Pro Hoof - dry itchy skin, anyone?

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Orangehorse

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My horse has been on Pro Hoof since about April, I ordered it by mistake instead of Pro Balance. I noticed that there was an improvement to his hooves very quickly.

However, in July he developed a very itchy and flakey skin, it was so bad that he was rubbing himself raw in some places, under his chin, by his ears, and rolling to give himself a sore on his hipbone. I wasn't being that observant as he was out 24/7 and I wasn't riding him much. He was looking a bit moth-eaten. I thought it was a rain scald type thing, possibly.

As well as the Pro Hoof, some fast fibre and chaff to mis it in, he always gets some Ground Linseed.

The vet took skin and hair samples, but found nothing, but gave me a £25 bottle of shampoo. By that time I had used up all my lotions and potions to heal the sores and washed him in "normal" itchy skin shampoo. He was definitly on the mend, the sores healed and he isn't rubbing any more.

But his skin is still dry and flakey and he still seems itchy around his withers. I asked my trimmer if she knew anyone else's horse with similar symptoms, but didn't. I have reduced the Pro Hoof a bit, but I wondered if anyone else has a horse with similar symptoms.
 
My lad is on pro hoof and I have found a vast improvement in his skin plus his feet.

I have found a few grammes of linseed to help all itchy horses.
 
I use Pro Hoof with no issues (and linseed) and am really pleased with the results but I've known two horses over the years with linseed intolerance, just fyi! Do you feed salt as well? Is he rugged at all ie fly rug, rain sheet?
 
Is he fed and feed with alfalfa in? (hifi unmollassed?) I had a cob who suddenly got really itchy once I started feeding this chaff as it contained alfalfa and was intolerant to it. As soon as I stopped feeding it, the itching stopped, could be worth a try? I had to feed him oat straw chaff instead
 
MotherOfChickens said:
I use Pro Hoof with no issues (and linseed) and am really pleased with the results but I've known two horses over the years with linseed intolerance, just fyi! Do you feed salt as well? Is he rugged at all ie fly rug, rain sheet?
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agreed with you
 
Gosh - linseed intolerance, alphalfa intolerance? Tricky one. No, he isn't rugged.

He is fed Top Spec Top Chop Lite, which has some alphalfa, a small amount of Fast Fibre, plus Pro Hoof, 2 heaped 50 gm measures of linseed and a bit of spearmint on top, and he has been on this forage for about 2 years and the only difference was replacing Pro Balance with Pro Hoof, which improved his hooves. His coat is shiny, but there is still this itchy, flakey skin underneath. Puzzling.
 
Do an as fed analysis and see what is missing / what is in excess contrary to marketing hype not every product is complete for every horse and where there is an imbalance the coat and feet show it first - heed the warning.
 
maccachic said:
Do an as fed analysis and see what is missing / what is in excess contrary to marketing hype not every product is complete for every horse and where there is an imbalance the coat and feet show it first - heed the warning.
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I agree with this.

Each horse has a baseline and until you know what this is, adding a myriad of vits and mins will tip the balance of one thing but will top up something else much required.

One may be more efficient at eliminating the system, others not so and then you get an accumulation of something which may be toxic and show itself by abscessing, skin problems, behaviour etc etc.

It's difficult but I will say time and time again, test first, supplement later.

Oh and add salt. Loads of salt. Two tablespoons a day of salt or pour some loose salt in a bucket and let them self administer.
 
maccachic said:
Do an as fed analysis and see what is missing / what is in excess contrary to marketing hype not every product is complete for every horse and where there is an imbalance the coat and feet show it first - heed the warning.
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Would the OP not have seen a decline in the horses hooves as well as the coat if it is an imbalance?
 
AandK said:
Would the OP not have seen a decline in the horses hooves as well as the coat if it is an imbalance?
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Depends the hooves may still improve depending on what the issue is and may be better than they were but could still be better or whatever the imbalance maybe may not show up there yet (they can also pull stores from within bone etc to support them in a time of need which is why they are there as a short term fix), animals have such complex systems.

The cheapest most affective way is to go back to basics treat the cause not the symptom. Identifying the cause can be difficult which is why everyone looks for a quick cure to the symptom (hence the massive beast that is the calming supplement industry).

Also agree re the salt horses have a large requirement for salt due to their shear size.
 
AandK said:
Would the OP not have seen a decline in the horses hooves as well as the coat if it is an imbalance?
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Not necessarily. Both require many of the same things but also in different amounts and regulation of these macro and micro nutrients is a very complex thing.

No two horses are the same. One of requires supplementing and the other does poorly if supplemented. One has EMS and the otther does not. Guess which one needs supplements?
 
maccachic said:
Depends the hooves may still improve depending on what the issue is and may be better than they were but could still be better or whatever the imbalance maybe may not show up there yet (they can also pull stores from within bone etc to support them in a time of need which is why they are there as a short term fix), animals have such complex systems.

The cheapest most affective way is to go back to basics treat the cause not the symptom. Identifying the cause can be difficult which is why everyone looks for a quick cure to the symptom (hence the massive beast that is the calming supplement industry).

Also agree re the salt horses have a large requirement for salt due to their shear size.
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tallyho! said:
Not necessarily. Both require many of the same things but also in different amounts and regulation of these macro and micro nutrients is a very complex thing.

No two horses are the same. One of requires supplementing and the other does poorly if supplemented. One has EMS and the otther does not. Guess which one needs supplements?
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Interesting, thanks both. I saw an improvement in my horse's skin and hooves after he'd been on minerals, but as you say, no two horses are the same.
 
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