Laminitis wedge

Abstract

A hoof soling element to be attached under the hoof of an animal, in particular a horse, wherein said hoof soling element (1) is of uniformly increasing height which enables an area of the soling element (1) that is of lesser height to be attached under the front portion of the hoof and an area of greater height under the rear portion of the hoof, wherein said hoof soling element (1) is composed of a material having a Shore-A hardness ranging between 60 and 90. Said hoof soling is particularly suited for the treatment of laminitis and enables the load acting on the foot to be shifted to the healthy rear hoof portion, wherein as a result of the hardness of the material a sufficient amount of elasticity on the one hand and resistance on the other is achieved.

Claims

1. A hoof soling element for an animal having a hoof and that serves to prevent and/or treat laminitis, tendon injuries or suspensory ligament diseases, the soling element being composed of an elastic material having a Shore-A hardness ranging between 60 and 90 and having an outer contour and bottom and top sides and front and rear portions shaped to be attached to both the front and rear portions of the animal's hoof under the hoof, wherein the front and rear portions, respectively, have front and rear edges, the soling element having a longitudinal direction extending from the front edge to the rear edge, and wherein the outer contour of the hoof soling element has the shape of a horseshoe when viewed from above, wherein only the outer contour of the hoof soling element has the shape of a horseshoe, a body of the soling element being a solid piece of said elastic material in the form of a wedge extending from said front edge to said rear edge, the soling element being at least partially provided with chamfered edges running longitudinally around an entirety of one or both outer peripheral sides of the hoof soling element, and wherein said hoof soling element is of uniformly increasing thickness throughout the entire hoof soling element, exclusive of the chamfered edges, which enables an area of the soling element that is of lesser thickness to be attached under the front portion of the hoof and an area of greater thickness under the rear portion of the hoof, the chamfered edges extending along the bottom longitudinal side, or both longitudinal sides, of the soling element from its front portion edge to its rear portion edge when the soling has been affixed to the hoof of the animal.

2. The hoof soling element according to claim 1 having a Shore A hardness of between 65 and 85.

3. The hoof soling element according to claim 1, wherein the hoof soling element is composed of a composite material consisting of rubber granules and bonding agent.

4. The hoof soling element according to claim 3, wherein the rubber granules consist of a styrene butadiene rubber.

5. Hoof soling according to claim 3, wherein the rubber granulate consists of an ethylene propylene diene monomer rubber.

6. The hoof soling element according to claim 3, wherein the bonding agent is a polyurethane.

7. The hoof soling element according to claim 3, wherein the composite material has a bonding agent content of between 5 and 30% w/w.

8. The hoof soling element according to claim 3, wherein the composite material has a bonding agent content of between 15 and 25% w/w.

9. Hoof soling according to claim 1, wherein the hoof soling element is composed of a polyurethane, latex or silicone.

10. The hoof soling element according to claim 1, wherein the hoof soling element has side faces that taper from the area of greater thickness to the area of lesser thickness at an angle ranging between 5 and 30.

11. The hoof soling element according to claim 1, wherein the hoof soling element has side faces that taper from the area of greater thickness to the area of lesser thickness at an angle ranging between 10 and 25.

12. The hoof soling element according to claim 1, wherein the hoof soling element has side faces that taper from the area of greater thickness to the area of lesser thickness at an angle ranging between 18 and 22.

13. The hoof soling according to claim 1 wherein the animal is a horse.

14. The hoof soling element according to claim 1, wherein the chamfered edges run in the longitudinal direction on the top side of the hoof soling element.

15. The hoof soling element according to claim 1, wherein the chamfered edges run in the longitudinal direction on the bottom side of the hoof soling element.

16. The hoof soling element according to claim 1, wherein the chamfered edges run in the longitudinal direction on both the bottom and top sides of the hoof soling element.

17. A material having a Shore A hardness ranging between 60 and 90 for use with a method for the prevention and/or treatment of laminitis, tendon injuries or suspensory ligament diseases of hoofed animals, wherein the material is provided in the form of a hoof soling element that has an outer countour and bottom and top sides and front and rear portions shaped to be attached to both the front and rear portions of the animal's hoof under the hoof, wherein the front and rear portions, respectively, have front and rear edges, the soling element having a longitudinal direction extending from the front edge to the rear edge, and wherein outer contour of the hoof soling element has the shape of a horseshoe shape when viewed from above, wherein only the outer contour of the hoof soling element has the shape of a horseshoe, a body of the soling element being a solid piece of said elastic material in the form of a wedge extending from said front edge to said rear edge, the soling element being at least partially provided with chamfered edges running longitudinally around an entirety of one or both outer peripheral sides of the hoof soling element, and wherein said hoof soling element is of uniformly increasing thickness throughout the entire hoof soling element, exclusive of the chamfered edges, which enables an area of the soling element that is of lesser thickness to be attached under the front portion of the hoof and an area of greater thickness under the rear portion of the hoof, the chamfered edges extending along the bottom longitudinal side, or both longitudinal sides, of the soling element from its front portion edge to its rear portion edge when the soling has been affixed to the hoof of the animal.

18. The material to be used in accordance with claim 17, wherein the material is a composite material consisting of rubber granules and bonding agent.

19. The material according to claim 17 wherein the animal is a horse.

20. The material according to claim 17, wherein the chamfered edges run in the longitudinal direction on the top side of the hoof soling element.

21. The material according to claim 17, wherein the chamfered edges run in the longitudinal direction on the bottom side of the hoof soling element.

22. The material according to claim 17, wherein the chamfered edges run in the longitudinal direction on both the bottom and top sides of the hoof soling element.

Description

(1) Further elucidation of the invention is provided through the enclosed figures by way of examples, where

(2) FIG. 1: is a side or cross-sectional view of a hoof soling element proposed by the invention in which a chamfer is located on the top of the hoof soling element;

(3) FIG. 2: illustrates a rear view of a hoof soling; element in accordance with the invention;

(4) FIG. 3: is a top view of an alternative embodiment of the inventive hoof soling element.

(5) FIG. 4 is another view of FIG. 3 but includes a cross-sectional line along the line X-X;

(6) FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the hoof soling element of FIG. 4 taken on line X-X of FIG. 4;

(7) FIG. 6 is another embodiment similar to FIG. 1 but in which a chamfer is located on the bottom of the hoof soling element; and

(8) FIG. 7 is another embodiment similar to FIG. 1 but in which a chamfer is located both on the bottom and top of the hoof soling element

(9) In FIG. 1 a side view of a hoof soling element 1 is shown as proposed by the invention; The hoof soling element is designed in the form of a wedge, the height of which increasing from front to rear. Moreover, at least some edges are provided with a chamfer 2. To suit the size of the relevant animal and thus the hoof, length a of the hoof soling element for example amounts to 70, 90, 110 or 130 mm, height b in the rear area to 30, 40, 50 or 80 mm, and height c in the front area to approx. 10 mm. Chamfer 2 has a height of between 5 and 15 mm, with chamfer 2 may become narrower in the front area.

(10) FIG. 2 is a rear view of the hoof soling element 1 shown in FIG. 1. In this Figure chamfer 2 can again be seen having in this case a height of approx. 10 mm and a width of approx, 15 mm. Width d of the hoof soling element, for example, amounts to 70, 90 or 110 mm.

(11) FIG. 3 is a top view of an alternative embodiment of the hoof soling element 1. In this case hoof soling element 1 has the outer contour of a horseshoe, however it is entirely composed of a solid piece of composite material that has been provided at the edges with a chamfer 2 having a width of approx. 15 mm. To suit the size of the relevant animal, length a of the soling element again amounts to 70, 90, 110 or 130 mm, the total width d to 90, 110 or 130 mm, and the width e to 70, 90 or 110 mm. In the rear area. Radius r amounts to 30, 45, 55 or 65 mm.

(12) It is to be clearly understood that the Figures only represent embodiment examples which also means the given dimensions are only typical size indications which may be departed from without leaving the teaching of the invention.