 |
|
Beating the “Seedy Toe Woes” can be a challenge, but it can be done, especially if it is caught early!What is seedy toe?In layman’s terms, it is a species of fungi or bacteria, or even a combination of both, that forages on and destroys the keratin of a horse’s inner hoof wall.So why is treating seedy toe important?Well for starters, seedy toe can cause vertical cracks that travel upwards in the hoof wall. If left untreated, those cracks could spread to the coronary band, resulting in permanent damage. Seedy Toe can also abscess, cause acute lameness, and in severe cases, cause infection that could spread into the bone.
A tale of my “Seedy Toe Woes:”Last week my farrier sent me a text message that said, “someone has not been painting their horse’s feet! That’s a little bit of seedy toe!” along with the above picture. Now, normally, my friends would tell you I am a pretty conscientious horse owner. My horse has been through a lot the last few years so I’m usually right on top of his health and well being. But I had been slacking the last couple of weeks and I knew it, too. Naturally, I felt a ashamed, because he was right! I had not painted my horses feet in nearly two weeks! Luckily, my farrier reassured me that the little area was the very beginning of Seedy Toe and I could easily get it under control and healed quickly. Each day after I pick my horse’s hooves, I apply the special paint that my farrier told me about (see recipe below) and now the Seedy Toe is almost gone. Once it is gone, I will resume using the paint 3 times a week, like I had previously been doing before I became a slacker! LOL!
The hoof in the photo on the left is of a horse that went untreated for a bit too long. Thank you to Dustin Whidden of Bar W Farrier Services for use of this photo and the banner photo. Dustin had to cut a significant chuck of hoof away to free the horse from the disease section of hoof wall. If you want to try out the hoof paint recipe that my farrier, Dusty Whidden, told me about, here is his Hoof Paint recipe: 1 empty hoof oil can 1 bottle Birdsall’s Farrier Barrier 1 can Enticer In the hoof oil can, pour Farrier Barrier until can is 3/4 filled, then fill the last quarter with Enticer. Put cap back on and shake well. This can will last about 30 days if painting your horse’s hooves daily. Prior to switching farriers, my horse had chronic thrush and white line issues. The scary part is I knew about the thrush, but had no idea about the white line disease until my new farrier said something! Anyways, I was constantly trying different products trying to get the thrush under control and I spent a small fortune on different products. Nothing ever got rid of it completely. Until I started using this paint. I admittedly was skeptical at first, but this paint mixture is truly awesome stuff! Even though we had a slight hiccup with seedy toe (completely and admittedly my fault for being a slacker), this is the first issue we’ve had in nearly a year since I started using this paint! Additionally, if you would like to learn more about fighting other hoof diseases here is a link to a great article on the Save-A-Hoof products http://www.infohorse.com/fighting_hoof_disease.asp BTW, if you are going to Equine Affaire in Ohio this April, be sure to stop by and see us in the Bricker Building and be sure to enter for your chance to win our raffle basket, which includes a few Save-A-Hoof Products! Disclaimer: Every horse is different and products will effect them differently. Be sure to always check with your vet or farrier before using new products. |
