Feet and Legs: Upturned Hoof ( Aladdin's Slipper )

morena

Well-Known Member
Aladdin slippers. the why and where for.
A simple question but very difficult to answer without going into some detail. Have posted a reconstructed lower hind leg. Must be the only site member more interested in feet than heads :)

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Forgot to put in extensor tendon on front of leg.
The bones are held together by various ligaments but the one of interest to us is the suspensory ligament. This allows the deer to stand using minimum muscle power. It also helps the bones make a semi-rigid lever for the tendons to work on.
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The flexor tendons bend the lower leg backwards and the extensor tendon brings it forward. When the animal moves the leg is brought forward by the extensor muscles and tendon and the hoof bulb, soft cushion like hits the ground fractionally before the toe. On take off the toe digs into the ground and lifts the bulb off. The hoof describes an arc and the heel goes down again


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What happens with aladdin slippers is the excessive growth of the hoof and the leverage on the toe by the motion forces it up. Due to pain the deer starts walking on the heel as much as possible. Eventually the toe grows upwards due to the rocking motion

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The causes are many.
1. Abnormal bone growth.
2. Excess growth over wear.
3. Illness increases blood pressure hoof grows faster.
4 Infection in that leg increased blood supply hoof grows faster.
5. Diet leading to laminitis.
6. Injury to suspensory ligament.

In the photo submitted there has been excess growth in the accessory digit as well..
Would be interesting if other hooves affected .
Yes the animal would be in pain as stretching the suspensory ligament adopting abnormal posture and gait.
Hoof grows +/- 0.5 cms per month. Faster in the summer and autumn than winter. The slower growth in winter is due to the deer lowering their metabolic rate hence they eat less.
Hopefully made explanation clear.
If you need more info pm me. If you come across examples keep legs and pm me please ?
Interestingly I have noticed Lechwe and Sitatunga antelope have long feet. ?? Evolutionary and/or damp living conditions.
M
 
Eventually the toe grows upwards due to the rocking motion not a dig by any means but the toe does not grow upwards the tendon stretches making it look like the toe is growing upwards. the tendon will never heal again.

Diet leading to laminitis. Coming up to giving birth they will all take a form of laminitis


The causes are many
any damage to the courim band (where the skin and hoof meet ) interdigital tissues infection in the pedal bone or any damage will also in cress hoof growth
 
jas;537270[COLOR=#333333 said:
][/COLOR]Diet leading to laminitis. Coming up to giving birth they will all take a form of laminitis

How so?

Are you confusing the effects of the hormone relaxin on the tendons and ligaments? A postulated causal factor for solar ulcers in cattle.
 
Sorry for the thread resurrection!
I've just seen a video by Yorkshire roe stalking where he mentions laminitis in roe in the title.
This has subsequently raised my curiosity.

I have a basic understanding of laminitis in horses, and the associated causes, be it concussive or diet. The sudden flush of spring grass and then the second flush around september usually triggers the onset in horses that are prone to laminitis or are overweight.

Laminitis in horses refers to the tearing of the laminae (the tissue that attaches the hoof to the pedal bone) the simptoms include the horse "leaning back" in an attempt to reduce the pressure on the toe. If left untreated the pedal bone can rotate and subsequently come through the sole.

So my questions are:
Are the aladdins slippers a result of the deer placing less pressure on the front of the foot as a result of pain in the foot, causing less toe wear and subsequent excessive growth?

Is the laminitis in roe the same type of condition as found in horses, eg. tearing of the laminae?

If so what are the dietry triggers that cause the onset, is it the same sudden increase in sugar of their available feed around spring?

For any of our older members Laminitis used to be reffered to as founder in horses.

Thanks in advance.
 
Aladins foot is or was a major problem in dairy cattle, particularly on large units where I they are kept indoors. I had misfortune to work on 600 cow unit as a student. In the six weeks I worked there several (otherwise perfectly healthy) cattle were sent away as cull cows because of this. A bit of basic foot trimming on an ongoing basis would have sorted it. Average life was about 21/2 to 3 lactations but the cows were producing huge quantities of milk. Needless to say I didn't enjoy it and went off elsewhere. That was 25 plus years ago and hope things have changed somewhat. Basic husbandry such as foot clipping wasn't practiced - too expensive / time consuming. The farm manager thought it better to cull and replace.

Sheep also need regular attention, especially if they are on wet soft ground. Hardly surprising when you consider that cattle and sheep are designed to walk miles in search of food and have nails that grow accordingly. In the old days they would have done, but modern practices they don't. Take lambs out to the field - in the trailer up to the field. Moving them down the road - put em in a trailer again. But then in modern world I am not sure you could get away with walking a flock of sheep or a herd of cattle miles down the road. - would upset suburbia!

i have noticed deer at the end of a wet winter have longer toe nails than ideal, albeit ones I have shot later in the year after a dry summer don't have the problem as nail has worn away.
 
Aladins foot is or was a major problem in dairy cattle, particularly on large units where I they are kept indoors. I had misfortune to work on 600 cow unit as a student. In the six weeks I worked there several (otherwise perfectly healthy) cattle were sent away as cull cows because of this. A bit of basic foot trimming on an ongoing basis would have sorted it. Average life was about 21/2 to 3 lactations but the cows were producing huge quantities of milk. Needless to say I didn't enjoy it and went off elsewhere. That was 25 plus years ago and hope things have changed somewhat. Basic husbandry such as foot clipping wasn't practiced - too expensive / time consuming. The farm manager thought it better to cull and replace.

Sheep also need regular attention, especially if they are on wet soft ground. Hardly surprising when you consider that cattle and sheep are designed to walk miles in search of food and have nails that grow accordingly. In the old days they would have done, but modern practices they don't. Take lambs out to the field - in the trailer up to the field. Moving them down the road - put em in a trailer again. But then in modern world I am not sure you could get away with walking a flock of sheep or a herd of cattle miles down the road. - would upset suburbia!

i have noticed deer at the end of a wet winter have longer toe nails than ideal, albeit ones I have shot later in the year after a dry summer don't have the problem as nail has worn away.


Always at least a dozen or so sheep limping about in a flock.
 
Interesting post. Have been watching a buck for a good while now that use to feed on very green but boggy ground. Took him over the weekend and he had upturned hoofs on the front only.

Can this affect front and/or back feet ? Can all feet be effected at the same time ?

D
 
There was a chap who did an article on this subject in the BDS magazine, he is researching it, unfortunately I cannot remember his name. I sent him some muntjac feet that were suffering from Aladdins Slipper, at least they were twice as long as they should have been. He sent me a nice letter saying that they did not meet the criteria of his study. It is nice to get to know a little more about the subject. Thank you Morena, interesting, as always!

Simon
 
I have found the contact details of the writer of the article on Aladdin's Slipper in theAutumn 2013 edition of the BDS magazine. He is conducting a study on the condition at the University of Edinburgh, I quote;
"If any stalker would like to submit samples to this ongoing study please contact me on the email address below for further information. The deer should be carefully examined to rule out causes of hoof overgrowth as described in this article. Then the feet should be removed as per normal lardering and one from each deer kept at 4 degrees C until arrangements can be made for transport to the University of Edinburgh." Email: James.simpson@ed.ac.uk

Simon
 
Roe Buck shot just a few evenings ago, with Alladins Slipper

Hi Gents

just a a bit of general interest really. I shot this Roe Buck just a few evenings ago, he was in dense woodland and unable to move with ease. His antlers were also deformed. This is the worse case, I've seen of Alladins Slipper.

Regards

JS
 

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