Natural, safe, cheap hoof supplement.?

Question

My horse has bad thrush in which i am recently treating with a thrush treatment but he still has cracks along the edge of his foot. I am painting it with a hoof dressing too but i am wondering. Are there any natural, safe, inexpensive supplements. I need like a home remedy or something i can feed him. Thanks!

Answer 1

Hello there!

Focus Hoof by Source is an excellent product that will provide the proper nutrients to repair hoof damage and a daily serving of a micronutrient to help it absorb, however, remember with any hoof supplement if can take between 4-6 months to see complete improvment so be prepared to stick with it.

Another great product is Horse-Shoe by Finish Line but it is not "all natural" but is inexspensive. It is very good and we use it on our show horses. The Focus Hoof is great, natural and we use it on our boarders horses who would prefer a more natural approach and the Source serving to help it get abosorbed. Remember to keep his feet trimmed or shoed properly by a farriar on a regular basis of 6-8 weeks and to pick his feet faily, hoof dressing our great but remember not to over do it, its a waste of money because the hoof wall can't absorb moisture as well as the coronary band, apply your favorite hoof oil to the hoof wall and sole and frong after cleaning and put CORONA ointment on the coronary band and rub it in, it grows a lovely hoof out on problem feet. :) Good luck!

Answer 2

Try horseshoes and some cream recommended by a vet. Make sure your horses hoof is off the ground. The more it is scuffed and brushed with dirt and sand and rocks that could get into the thrush it has a good chance of getting infected.

Answer 3

Biotin - its cheap, and it works!

Answer 4

Just give your horse a good balanced diet, turn out, and exercise.  Most supplements are ineffective and very costly.  The cracks are unlikely related to the thrush.  I would stop the dressing application.  Usually with a thrush infection, the horse has been in a less than optimally clean environment and/or too much moisture.  You should have his feet trimmed on a regular basis but you want his feet to be hard.  Again, recent hoof care information (the last 10 years) does not advocate the application of dressings, oils, tars, etc.  Your horse should not have chemicals applied to his feet as they are not beneficial.  As an aside, typical commercial thrush treatments (or those old home remedies) should not be used because they kill healthy tissue as well as the bad tissue.  This sets up a cycle of repetitive infections, especially if the environment is wet.  These include bleach, thrush buster, sav-a-hoof, kopertox, etc.   Some success has been seen using soaks made with White Lightening or Clean Trax but again, not inexpensive and time consuming and specific techniques are required to use these (usually found only in farrier supply stores).  You would have to soak and would need some type of soaking boots but you can use a 50/50 solution of water and apple cider vinegar (no white vinegar) or 2oz. of lysol concentrate (yellow cap only in dark amber bottle - not all the other varieties on the shelves) in a gallon of water.  Either soak is 3-4 times weekly for a minimum of 30 minutes each time.  Good luck with your horse.  If the thrush is in the central sulcus between the heel bulbs, it can be really difficult to resolve and it is really painful for your horse.

Answer 5

Fresh ground flax seed works pretty well... not immediately though. It helps their coat too. I really like Gen-A-Horse, that is a supplement you can purchase from KV Vet, Valley Vet, and a lot of other catalogs. It's a biotin supplement that cost like $80 a year or something... really cheap, and it works.

Answer 6

you can use bacon grease and just smear it on the surface of his hooves with a paint brush, that has done miracles for my horses, it also make them just healthier in general and keeps them moist

Answer 7

Good nutrition and care will get you farther than any suppliment. :D

-Try horseshoers secret condidtioner for the cracks but like I said good nutrition that has been customized for that horse is the best. http://www.doversaddlery.com