockered 4-point rail shoes from Nanric

30/08/2024

Trying something new for a navicular horse. Visani full roll shoe with pour pad underneath

30/08/2024

Thoroughbred with a DDFT issue shod with a rockered Nanric 4 point rail shoes and pour pad

28/08/2024

Long toe is a NO GO!

The goal of orthopaedic intervention for equines with laminitis is to immediately shift the weight of the equine from the damaged, weakened and most painful areas of the hoof to the undamaged areas.

The characteristic stance you often see of a equine suffering with laminitis is the equine trying to do the above itself (to shift its weight onto its heals) = the “classic laminitis stance”.

Why oh why would anyone think that leaving a long toe would have any beneficial effect. There are tens of scientific papers clearly explaining the detrimental effect of a long toe.

The highest amount of loading of the toe occurs when an equine walks (during breakover) and during this time the main shift of the load within the hooves of laminitic horses occurs between the toe and middle hoof regions.

I really shouldn’t have to point this out, but for the 100,000 of people who might be persuaded to think that a long toe is an appropriate rehab for equines recovering from laminitis, I will make this easy to understand:

EASING the breakover phase (which is the time from heel-off to toe-off), by appropriately unloading the toe will MINIMISE the load on the damaged lamellae in the toe region allowing it to heal faster and with the least amount of pain and suffering. Appropriate reductions in the heal and not removing the sole is also extremely important.

In case you are still unsure:

The breakover phase is significantly longer in horses with a long toe, as it acts as a long lever arm. A long lever arm is the last thing that is going to help equines with laminitis.

Ps if there is a laminar wedge - there has been movement within the hoof capsule - this includes rotation and sinking and cannot be estimated by looking at the outside of an equines hoof.

In fact, you can have an equine with more than 2cm of sinking and the hoof can still look “normal” from the outside.

Removing the source of laminitis is paramount (which by the way is not always nutritional), but so is appropriate orthopaedic intervention under the guidance of X-rays.

PPS unsoaked, high quality hay can cause laminitis just as easy as grass, especially in metabolic equines!

Huskamp B. Some notes for the orthopedic treatment of laminitis (Anmerkungen zur orthopädischen Behandlung der Hufrehe) Pferdeheilkunde. 1990;6:3–9. doi: 10.21836/PEM19900101.

Reily PT, Dean EK, Orsini JA. First aid for the laminitic foot: therapeutic and mechanical support. Vet Clin North Am Equine Pract. 2010;26:451–458. doi: 10.1016/j.cveq.2010.06.004

Clayton HM. Comparison of the stride of trotting horses trimmed with a normal and a broken-back hoof axis. Proc Ann Conv Am Assoc Equine Pract. 1998;33:289–298.

10/08/2024

Today was a great to start for Dr. Redden's Aug 3 Day course with students from Austria to Australia, CA to NY, and many more.
⚒️🧲🐴

10/08/2024

Never stop learning