Foot bacteria/disinfectants

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sonjafoers

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My farrier has told me both my horses have foot bacteria at present ( possibly worse than normal due to the amount of mud they were in recently) and I need to increase my disinfecting regime before it gets any worse. My TB does have problems with her feet & has taken nearly a year to grow decent bars and now the bacteria are starting to eat them away which is a worry.

He suggested I try a variety of treatments as usually I scrub the feet twice a week with Keratex Hoof Wash but this hasn't been enough recently & he wants me to attack the bacteria from a number of angles. So.....I have come home armed with LifeData Disinfectant and Kevin Bacon Hoof Dressing which is all I could get. My original thought was to use these on alternative days, the LifeData to kill all the baddies then the hoof dressing (which is also anti-bacterial apparently) to provide a barrier against further infection. Does anyone know if this would work, or should I use the LifeData for 3 days then the hoof dressing for 3 days?

Dilemma, dilemma - are there any farriers out there who could offer some words of wisdom please!
 
Hi try and keep feet as dry as poss as wetting them increases the bacteria to grow, we always use manuka honey cover the frog and pack with cotton wool. That shud cure it best of luck
 
For smelly feet, I always use Alamycin spray, its a blue, antibiotic spray available from my vets. Pick out daily, quick spray and bobs our uncle:)
 
Thank you TheFarrier, I was hoping you'd reply!!

Is the Antibac used in the same way as LifeData as the website doesn't say much. Would I continue to use the Keratex Hoof Wash twice a week, which does fizz up when it gets the bacteria, then use the Antibac on the other days? Does the Antibac work on the bars etc if there is an infection as well as the nail holes?

In your opinion is it worth using the Kevin Bacon Hoof dressing at all? It says on the packaging it helps with thrush & white line disease and it does seem to form a barrier, so is it worthwhile for maintaining the feet once they are healthy?

I was planning in using the LifeData every day for a week initially but I wasn't sure where to go from there. My farrier says it's trial & error but I won't really know what has worked until his next visit & I want to try and nip this in the bud if I can.

He also said to try Stockholm Tar to form a barrier but I haven't been able to get any.

Thank you
 
My mare had a bit of foot rot/seedy toe last year. I was told to use formalin which is what the farmers use for the sheep.
I used a syringe to squirt it in and it cleared it up. I use it every few weeks now to keep it away.
 
Once you've got it under control, I highly recommend using a copper sulphate solution on the feet regularly to keep it at bay. You can buy copper sulphate crystals in bulk very cheaply from any farm supply store. Mix them up with some water (they don't dissolve but you can form a sort of blue paste) and apply to the soles of the feet and frog clefts daily. It is cheap and cheerful and really works.
 
personally i dont believe in using a barrier as thrush is anerobic which means it survives where there is no air.

Best to keep it clean. Antibac starts i think at three times per week (off the top of my head) and then drops down to a maintenance of once fortnightly. Its very concentrated and lasts a while!!

Kevin bacon is good but i suggest using it mainly on the hoof wall but no reason why you cant apply it to the sole on days yo dont use the antibac.

Try and get hold of some antibac and go with the lifedata for at least a week in the mean time.

Good luck but you should get it sorted by then if you get on top of it. :)
 
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