| How to stop White Line Disease where it starts!Where does white line disease first appear?
White Line Disease (WLD) is normally discovered by the farrier during routine hoof care. It shows up as an unexpected hoof wall separation along the horn rim. The infection has a soft chalky texture that looks like a white/gray powder, or may may have serious black drainage from the separation.
No one knows the exact cause of WLD, but most professionals agree that the disease usually begins infiltrating at the bottom of the hoof and works its way up the wall to the coronary band. It does this in a layer called the stratum medium. It’s the hidden space separating the outside horn layer and the live laminae.
What to do when a wall separation occurs?
When a wall separation is first discovered, either by the farrier or handler, the affected debris should be removed with a hoof pick or farrier tool. Before new shoes are applied, many farmers are applying Sav-A-Hoof GEL along the horn rim inside the voids as a preventive measure. We hear a lot from farriers who swear by Sav-A-Hoof GEL and keep it in their tool box just for this purpose. The goal is to stop WLD before it can gain a foothold. It is a simple and effective strategy.
For unshod horses the GEL can be applied in the voids and covered with duct tape. Even if the tape stays on for only 30 minutes, it will allow enough contact time for the GEL to be effective.
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