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Zena
Junior Member
42 Posts |
 Posted - 20 Aug 2010 : 11:32:11 PM
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Does anyone have experience with the vettec products especially sole guard? I have a mini shetland who gets foot sore on rough ground and was going to try this product .It goes on as a liquid and sets hard in 1min lasts 3wks and gives support to hoof and frog. Only problem is she does get thrush and i dont know if you can apply this when thrush is present ? any opinions /advice very much appreciated. I have sent an email to vettec asking the question about the thrush but havent had a reply yet .thanks for taking the time to reply hope to get some very much needed advice as this sounds to me like a v good product , natalie .
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Quarabian
Platinum Member
Wales
4340 Posts |
Posted - 21 Aug 2010 : 12:04:58 PM
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I am watching this topic with interest as I have a footsore mare who I am trying to go barefoot with. This product sounds very useful for the transitionary stages. Mine is wearing hoof boots at present but she has very little foot due to shoes coming off.
I would think that you would need to treat the thrush first. But once clear of thrush I would imagine this product would keep her safe from reinfection.
Good luck with your shetland natalie. |
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LIV
Gold Member
England
705 Posts |
Posted - 21 Aug 2010 : 12:38:12 PM
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Hope you get a reply from Vettec as we have a mini shetland with the same problem and this sounds ideal. So far, my mum has only come up with some little boots from the States but we haven't ordered them yet!
Liv |
     
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Mrs Vlacq
Platinum Member
Wales
3776 Posts |
Posted - 21 Aug 2010 : 12:56:59 PM
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| I saw their products too and would be interested in hearing any experiences of them, good or bad! |
    
- V Khazad - V Calacirya & V Sulime - Quarida(L) - V Boogie Knights - V Hamra Tofiq |
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Helen Newton
Gold Member
England
692 Posts |
Posted - 21 Aug 2010 : 1:20:58 PM
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| It's quite possible that the thrush is making her footsore. Once that's sucessfully treated she may not be footsore anymore. Keratex hoof hardener is good stuff IMO. |
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Zena
Junior Member
42 Posts |
Posted - 21 Aug 2010 : 2:03:15 PM
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| still waiting on email from vettec .Ive had the shetland just over a week and just getting to know her .she was a rescue and suffers bad sweetitch and has had laminitis in the past over 2 years ago .her feet were well paired back and black round the frogs and i am treating the thrush with sterilising fluid (babies bottles) which ive had great success with over the years and im also using keratex hoof hardener on her as i already use it on my arab who is barefoot no problems .but i do feel she will need some sort of hoof support . she is excellent with my 2 yr old daughter and just want to find a way of making her more comfortable on hard ground as at some point of the day she has to walk on roads. her feet are overall in good condition no grows rings or dropped at the heel but just very footsy on rough ground poor soul .so please keep the advice coming and as soon as i get the email from vettec ill let u know more about sole guard thanks again natalie x |
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mjp
Bronze Member
55 Posts |
Posted - 21 Aug 2010 : 8:00:41 PM
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I have used sole guard on my pure bred arab. I completed a 40km endurance ride at Berkshire downs using it. My mare has been barefoot all of her life, she is nine now. She does a lot of miles each year and occasionally she can struggle on stoney going, which is why I tried it at Berkshire downs this year. My farrier fitted it 3 days before the ride and one foot stayed in 2 weeks. The things we learnt from the experience, the foot must be very clean and dry, you need to put a lot on and cover the whole sole and frog, but make sure nothing stick out at the heel, she pulled one foot off by overreaching and treading on it. I will use it again next year when she is back from injury.
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loosefur
Gold Member
584 Posts |
Posted - 21 Aug 2010 : 8:01:45 PM
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Hi Natalie
Being footsore and having thrush are both indicators that she is suffering from low grade laminitis - not a full blown acute attack but lower grade inflammation of the laminae. It's very common - sometimes it leads to full blown lami but more commonly just rumbles on, often unnoticed, especially in shod horses. Sole Guard might make her more comfortable but it will only mask the problem (as shoes do) - it would be much better if you sorted the underlying problem, which is the low grade lami. You mention she's had lami in the past which makes this even more crucial. I don't know what quality of grazing she is currently on (or has been on as you've only had her for a week), or what she has been fed or is being feed but I would from this point treat her as if she was recovering from a full blown lami episode - so onto a starvation paddock, fed hay soaked for 12 hours and definitely no carrots or any feeds containing molasses. Giving a magnesium oxide supplement has also proved affective or get her a Lami Shield block to lick. If you follow this regime you should start to see an improvement in the footsoreness. The thrush will also start to improve but to treat it in the meantime I would spray or brush on apple cider vinegar. |
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Zena
Junior Member
42 Posts |
Posted - 22 Aug 2010 : 12:01:37 AM
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| Hi mjp its nice to see someone has used this before and i do think it would benefit my shetland would still like to know if it contains antibacterial properties to kill the likes of thrush etc would u b able to read your label mjp and let me know ? thanks , also loosefur i think u could be right about the laminitis. ive never actually owned a horse with it but seen it and i do think just my feeling that this wee shetland could come down with it at the drop of a hat . she has been in every night with 2 leaves of this years good hay since ive had her over 1 week . apart from one night i had her out all night but next day she did seem more reluctant to move . but my grazing it what i call poor honestly .my welsh is out 24/7 with my arab which i feed coz not enough for her and they are fine but my gut told me to keep her in after that day . im treatimng her as having thrush but it isnt oozy or smelly just black in certain places, shes such a gd wee pony any really hasd a spring in her step when we are on grass . am i taking on a serious problem?? as at the minute i have a month to decide if i want her . monet isnt the issue my problem is i dont want her fading to a stage of being unusable and in pain is that what will happen??? Loosefur please give me advice thank you x also that episode of not being reluctant to move i did allow her to have a lick of a horselix for 10 mins x |
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loosefur
Gold Member
584 Posts |
Posted - 22 Aug 2010 : 09:11:48 AM
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Hi Natalie
If she has already shown signs of not wanting to move after a night on grass then I would say she is definitely on the border line of a full blown attack of lami. Once they've had it before it doesn't take much to tip them back over the edge. Even if you think your grass is poor it most likely isn't poor enough for this particular horse. Like humans all horses have different metabolisms - some can cope with more sugar than others and it sounds like this little shetland can cope with very very little. Letting her lick the horselix is also something to avoid at all cost - they are crammed full of sugar and a big no no. She is obviously a pony who has issues and yes it sounds like she won't be a straight forward pony to keep - unless you've got the facilities to keep her off grass in a starvation paddock - which means a small area, fenced off from the bigger field, that literally has no grass at all - or you are prepared to keep her in a grazing muzzle whenever she is on grass then you will always have these issues with her and at some point I think she will definitely go into full blown lami... which is distressing for horse and human. Sorry to sound so negative but lami is such a serious problem. |
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Zena
Junior Member
42 Posts |
Posted - 22 Aug 2010 : 12:17:08 PM
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| Thanks Loosefur i will be keeping her and persevering with her because it would break my girls heart if i sent her away plus im only passing the problem back . i have the facilities here to keep her in also i am going to buy a grazing muzzle asap so she can be out more with the others .Do you soak the hay to take some of the goodness out? she is a bit thin as it is. looks undernourished to me .i want to try and get her looking healthy but it feels like you have to starve them not to come down with lami :( what supplement would you suggest with magnesium oxide? also still no email from vettec im just going to buy it and try it anyway .everyones been most helpful .x |
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loosefur
Gold Member
584 Posts |
Posted - 22 Aug 2010 : 4:36:07 PM
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| Good for you - you're aware of the issues and what you need to do for her, so that's a great bonus for her. Yes you soak the hay - for minimum of 12 hours - to leach out all the sugars. If she's underweight she may well have a worm burden, which could make the lami worse, however the use of chemical wormers can also trigger a lami attack so I would be very cautious about worming until you have her diet stablisied. You shouldn't ever ever starve a laminitic - feed ad lib, poor quality (but not dusty) hay that has been soaked for twelve hours. She can have as much of this as she can eat but minimal to zero grass. In addition feed something like Fast Fibre to put weight on and add in micronised linseed which is high in oil but low in sugar and will help her get condition without risking lami. You can buy the magnesium oxide on it's own - just search on ebay magnesium oxide for horses and you will find a few sellers. I would avoid using the Sole Guard for now - the best guide you have to how close she is to a laminitic attack is her footsoreness. If you use the Sole Guard you are just masking the symptoms and may stop you noticing if she is getting worse. If you sort out the diet, grazing muzzle is excellent, then she should improve. If she doesn't then there may be something else untowards going on - then you need blood tests to establish the problem, in particular looking for any liver damage. Hope that helps a little... well done for taking her on and I am sure you can deal with her problems. |
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ambassador
Bronze Member
France
102 Posts |
Posted - 22 Aug 2010 : 10:27:06 PM
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| My friend has an Irish Cob and has gone down the road of Barefoot due to the fact her mares feet had been so badly shod as there is little if any experienced blacksmiths for the heavy horse in France so she has been barefoot for 3 mths before having shoes removed she noticed a swelling around the fetlock like an enlarged vein that would come and go especially in the heat.whilst doing her filing and maintenance upkeep she noticed a lot of dead sole coming off and since then the mare has been lame after X Ray it showed such a thin sole the vet has recommended strongly to put her shoes back on ,she is in a real dilemma what to do , she thinks power shoes would be the answer but they don't make them big enough for her .dint suppose sole guard would be the answer? The return circulatory vein next to the tendon is not pumping her blood back probably so the sole is not growing any ideas would be appreciated |
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Zena
Junior Member
42 Posts |
Posted - 22 Aug 2010 : 11:04:36 PM
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| Hi Ambassador all i can say is go on vettec website and have a look at ALL their products .there is one that you put on in the shape of a shoe but obv no nails involved i really cant give advice when im needing some myself :) if you manage to get a reply from vettec and what they recommend let us know .ive sent email but still no reply will have to go back on website and see if there was a contact number that might be the best way .i would certainly say the horse needs something so as not to wear the little sole that she has good luck xx |
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Zena
Junior Member
42 Posts |
Posted - 23 Aug 2010 : 1:40:47 PM
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| Hi all recieved email from vettec today and they are sending a promo pack out to try included is Equi pac - cs which has stuff in it for thrush that i am to put on around frog then fill in rest with sole guard which thay are also sending. cant wait to try it then will let you know how we get on :) x |
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mjp
Bronze Member
55 Posts |
Posted - 23 Aug 2010 : 6:55:48 PM
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Hi Zena
have only just logged on, so only just seem your question to me. I do not have any left so do not have a label to look at. Sorry. You will need a special tool to push the product out mixing it as it goes. Good luck getting it to set and stick, the horse does need to have a concave foot so that you can get a thick enough layer on the foot. If you have any other questions just get back to me.
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SOLE GUARD FOR BAREFOOT HORSES
