BTB: White line disease, Part I

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White line disease, Part I Posted: 13 Aug 2010 01:13 PM PDT Several farriers have told me they are seeing more WLD than ever, whether from wet conditions, reduced bedding, less turnout, or some combination of factors. I don't remember where I formed an impression of what "white line disease" is, but having done some research recently, I now know it's not what I thought it was.  If I'm ignorant about WLD I'm in good company. Veterinary researchers and practitioners can't say much about it either -- at least not with any certainty. We are not sure what it is, what causes it, or how to treat it.   Fungi or bacteria? Yes. WLD seems to be a little of both, or a lot of both. Treatment should contain fungicides but also antibacterial meds. Breaking and entering vs. Looting No one is really sure if WLD is a primary cause or just a secondary problem related to a primary cause like laminitis, poor hoof balance, or a hoof crack. It's the difference between breaking and entering and looting. In other words... The fungi/bacterial infection  is guilty of breaking and entering through the  hoof's protective barriers. Or, maybe the fungi/bacteria are just "in the neighborhood" when the windows are broken. With the hooves' natural security/protection compromised, it's easy looting.  Many researchers, such as Stephen O'Grady (see his article on WLD), believe that the looter scenario  is most likely (of course he may not like the metaphor, which is all mine, for better or worse).  If this is true, then the treatment will include not only addressing the WL infection but the primary cause, whether its laminitis or whatever. There is so much info out there on WLD, I'm going to break it into chunks -- there may be 10 parts to this series :-)

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