EVA foam pads

9/29/2013

The Laminitis Site has been using 1.3 cm EVA foam mats to make pads to go in hoof boots. When Herbie got a slight heel rub we taped pads directly onto her feet with duct tape, and found this just as effective as boots. After a couple of days the foam compacts, but we found putting a second slightly smaller pad inside the compacted pad extended the life of the pads for several days, and presumably provided good comfort as Herbie has been happy to trot and even have a little canter and buck in her turnout strip! The external pad should generally be just a bit larger than the foot, to ensure the hoof is fully supported.

We use a template of the hoof size, draw round it with a felt tip pen, cut the pad out of the mat with a Stanley knife, apply tape across the bottom of the pad, long enough to extend most of the way up the hoof wall but not to the hairline, then apply the pad to the hoof, stick the tape down and wrap more tape around to secure the pad to the wall, keeping it on the hoof wall and away from the coronet/heel bulbs.

We have been using 66FIT interlocking mats (http://www.amazon.co.uk/66FIT-Interlocking-Floor-Guard-Peices/dp/B004OW24CM).

We were quite surprised by the increase in comfort Herbie showed when we first put boots with pads on her front feet (we have only used EVA foam pads for Herbie, so can't compare with other pads, but other thick and conforming pads are likely to have similar results), even though she was already on a deep, soft and conforming sawdust bed. She has worn the EVA pads either in boots or directly taped onto her feet ever since apart from a few hours overnight when she is barefoot on sawdust to allow her feet to dry, and I suspect her comfort with these pads has been a significant factor in her rapid return to turnout and exercise. Her feet actually haven't been sweaty with these pads, we'd normally use a medicated powder (e.g. Lanacane) inside boots to help prevent sweating, but haven't needed to. The only problem we have found is that the pads can be a bit slippery on wet grass.

EVA foam pads are now part of TLS's laminitis emergency kit!

More about Herbie's feet here: http://www.thelaminitissite.org/herbie.html

The Laminitis Site recommends following Pete Ramey's advice on p 351 of Care and Rehabilitation of the Equine Foot: “at the first signs of laminitis, restore P3 to a more natural ground plane” (so 3-5 degree palmar angle), “relieve pressure on the walls and pad the sole with foam rubber – vertical sinking and destructive pressure to the solar corium can be prevented”.

If laminitis is suspected or diagnosed, the feet should be supported/protected, x-rayed and realigned (if necessary) as soon as possible. For more information, see Laminitis and the Feet.

13 Comments

Suzanne Bennett link

7/29/2014 09:12:59 am

I'm glad to read about this. My mule is recovering from laminitis, and I had the same idea about using interlocking floor mats. My vet also said it's a good idea. It's nice to see someone else is doing this and that it is working out well. :)

Janet

9/10/2015 03:05:01 am

Thank you so much for sharing this information! I am going through this right now with my gelding and I had just about lost all hope until I found your posting about Herbie. I found the pads and have cut some to use tomorrow. I do have one question: did you only use a single layer of padding when you first started putting them on?

Andrea link

9/10/2015 10:29:36 am

Hi Janet, you might like to read this article if you haven't already: http://www.thelaminitissite.org/articles/laminitis-and-the-feet. We use double thickness 12 mm EVA foam where possible, so around 24-25 mm total thickness. Not all boots will take this, but if you are simply taping pads onto the feet you will be able to do this. When we double up the pads to tape on, we tape the pads together with a strip of duct tape around the edge of both pads, to stop them moving apart. The pads will often squash down quite quickly - sometimes every 1-2 days - and if so will need replacing, or adding to, to keep a good thickness of cushioning beneath the feet.

We are currently experimenting with other forms of sole support, and will report our findings on our Facebook page in due course: https://www.facebook.com/TheLaminitisSite

Horses should make a rapid recovery from the pain of laminitis, as long as abscessing/infection isn't involved - as a general rule we suggest a horse should not be in pain for more than a week or so. If pain continues, make sure the cause of the laminitis has been correctly identified and treated/removed, and that the feet have been realigned according to x-rays and the support applied is as effective as possible - your horse will tell you when it is good/bad.

If you have any questions, you might like to join our Facebook support group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/475349259169277/ or forum:http://thelaminitissite.myfastforum.org.

Andrea

Suzanne Bennett link

9/10/2015 10:36:30 am

As an update to my info about my mule, I have been using the foam pads on him for most of the year. Unfortunately, I broke my wrist last Christmas and was not able to keep pads on his feet for several months while I was healing. This slowed down his recovery. As soon as I was able to handle his feet again, I started keeping pads on him, and he got better quickly. We had a very wet winter, so his hooves were ragged no matter how much my farrier tried to keep them trimmed.

I recently put Eponashoe hoof pack with anti-microbial granules coupled with thin rubber pads and casting tape on him. This has really seemed to help a great deal. He is much more comfortable and I hope that this treatment will give his hooves a chance to grow out so that all the cracked and ragged part can be trimmed away the next time the farrier visits.

Suzanne Bennett

9/10/2015 10:48:55 am

BTW: If you don't mind a plug for a specific company, here is an excellent source for the EVA floor mats:

https://www.rubberflooringinc.com/interlocking-tile/foam/12-eco-soft-tile.html

They offer several types, but this eco-soft product is the least expensive and it's non-allergenic. I know that this may not matter; however, I feel that since this material is in close contact with a part of my mule's body, it's a good quality to have.

I have ordered these tiles from Rubber Flooring Inc. a couple of times. The first time, their customer service rep spent a lot of time with me on the phone and sent me several samples of various materials by mail. When I ordered, I got my shipment within a couple of days - 6 big tiles for just $22! I really recommend this company for these EVA foam products.

Janet

9/10/2015 05:25:45 pm

Thank you all for this additional feedback. I cut some pads last night from EVA pads that I found at Home Depot. Andrea, thanks for sharing the info about using the double pads. I taped two together this morning and they are ready to use. I look forward to hearing more about other methods of sole support when those findings are ready. Suzanne, it's very encouraging to hear what you've been through with your mule. Did either of you have any problems keeping the tape with pads on the feet when the ground gets wet or when it rains?

Suzanne Bennett

9/10/2015 10:04:20 pm

The pads won't stay on at all when it is really wet out. For light rain they will. The kind of duct tape you use makes a big difference. Get real DUCK tape to hold the pads on. I have found that I can save a little money by using Dollar General duct tape to make an "asterisk" of tape to go over the pad initially and secure it to the foot. Then switch to DUCK tape to wrap around the hoof and actually hold it in place. (I will try to write an illustrated article to share soon.)

I usually reinforce this for a couple of days and then change the whole thing. We usually rotate and do front hooves one day and back hooves the next so he doesn't get so impatient. Generally, though, he is cooperative because he knows the pads will make his feet feel better.

Corrinna

1/15/2016 12:17:29 am

Hi do these wear down quick inside a boot

The Laminitis Site

1/15/2016 08:36:10 am

The EVA pads can squash/wear down quickly, yes. When we use them for rehabs who are wearing boots almost 24/7, we may only get 1-3 days out of a pad, although we often put compressed pads beneath a new pad to provide additional support/thickness. The Easyboot Cloud pads https://www.easycareinc.com/our_boots/easyboot_cloud/easyboot_cloud.aspx appear to be much more resiliant to compressing down, but still provide a good level of comfort, and we are tending to use Cloud boots and pads on our rehabs now.

Craig Terris

12/3/2016 07:16:30 pm

I've just used this method to provide temporary relief to what was largely a forelimb heel height problem on neglected and well under run hooves that had been ridden on a hard road surface. I cut wedges of industrial styrofoam with a 3 degree slope and 1 1/2" thickness at the thick end, fixing as you described, lifting the heel - Gait returned to normal immediately! The pads do squash to 1/2" at the thick end by the end of the day but the slope remains. Dont make them too thin!

Janet Ojeda

12/9/2016 06:04:20 pm

It really does work wonders to provide relief. I am still so grateful for finding this resource last summer when my horse foundered. We cut foam pads and inserted them inside hoof boots. They kept my horse out in the pasture and moving around which is critical for circulation. I still have lots of foam left and I'm hoping I never need to use it again!

Is there a site similar to this one for Navicular Syndrome which you recommend? TIA

9/29/2017 05:24:45 pm

I have a Quarter horse with contracted heels and Navicular Syndrome which I am trying to rehabilitate. He is 21yrs and was not lame until he injured himself by slipping going forward down a ramp.
Vet prescribed aluminum wedged shoes which made him even more lame. The farrier said we have to "be patient until the ligaments and tendons have time to adjust. " Any suggestions are welcome.

The Laminitis Site

10/18/2017 02:26:09 pm

There is a small section about navicular on The Laminitis Site's website:
http://www.thelaminitissite.org/feet-a-z.html

We have seen several cases of navicular respond well to barefoot trimming, usually with boots and thick pads, following the protocols suggested by Pete Ramey, Dr Debra Taylor and Prof. Robert Bowker - links to useful articles on the above link.

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EVA foam pads

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