Today was the day to do a Clean Trax soak on Mary's front feet. CleanTrax is a deep penetrating hoof cleanser used on tough hoof infections, and does not harm healthy tissue. It is a lengthy process to use this product. The horses feet need to be cleaned first (I pick them out then put the foot in a pan of water, add a couple of drops of dish detergent and scrub the foot). Once the solution is mixed, the horses foot is placed in a reinforced bag, the solution added and the bag sealed to lock in the vapors for 45 minutes!
Mary is a 26 y/o Standardbred, retired from life as a NYC carriage horse. She quietly nibbles at hay while her feet soak. I use duct tape to reinforce the seams on ziploc bags and vetwrap to seal them closed.
Once it is time to take the feet out of the solution, the next step is to place empty bags back on the feet, seal them again, for 45 minutes so the vapors can continue to penetrate the crevices of the hoof.
It is very helpful to have a horse, such as Mary, who is calm and stands nicely for the entire treatment :)
It was necesssary to clean Mary's front feet with the Clean Trax as a preparation for canker treatment that is beginning this week. Hoof Canker will be a topic for another blog entry ;)
Cindy Daigre is the founder and director of Ferrell Hollow Farm, an Equine Retirement facility in Tennessee focusing on the unique concerns of Senior and Special Needs horses. In addition, she provides Equine Nutritional Consultations, has developed a specialized line of Natural Body Care Products, Herbal Blends, Seed Mixes and has written several articles for Natural Horse Magazine. http://www.ferrellhollowfarm.net
Recent Comments