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 Expert
Posts: 1612
  
Location: Cocoa, Florida | Looking for a good hoof supplement to promote healthy feet and growth for my 4 year old who doesn't have the best hoof. He hadn't be trimmed in almost a year and has thrush bad in one hoof. I have heard good things about animal element detox? | |
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| Biotin II 22x by MVP
http://www.unitedvetequine.com/horse-hoof-care/Biotin-II-22X-MVP-ho...
If you go to the link, you can find a product comparison chart comparing it to other hoof supplements on the market.
Edited by WrapN3MN 2017-01-05 10:04 AM
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 Expert
Posts: 1446
Location: Wisconsin | I picked up a 4 year old in Oct, extermley thin, icky feet, just poor condition all around. Got him home on grass hay, some grain and T.H.E. supplement. In Oct he just got put on what I had on hand for everyone else- performance with ulcer prevent, now Ive got feet added into that blend.
Farrier has been out 2x and his feet are growing out beautifully, he had a nasty crack down both front feet and they are growing out. So happy with T.H.E all around, but really amazed at the hoof growth. | |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 851
Location: West Texas | I don't believe in hoof supplements. Genetics, hoof care, and nutrition make good feet. I have seen great things from Flaxseed. The article was taken from http://www.schweighartequineservices.com/flaxseed.html
āFor the want of a nail, the shoe was lost.
For the want of a shoe, the horse was lost.
For the want of the horse, the knight was lost.
For the want of the knight, the battle was lost.
For the want of the battle, the kingdom was lost.
ā¦and the king cried out, āa horseā¦a horse. My kingdom for a horse.ā
Iād like to add a new 1st line of my own to this ages-old proverb, if I might. It is as follows:
āFor the want of a hoof, the nail was lost.ā
The farrier who shod the stately steed lost in the above episode was likely not familiar with the
intricacies involved with promoting and maintaining a viable, healthy hoof capable of holding that ill-
fated nail. Likely, he was condemned to the stretching racks by a highly irritated knight with sore
feet from the long trek home on foot.
The farrier is often the first and last line of defense for the horse in terms of healthy feet. After all,
the adage of āno hoof, no horseā wasnāt just a one-liner dreamed up by some court jester to amuse
his embattled king. Weāve all seen the hoof Iām talking about. Maybe it was a weak, thin-walled,
hoof with vertical cracks running the full length of the wall, or maybe it was a dry, crumbly hoof wall
that just fell away while trying to trim or nail a shoe on. These are just a sample of the myriad of
hoof quality issues that are faced daily by the professional farrier as he goes about his business.
Generally, there should be dialog between the farrier and the horse owner, trainer, or keeper as to
the state of health of the hoof. When these problems occur, and the farrier points them out, the
question then becomes, āWhat can be done?ā
It is the opinion of this author that hoof health begins on the inside. The marketplace today is
loaded with lotions, potions, and ointments touted to grow that beautiful, healthy hoof and make the
horse good as new again. I believe these topical applicants do more good for the horse owner than
for the horse. If it makes the owner feel heās doing something beneficial for his horse, and is doing
no harm, then do it. Oh yeah, and how about a couple of nutritional supplements also? After all,
there are at least as many of those on the market as there are topical applicants.
Now weāre getting somewhere. Hoof health comes from the inside. Without the proper nutrients,
the hoof cannot manufacture the products needed to grow a sound, solid hoof capable of
withstanding the constant concussion it is subjected to, maintain acceptable moisture content, or
hold a nail.
In my years of horseshoeing, Iāve tried most of the supplements and products on the market, or at
least the ingredients, in one form or another. The one ingredient Iāve seen more results with than
anything else is flax seed. Iāve seen dry, crumbling hooves that were incapable of holding a nail
actually show an astonishing improvement in as little as two shoeings. Iām talking about a foot that
was literally falling apart, with huge stratum externem cracks from the hairline down, crumbling at
the bottom to the point that all that was left was the sole of the foot. I have seen these cracks
minimize, and the hoof wall actually turn solid and hold a nail at the level of the sole.
The first time I saw flax seed fed to a horse was in a 5 year old Dash For Cash bred barrel horse.
Having been around a good number of Dash For Cash colts, my observation was that they typically
had pretty decent feet. This mare didnāt. She couldnāt hold a shoe and sheād try to bite you if you
picked up a foot. She pinned her ears back all the time and generally hated life. Her coat was rather
dull and her skin seemed dry and scaly, and she was probably at least a hundred pounds
overweight. She was your typical fat, miserable, *****y mare. I asked her new owner what she was
thinking when she bought her. She said sheād seen her run as a two year old and she was
awesome. Then she started telling me about this flax seed sheād been reading about on the
internet. Iād never heard about it, but knowing how barrel racers are suckers for anything new, I
wasnāt too impressed. I managed to hang some steel on her with the help of a generous supply of
Vet Tech Adhere hoof building material, and her owner holding her head to keep her from biting
me. When I came back in five weeks to reshoe the mare, her owner mentioned starting her on this
flax seed but I didnāt think much of it. I did notice, however, that her feet were certainly not getting
any worse, and I only had to use a little Adhere to hold shoes on. On the next visit, I remember
pulling shoes and trimming the mareās feet in preparation to shoe her, and I thought I had the wrong
horse. I sat a foot down, turned around and asked her owner what in the world sheād been doing to
this horse. The improvement in her feet was remarkable. She stated sheād been feeding her
ground flax seed, and she had my undivided attention. We talked about how much better her hair
coat looked and about the huge improvement in her hoof quality. What I didnāt realize at the time
was the amazing transformation of her disposition. She was actually a sweet, very willing little
mare. Since that time, I have tried flax seed on many horses, and although itās not a magic bullet, it
has had similar affect on many of them. Obviously, it has to be something about the flax seed,
since horses are routinely fed corn, oats, and barley, as well as other grains, and yet produce these
kinds of sub-standard hooves.
Some facts about flaxā¦
Flax seed, which is also known as linseed, is a small, amber-brown seed with a very hard outer
shell. It may be fed as an oil, either as flax seed oil or linseed oil. Oil may be mechanically extruded
from flax seed and is pale in color and is relatively tasteless and odorless. This is known as feed
grade oil. It may be heat extruded or solvent extruded. Neither of the latter two is recommended for
animal consumption since heat destroys much of the nutritional value of the seed and solvent
extrusion contains residual solvent, and is better utilized as a wood stain or treatment. Flax seed
may be fed as a meal, which is the remaining product after oil extrusion. Again, only meal from
mechanically extruded flax seed is of a feed grade quality. Flax seed may be ground. However, it
loses it nutritional value quickly after grinding, so it either needs to be ground and fed the same
day, or it needs to be stabilized with a preservative, which virtually all commercially prepared flax
seed products are.
When feeding the whole, unprocessed seed, it was generally thought that flax seed needed some
sort of processing to extract the nutrients from the hard outer shell. Some people boiled it, some
ground it. But recent studies have shown that the normal mastication process of the horse is
ample processing of the seed to enable the horse to utilize the nutritional value. Even whole seeds
remaining in the stool were void of most of their nutritional content when tested, indicating the
horses ability to digest the whole seed. Feeding whole flax seed takes away all the speculative
hassle involved in how to go about feeding it; whether to grind or boil or feed meal. Most
nutritionists are recommending four to eight ounces per day. I would add to this that here is one
more good reason to insure the integrity of the horseās teeth. A visit to a good equine dentistā¦I
said a good equine dentistā¦might prove to be the difference in a horseās ability to properly
masticate and digest whole flax seed.
Flax seed is not without its controversy. There are those astute individuals who have heard the
nasty rumor of cyanide poisoning from flax seed. For the sake of argument, this issue certainly
needs to be addressed. Flax seeds and flax plants contain cyanogenetic glycosides and enzymes
that allow these glycosides to release cyanide. Intact plants and seeds donāt normally contain
cyanide because these glycosides and enzymes are separate from each other. Damage to the plant
or seed, such as that due to drought, frost, wilting, or processing, allows them to come together,
resulting in the release of cyanide. Cyanide is readily absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract. It
prevents oxygen release from the blood, which, in sufficient quantity, results in sudden death.
However, glycosidase enzymes are destroyed in the stomach and intestinal tract so that no cyanide
is released from ingested cyanogenetic glycosides. Glycosidase enzymes are also destroyed by
heat, although that used in processing flax seed meal may not be sufficient to completely inactivate
its glycosidase enzyme activity. However, cyanide is fairly volatile, so much of what may form is
lost from the processed feed. As a result of these factors, cyanide toxicosis is not known to occur
in horses as a result of feeding flax seed.
Why flax seed? Why not soybean, or corn, or canola, or a host of other grains? After all, flax has
been around for thousands of years. Flax seed excavated from ancient Greek archaeological sites
date back to 1900 - 1700 B.C., and the use of flax seed was inscribed on tablets at Pylos. The poor
village smithy that shod the good knightās horse should have known that, shouldnāt he? Well,
maybe not.
See, the good smithy didnāt know about omega 3 fatty acids. Apparently Merlin hadnāt gotten
around to investigating that one yet. If he had, heād have discovered that flax seed is the richest
source of omega 3 fatty acids in the plant kingdom (not to be confused with the kingdom of
Camelot). Omega three fatty acids, also called alpha-linolenic acid, or ALA, make up fifty to sixty
percent of flax seed oil, compared to eight to ten percent in canola or soy oil. The majority of
unsaturated fatty acids in most plant oils, except for flax seed, are the omega 6 fatty acids called
lenoliec acid, or LA. ALA and LA are somewhat diametrically opposed to each other, sort of a good
guy-bad guy co-existence, and must be kept in balance as they compete for many of the body
functions. ALA is converted in the body with varying degrees of efficiency in different species of
animals to eicosopentaenoic acid, or EPA, which is the omega 3 fatty acid actually utilized by the
body. Fish oils are the only oils high in EPA itself. In some species of animals, like humans, that are
poor converters of ALA to EPA, fish oil is better than plant sources of ALA. But all animals convert
some ALA to EPA, and fish oil is a poor supplement for horses because, for starters, horses are
herbivorous and itās not wise to feed animal (including fish) by-products to herbivors, e.g. mad-
cow disease. There are also issues of instability, mercury content, and palatability in fish oil.
Remember, we said alpha-linolenic acid and lenoliec acid must be kept in balance. From omega 3
and omega 6 fatty acids the body makes derivatives, from which it produces hormone-like
substances called prostaglandins. Stress and prostaglandins from omega 6 fatty acids will
produce prostaglandin 2, and will cause a horse to present hyper-active, while a good supply of
omega 3 fatty acids will block the production of prostaglandin 2 and have a remarkable calming
effect on the horse. Besides attitude, the consequences of an imbalance of ALA and LA in the diet
may show up in any number of organs and bodily functions, among which are a dull coat with dry,
itchy skin, skin allergies (including āsweet itchā), cracking, crumbling, thin-walled hooves, and joint
stiffness. Hormonal problems, frequent infections, and immune deficiency may also have their
roots in the imbalance of omega 6 to omega 3.
Omega 3 fatty acids make up the molecules in the structure and activity of the membranes of all the
cells throughout the body and are vital in the process of new tissue formation. The cellular
membrane regulates the amount of moisture in the cell as well as the kinds and amounts of
nutrients that enter the cell. Therefore, the quality of cellular activity within the cell is dependent
upon the ability of the cellular membrane to do its job. Since the structural integrity of the cellular
membrane is a constant maintenance item, it then follows that the addition of more and better
materials, in this case omega 3 fatty acids, required to do the job, will produce a highly improved
product, in this case a superior cellular membrane capable of holding more moisture and allowing
more cellular activity to occur.
Balance, then, is the key. Omega 6 fatty acids are found in pasture, hay and grain, while omega 3
fatty acids are found mainly in pasture. Therefore, it is not unreasonable to presume that most
horses, except those that subsist entirely on good quality pasture, may possess an imbalance of
omega 3 to omega 6 fatty acids. In my experiences, the majority of horses with poor quality feet
were horses who were kept, at least part time, in a stall, and fed a ration that included a substantial
amount of grain. Obviously, since they were exposed to more omega 6 content than omega 3
content, there was ample opportunity for these horses to develop an imbalance. The emphasis,
then, should shift to balancing the omega 3/omega 6 fatty acid content of the horseās body, and
there is no better way than by supplementing the horseās diet with flax seed.
Flax seed has long been known for many of its other beneficial qualities, and only recently have we
begun to look at it for its apparent ability to improve hoof quality. The fact is, very little research has
been conducted on the effect of flax seed to the horseās hoof. Since very little anecdotal evidence
exists, we must rely upon observation and experiences of those who have tried it. If, at some point,
research proves that weāre all wrong, please donāt tell the horse. He believes us.
Another area of interest is the low carbohydrate equine diet (especially the NSC or non-structural
carbohydrate ā level) for horses with Cushings disease, insulin resistance, or laminitis. The dietary
management of these horses is very complex, and involves controlling the simple carbohydrate
level in their diet (absolutely no grain whatsoever of any kind, etc.), regular exercise if they donāt
already have laminitis, and very, very strict balancing and supplementation of key minerals.
Other beneficial qualities of flax seed, however, have much research and scientific evidence to
substantiate them. The inclusion of flax seed in the diet will significantly increase the apparent
digestibility of Dry Matter, Crude Fiber, and Neutral Detergent Fiber, all very important elements in
the horseās diet. Flax seed has very strong anti-inflammatory properties, which will aid in relief from
not only arthritis, but also laminitis, heaves, and fly bite hypersensitivity. The fiber in flax seed is a
wonderful aid for digestion and is high in the soluble fiber mucilage, which helps prevent impaction
colic. Mucilage also forms a gel to which sand adheres and is passed out, making it a great aid in
the prevention of sand colic. Flax seed appears to be heart healthy, and is a great source of many
nutrients, including calcium and phosphorous. It makes the hair and coat gloss. It boosts the
immune system and can help regulate thyroid function, making it very effective for battling insulin
resistance in overweight horses. It cures zits, warts, freckles, coughs, colds, runny noseā¦oops!
Sorry. Got a little carried away there.
As you can see, there is an enormous potential for the inclusion of omega 3 supplementation in the
horseās diet. Many of the health benefits are substantiated through literally thousands of scientific
research projects. From a practical standpoint, though, how are these results beneficial to a farrier.
Think about that half-crazy idiot gelding that only behaves himself if he is worked hard for an hour
just before shoeing. His diet consists largely of grain and hay, and his owner excuses his behavior
as just being hopped up from the grain, and sheās right. But what heās actually hopped up on is a
mega-overload of omega 6, and if heās supplemented with a balancing dosage of omega 3 from a
cup of flax seed, he may suddenly regain his sanity.
Many times those horses that get heavy in the hind end are sore in the hip, stifle and hocks, and it
hurts them to be lifted and extended behind the way a farrier has to do in order to shoe their back
feet. Flax seed in their diet may take much of the pain inducing inflammation out, leaving them
relatively pain free and cooperative
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From my experiences, and the experiences of many of my shoeing customers and other horse
owners I know, there are copius amounts of circumstantial evidence to suggest that the inclusion
of flax seed in a horseās diet will help improve those weak, cracked, shelly or crumbly hoof walls.
Although it appears little or no scientific research exists to substantiate or refute this observation, it
may be worth trying the next time you run across this malady in your clientās horses. Likely, these
conditions will co-exist with other conditions known to indicate an omega 3/omega 6 imbalance,
and you can advise your client to supplement the horse with 8 ounces of flax seed daily.
When the horseās attitude and physical condition shows dramatic improvement and shoes start to
stay on, youāll be the hero. You can tell āem, āYeah, I learned that at Heartland Horseshoeing
School.ā
Edited by Tdove 2017-01-05 1:41 PM
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 937
| Biotin Plus. I purchase it through Big Dees tack. 2.5lb is 2 months worth for $28.95. It has double the amount of biotin of any supplements I've seen and half the price. Works great! | |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 672
| I think you'd have better luck putting your $$$ into the best quality forage you can afford rather than supplements, a good farrier and just cleaning his feet daily if he is having issues with thrush.
I got in a 3yo that had horrible, shelly feet and was told he would always need shoes, but since his feet were bad they wouldn't hold. I had his shoes pulled, and started him on alfalfa hay, pasture, and oats with whole flax and after about a year he had good, hard feet. If his toes get long he will start to crack, but as long as he is on a routine schedule he's got hard feet and no need for shoes. | |
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 The Worst Seller Ever
Posts: 4138
Location: Oklahoma | I like the THE Hoof supplement. It seems to help my pony. They used to have a salve but it got the last tub. I am hoping I can sweet talk my way into another tub, but probably not.
The best hoof treatments smell the worst. :) | |
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 Owner of a ratting catting machine
Posts: 2258
| Rice bran and alfalfa. My horses are all on a five week schedule now because they grow so much foot. Takes about six months to a year. | |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 851
Location: West Texas | Here is another article explaining flax along with good protein and nutrition:
"Before Tigger first formulated BioStarās Ultra Hoof EQ, she had already spent quite a painstaking period researching everything a supplement for healthy hooves needed to include. Hereās the story.
Over the course of my lifetime with horses, I have had horses with great feet, and horses whose feet nearly drove me into debt trying to fix them. You name the hoof supplement, Iāve probably used it in addition to hoof oils, creams, salves, and pine tar. By complete happenstance, before I started BioStar, I began feeding flax seeds to one horse whose coat quality I wanted to improve . This horse happened to have shelly, brittle, thin-walled feet too. After two months, my farrier commented on the improved hoof quality. Never did I imagine that flax seed would improve his feet. Thus began my research as to why omega 3ās might play a role in healthy hooves.
The equine digestive system evolved to eat small, continuous meals of vegetation and to roam many miles per day, eating all day long. The grasses not only provided water, protein, carbohydrates and fiber, they also provided fat, specifically the fatty acids: high amounts of omega 3 and low amounts of omega 6. The fact that the horses were moving constantly (some estimates of up to 20 miles per day) increased circulation to the feet.
The Grain Connection:
Horses need higher amounts of omega 3ās than omega 6. When we feed grains: corn, barley, oats, wheat middlings, wheat bran, rice bran, sunflower seeds we are feeding higher amounts of omega 6.
Additional sources of omega 3 like flax or chia must be added to maintain a minimum ratio of 2.5:1, Omega 3 to Omega 6. Some researchers are pointing to increased ratios of up to 4:1 omega 3 to omega 6.
Grasses and hay do provide omega 3ās . Depending on how the hay was stored and maintained can severely affect omega 3 content. I personally donāt depend on hay for omega 3ās. Ten to twelve hours of turnout on grass per day will elevate the important omega 3ās in the equine diet. However, this can also be affected by the type of grass: coastal or bahia grasses donāt have the omega 3 content of timothy, blue grass or orchard grasses.
Protein and the Amino Acids:
The hoof wall of horses is made up of approximately 93% protein. Hooves contain the amino acids: cystine, arginine, leucine, lysine, proline, serine, glycine, valine, methionine, phenylalanine and histidine. Diets that are protein-deficient can lead to reduced hoof growth. The composition of the hoof wall is predominately an insoluble protein called keratin, which includes the amino acids glycine, phenylalanine, arginine, cysteine and proline. The amino acid cysteine makes up approximately 24% of keratin. Another sulphur-containing amino acid, known as methionine can be converted by the body into cysteine.
Many hoof supplements provide a form of methionine in its synthetic form: DL Methionine. The rationale of providing methionine for its conversion to cysteine makes nutritional sense, but ignores the other key amino acids in keratin: glycine, phenylalanine, proline, and arginine. The isolation of one amino acid (methionine) while ignoring the others, may explain in part why some hoof supplements that contain methionine may work for some horses, but not for others.
Zinc and Copper:
Copper is part of an enzyme that is required for the formation of the disulfide bonds in keratin. Copper is a part of another copper- dependent enzyme that is also necessary for the structural integrity of collagen.
Zinc plays a role in enzymatic action in the formation of keratin and collagen. Zinc is present in high concentrations in normal hoof tissue. Zinc deficiency can show up as: slow hoof growth, thin walls, white line, abcesses.
Excess iron can interfere with zinc and copper metabolism, but it must be noted that iron absorption is low in equines and ranges from 2%-20% with 4% being the average, while zincās absorption range is 5%-90%.
Excess amounts of calcium from foods like alfalfa hay can negatively impact the absorption of zinc. Horses that get alfalfa hay only and no other hay mix like orchard or timothy may need supplemental zinc.
Whole food sources of zinc are pumpkin seeds and sesame seeds. Whole food sources of copper include sesame seeds, and kale.
Biotin:
Most hoof supplements provide the B-vitamin biotin. Only a handful of studies have been performed in horses to determine the effect of biotin, and the most recent one was in 1998. A Swiss study (1995) and a South African study (1992) highlight that biotin supplementation does not work in 30 days. Both studies were 9 months in duration, and only the South African study demonstrated improved hoof growth on 15mgs of biotin per day. The Swiss study, based on 20 mgs of biotin per day showed no improvement of hoof growth as compared to the controlled group.
If you choose to feed a hoof supplement containing biotin, it is important to give the product a good 7-9 months because it takes time to see if the biotin will help your horseās feet.
Colostrum:
With over 70 different Growth Factors in bovine colostrum, this whole food can be very helpful in building better feet. One reason that colostrum is effective is because the Growth Factors help stimulate cellular reproduction, and regulate roles in cell growth. Growth Factors stimulate normal growth as well as the healing and repair of tissues. Colostrum is one of my go-to foods when dealing with hoof growth and hoof integrity issues.
Circulation:
Poor circulation in the feet will affect the quality of the hoof wall. The strength of the equine foot depends on nourishment that begins with good circulation and vascularity.
Horses are designed to be on the move. 24 hour per day turnout in a big pasture, where the horse is constantly moving and grazing is not possible for many horses in boarding and training barns, and even horses kept at home.
Many training barns in Europe and the US use mechanical horse walkers to add more exercise and thus circulation for horses with limited turn out. Horse Gym Treadmills are also becoming more common. Some riders take their horses out twice per day, starting with a training session in the morning and then an afternoon hack or walk. Not only is this good for building muscle and fitness, but it is very good for increasing circulation to the feet. Even hand walking, several times per day on grassy and hard surfaces will increase circulation to the feet, giving support for healthy hooves.
Nitric oxide is the master circulatory molecule in the body, and stimulating more nitric oxide production can be very beneficial to increasing circulation to the feet. BioStarās Furnace is a nitric oxide stimulator, providing the substrate arginine for nitric oxide production. This is the formula that brought my horse Lionheart back to soundness from his chronic inflammation of the navicular bursa.
Avoiding Soy:
Soy has a high phytate content, which can prevent zinc, copper, magnesium, and iron from absorption in the GI tract. If your horse has weak, shelly feet, it might be best to avoid soy.
Genetics, Nutrition, the Farrier, and Movement:
Genetics can play a role in poor hoof quality, but nutrition, good farrier care, and circulation are critical for long-term healthy feet .
Personally, Iāve learned from the āless is moreā approach to equine health and well-being. Start with the diet: horses are by nature grazers, they need to move, they need to eat 20 hours a day of mostly fibrous foods: pasture, forage, hay. They need higher amounts of omega 3ās than omega 6ās. Adding chia seeds or flax seeds is particularly important for horses that are stalled with limited turnout or those living in drought pastures, or pastures with bahia or coastal grasses. Horses need good quality protein like alfalfa pellets or cubes to provide the necessary amino acids. They need mineral support from salt licks or free choice mineral salts, and a multi vitamin/mineral supplement. They need to move: circulation is one of the most important components for healthy hooves."
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Expert
Posts: 1612
Location: Cocoa, Florida | I am going to read the real long posts as soon as I'm in bed for my night time reading lol as far as nutrition he has never had anything but coastle hay and a textured (probably sweet) feed. I was told that I shouldn't give him alfalfa as it will hype him up and make him colic. With that being said, all of my horses eat alfalfa, I do feed coastle just as a filler but primarily alfalfa. I also feed Timothy and alfalfa cubes as I've had a few who don't drink well and I soak them so it keeps them hydrated. I will pick up some flax seed as well.
He now has an abscess ugh | |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 883
Location: Southern Indiana | #1 a healthy foot starts with regular trims. Secondly I am a believer in a healthy horse=healthy feet. Lastly, sometimes there's that one horse who will just never have the greatest hooves or maybe he didn't have the best nutrition for awhile and needs the extra boost. I have been feeding mine nu hoof maximizes and just recently switched to Dac foundation formula. The nuhoof actually has more biotin, but I just felt like trying the Dac. They both seem to work well. I think the best thing is using an hoof dressing.
For the thrush go to your local farm store and buy some capsin...I think that's what it's called. It's for lactating cows and comes in a little syringe. The hoofflex thrush stuff works well too. Coppertox, thrush buster, etc does not work. | |
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  Sock eating dog owner
Posts: 4557
Location: Where the pavement ends and the West begins Utah | Farrier formula and Forco. For the thrush, clean hoof daily, apply Providone/iodine says for fungal and bacterial treatment.apply to frog daily so it seeps into the crack at heel. Have farrier out every six weeks. for outside of hoof apply olive oil, it's all natural and soaks right in no mess. | |
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Expert
Posts: 1612
Location: Cocoa, Florida | TheDutchMan01 - 2017-01-05 8:27 PM
#1 a healthy foot starts with regular trims. Secondly I am a believer in a healthy horse=healthy feet. Lastly, sometimes there's that one horse who will just never have the greatest hooves or maybe he didn't have the best nutrition for awhile and needs the extra boost. I have been feeding mine nu hoof maximizes and just recently switched to Dac foundation formula. The nuhoof actually has more biotin, but I just felt like trying the Dac. They both seem to work well. I think the best thing is using an hoof dressing.
For the thrush go to your local farm store and buy some capsin...I think that's what it's called. It's for lactating cows and comes in a little syringe. The hoofflex thrush stuff works well too. Coppertox, thrush buster, etc does not work.
I have a syringe called dry cow same thing I think | |
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