What you should see:

Ideally and in most cases the patient will immediately favour standing on the supported limb and show signs of beginning to relax. If the patient appears less comfortable or unwilling to bear weight on that limb check that the frog cast is not proud and creating excess frog pressure, or if the cast is encroaching too far forwards onto the sole at the apex of the frog.

Why employ this method of First Aid?

The objective is to quickly and simply create a cast not unlike that used for a broken bone, to provide firm support to the Distal Phalanx thereby limiting displacement which reduces pain within the hoof capsule at this highly vulnerable time, all without any further trauma. Both the frog and digital cushion are compressible structures, placing further soft compressible material beneath the frog is unlikely to provide adequate stability that is required. By carrying out the above procedure you are likely to save the patient from great suffering and speed recovery and return to full athletic health. There is definitely a feel good factor when you see this first hand or hoof so to speak.

What next?

X-ray the feet. Employ the services of a farrier or veterinary surgeon competent at remedial laminitic trimming, working from radiographs and fitting Imprint First Shoes.

Why?

Frog casting is a great temporary First Aid measure as you will see, but during the treatment of the recovering laminitic, remedial trimming to re-orientate ideal phalangeal position is vital as is additional hoof capsule support. The Imprint First Shoes were specifically developed to achieve this, again without further trauma to the foot. The correctly fitted Imprint First Shoe provides the all important frog support and solar elevation particularly forward of the frog where in the laminitic the Distal Phalanx bears down against the sole crushing the solar corium in between. The sole is still accessible for monitoring, keeping dry and aired and treatment if the sole has breached. The toe of the Imprint First Shoe bridges over the sole at the toe protecting it from direct impact and the point of breakover is shortened and can be further by rasping if needed. This reduces the lever arm from the centre of articulation and relieves laminal tearing beneath the dorsal hoof wall. (An Imprint Hospital Sole Plate can be created quickly for the patient that has perforated the sole.)