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Does My Horse Have Pyramidal Hoof Disease?
Q.I recently bought a young prospect who passed a fairly rigorous prepurchase exam (PPE). When she got home my farrier came to shoe her and told me he believes she has “pyramidal disease.” I’d never heard of this hoof condition before but have found a few references to it online. How do I know she has this condition, what causes it, why wouldn’t it have been included in the PPE, and what’s the long-term prognosis for her as a sport horse?
—Via e-mail
A.Pyramidal disease is a form of osteoarthritis in horses which affects the coffin joint (low ringbone) or the pastern joint (high ringbone). Specifically, pyramidal disease is the fragmentation of the extensor process of the distal phalanx (coffin bone, or P3). It is thought to occur due to trauma, osteochondrosis, or presence of separate centers of ossification. Forelimbs are more commonly affected than hind limbs
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Written by:
Raul Bras, DVM, CJF
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