An Effective Canker Treatment – Papaya’s & Platform’s Story
Here at Day, Son & Hewitt, we love to hear your feedback and success stories. We received this story from Mai Crafack Dinesen of Denmark whose horse, Papaya, had severe canker. She decided to trail Platform® as a canker treatment. Her story is below:
Papaya – Fed Platform®
On the 9th July the vet found canker in the left front hoof. They operated for the first time on the 13th July, but several further operations were then necessary. As the picture shows they had to cut almost half of the hoof away and I was told it would take at least 6 months for the hoof to grow out. (more…)
The Importance of Biotin in the Equine Diet
The hoof is put under a lot of different stresses and strains throughout a horse’s life. One major influencing factor on hoof health is the environment. Each year, as we swing between a warm, dry summer to a wet, cold winter, the hooves are likely to suffer.
Over winter, the cold, wet conditions are not the only thing putting strain on the hooves. During winter, the forage we give to our horses is a lot less nutritious than that given during summer and spring, because of this, horses can start to become deficient in key vitamins and minerals – especially if their feed is not balanced.
It is not just nutrition and environment that affect hoof health, other influencing factors include; poor conformation, horses being kept without shoes and horses with a predisposition to hoof problems. All these factors put extra stresses and strains on the hooves and can lead to cracks and damage.
Unfortunately, we can’t change the weather, or a horse’s genetics, but we can change their diet. This is why one of the best ways to deal with those troublesome crumbly hooves is to make sure your horse gets the nutritional essentials from their diet – if not, supplement! (more…)
What are the Main Causes of Respiratory Diseases in Horses?
Bacterial and Viral Infections
The two most serious diseases that fall into this category are equine influenza (viral) and Strangles (bacterial). The nature of bacteria and viruses means that these diseases are highly infectious and can spread very rapidly between horses. It is therefore critical that they are recognised and treated early.
Foals and young growing animals are very susceptible to infectious respiratory conditions so it is essential to monitor them closely and to contact your vet at the first sign of a problem. (more…)