White line disease

Use the audiobook in conjunction with these podcast episodes to help you become an expert in the horse's hoof.

Episode 22, White Line Disease and Seedy Toe in the Horse.

Pathogenesis, Diagnosis, Veterinary Management and Farriery Considerations.

Introduction

White line disease and seedy toe are terms frequently encountered by farriers, veterinary surgeons and horse owners when discussing pathological separation within the hoof capsule.

They are often used interchangeably in practice although this can create confusion because the terminology does not necessarily describe the same anatomical or pathological process in every case.

In particular, the expression white line disease is somewhat misleading because the principal pathological process occurs within the deeper layers of the hoof wall rather than simply representing an infection of the anatomical white line.

Similarly, seedy toe is primarily a descriptive term historically associated with separation and cavitation at the toe rather than a precise diagnosis of a particular infectious organism.