Dear farriers, I would like to pick your brains again. I am dealing with a couple of mild WLD cases and there is no chance to get something like Clean Trax or White Lightning here in Mexico. Do you have any recommendations for a homemade treatment? I know that the effected hoof parts have to be kept clean and exposed to air, but I would like to apply something to get rid of this stuff. Any suggestions? Thanks in advance!
Can you have stuff sent in by mail? If not then about the only thing you could use is bleach. Some of the root killer made to pour into septic tanks is actually copper sulfate in crystal form, you may be able to lay your hands on some of that.
Stef, as Draftshoer stated copper sulfate,and or bleach, White lightening is the originating chemical used to fumigate potatoes, don t know if they grow them in your area but if you can explain the chemical then one of the farm supplies may be able to translate, and don t forget vinegar, while used with the originating chemical to produce the gas ,it by itself will change the ph. I m testing Listerene, regards Ray
Hi Draftshoer and Ray, Thank you so much for your help. Unfortunately we don't have any tack shops here and can't get anything sent in as Mexican customs is quite tricky - but we can get Coppertox, Trushbuster ect in a farming supply store. I would definitely love to hear if the Listerene works.
Stef, Do you have a feed supplier near that grinds/mixes their feed? If so they should have copper sulfate crystals, it is used as a copper supplement. It is also used as a herbicide, fungicide and pesticide. The crystals can be packed into voids/cavities. It can be dissolved in water or vinegar and used as a topical. It will die the horn and give you a guide as to how deeply it has penetrated/treated. it is also known as "bluestone".
Steff, if you live in an area where there are chicken farmers you should be able to find "Oxine AH" which is the exact same ingredient as White Lightning, but costs a lot less. Chicken farmers use Oxine AH to disinfect eggs and to fog the chicken houses to treat for respiratory infections. Hospitals use it for disinfecting and sometimes in a fogger to treat respiratory infections in humans. I mix the stuff 50/50 with white vinegar and then apply it directly to the affected area. No need for soaking. You only need to mix enough to coat the affected area and keep it wet for 20 minutes. I mix up about 2 ounces and use a syringe to apply it to hoof cracks and separations. http://www.shagbarkbantams.com/oxine.htm You should be able to buy Oxine AH from any poultry farm supply.
hi Stef, The thing to know is why they're getting white line in the first place. As it's probably in the quarters toward the heels, there may be pressure from the shoe (or the ground directly on a bare foot). You may see the coronary band jammed upwardly above the affected area too. After you've burned the shoe on and the foot is flat, rasp down the area of the hoof wall around the affected area leaving a gap between the hoof and shoe. About an eighth of and inch for a mild problem, a bit more for worse. This is called floating. You'll see the hoof srttle against the shoe and the coronary band straight out too. Thrush Buster, or better yet Durasole with a pine tar based packing (that Ray makes quite well) is what I use.
Thanks so much, Clint, Tom and Bill - I will definitely try to get some of the stuff that you have suggested. Bill, you are right, it is starting a bit in the quarters - will follow your instructions when the next one is due for shoeing.
i use copper sulfate as my standard wld / seedy toe treatment. i put the crystals into a 60ml syringe and the nail in the hole. and also i mix it with Vaseline and keep it in a plastic jar. those products that have been mention are expensive here in Australia, but i find the copper sulfate work good.
Thanks, Michael, and everybody else for your replies. It is amazing how much I am learning from all of you!
Steffi, honestly it is too soon to tell.................but it looks like it is making some improvements. I had toe nail fungus for probably 50 years and it got worse after a couple trips to beautiful downtown Vietnam, I ve tried alot of stuff including liquid nitrogen, which also worked but the fungus comes back if you don t keep treating, meaning Dr. visits, this stuu seems to be cleaning things up, figuring that it takes about a year to grow a toenail i ll have a better answer then. One observation is that my feet no longer exhibit the sweet/ rotten fungus smell that they did when i take my shoes off,and Mrs Steele even noticed that! I ve been very faithful with every morning applications. I ve told several customers about the experiment and they have also had Vicks vapor rub work on fungus, but one of the strong points is that those who have had good results were also faithful to the daily treatment. regards Ray
