Arnica tablets and Eucalyptus oil - Advice Please!

[Sprout]

One of my horses has got bruising in his foot, although at first the vet thought it was an abscess, so I spent two weeks hot poulticing, with no yucky results!
My farrier has now put his shoe back on, and suggested that I give him Arnica tablets ( not gel ) to help with the bruising, and use Eucalyptus Oil to help his sole harden up.
Do any of you lovely peeps out there know where I can get either of these, and what doseage of Arnica tablets I should give?

 

[iconique]

Arnica tablets are usually found in a large supermarket or chemists - they come in little green tubes and are inexpensive. I would give a loading dose of a couple of tablets 2x day for the first couple of days and then go to 1 twice a day for no longer than 2 weeks (because it can have negative long term useage effects or so I'm told). (they are fairly standard tubes) £3ish

If you want expert advice then contact ainsworths but this will cost you about £13 to have them sent to you with their recommended dosage and postage.

With Eucalyptus Oil you will find this in the medicine area of the supermarket or the chemist. Its usually used for clearing blocked noses!! A small bottle is quite strong (I've never heard of it being used to harden up the sole of a foot, so would be interested to see how you get on) in a green box about 3inches high??? You should only need to spread a few drops but be warned you must not get this in cuts or touch places like eyes or nose afterwards - it will burn!!!

With the tablets, try not to touch them and try to give as far away from feeding as possible, best effect is if the horse doesn't eat for 30 mins before or after (because it is absorbed better), we usually put them in a small bit of apple so they don't get lost and its not too much to eat and we give them as soon as we go out in the morning/evening, giving them time to absorb before we feed and while we muck out etc.

Hope this helps???

 

[cyearsley]

My boy has suspected deep bruising too, lame now for over three weeks. Hilton Herbs do arnica in a few different forms but their website is a little confusing, else Holland & Barrett maybe? Someone told me to try arnica before, maybe I'll give it a go as getting desperate. At the moment he's on a further 10 days of bute for the anti-inflammatory benefits. What symptoms has your horse got and how lame is he? Am so paranoid as have had so many injuries in last 2 years, an none of them minor.....Hope your horse is better soon.

 

[Sprout]

Thanks for your advice Iconique, will go shopping tomorrow!

CLY, I was relieved in some ways to hear that your boy has been lame for three weeks. My poor boy came in from the field hopping lame, three weeks ago. I got the vet out the next day, she described him as being "broken legged lame" and after taking his shoe off, and paring off a bit, decided it was an abscess. So I started hot poulticing, she pared some more off a week later, another week of hot poulticing, but still nothing coming out. He was incredibly lame all this time. then he came pretty much sound on soft ground, my vet had another look and decided it was probably bruising, so my farrier put his shoe back on. I lunged him in the school over the weekend and he was sound one way, but not as good with his affected foot on the inside of the circle.
I dont know what to think, over three weeks seems like a really long time for bruising to come out, I think if he is still looking sore towards the end of the week, I will have to get the vet out yet again! I was warned that there was a very slim chance that it could actually be a fracture to the pedal bone, so I am hoping that is not the case!
I really hope you poor boy is sound again soon, it is such a worry.

 

[iconique]

Hi Sprout

Good luck and let me know how you get on? Bruising can take ages to come out and if there is something more serious there then make sure that you take it steady with him to prevent further damage.

The homoepathic stuff (arnica) won't do any harm and is really useful for humans too, so you won't waste it. If you want to encourage hoof growth as well, then try the same dosage with Silica, it makes hair and hoof grow (great for fingernails too!!)

Desperately hoping for you that it isn't the pedal bone!!

 

[Shantor1]

My vet prescribed eucalyptus oil and iodoform (which he dispensed) to paint on my horse's hooves as he had white line disease. The eucalyptus kills the microbes that cause poor crumbly horn and thus white line disease and the iodoform hardens the hoof. I use it regularly on my horses feet i.e. several times a week but as it is classified as a medicine you can only buy it from your vet or chemist. I order a 500ml bottle which costs me £14 and the jar of iodoform I got from the vet 2 years ago - you only need to add a couple of teaspoons then leave to dissolve overnight. I have had no further problems with WLD.

 

[alisonpook]

Hi - Martin Deacon highly recommends the eucalyptus oil mix in his farriery book. I checked with my vet and they actually kept bottles ready mixed. Agree with the stinging ... the first time I applied it to my old horse I applied it rather liberally and he disappeared in a cloud of dust across the field doing his best impression of galloping on hot coals... I found it works well.

 

[k9h]

With the arnica try & get the 200c potency if you can. Usually only get 30c in the shops though.
I would also give calc fluor for the hooves, silica is great aswell but if there is a foriegn body in them it will expell that aswell. (They say even people with fillings shouldn't take it!)?
Crossgates do a hoof quality spray (easier than tablets!) barefoot trimmer recommends it to a friend all the time!

Crossgates

 

[Nats_uk]

Sorry to hear about your horse, mine has just recovered from bruising which led to an abscess (and then on his first day out in the field he gets a deep kick on his hind leg!

)

I have given him arnica tablets tonight for his kick and previously gave them to him when he impaled himself on a metal post. I got a small red tube from the local chemist and gave him 6 in each feed for a couple of days.

If it is a fractured pedal bone - chin up. My horse got that a month after I bought him (can you tell he is accident prone!

) and *touch wood* he is now fine. I have jumped and dressaged in soft/harder grass and arena fine and have taken him hunting and x-country with no problems