Biotin

[No_Angel]

Anyone use Biotin?

I am thinking of getting some for my tb girls, they frankly have quite awful feet and I have struggled with them for 2 years without any supplements and so have decided to have a go with the supplements so see if they do anything.
Maddie has been on magnesium for a while and it doesn't seem to be having the same effect it has on Ceryn, so was thinking of trying some Biotin.

Any experiences with Biotin welcome:)

[slimjim]

i use biotin with my tb and her feet are now better than ever

[Yann]

Not straight Biotin but I've been feeding Equimins Hoof Mender to my two for the last few months and it does seem to be making a difference, proof will be in the pudding when the new growth reaches the ground and the spring grass starts but looking worthwhile so far. Biotin on its own isn't much good apparently, it's important to feed it alongside various other compounds.

[teach1]

my horse is on feedmark hardy hoof, and he went through a few months without any early last year, and a few months down the line there was a marked difference, he could not keep a shoe on! We tried biotin, but remember thats just one element which is for making the hooves hard, which means they are less likely to nreak up, but can also be harder for the farrier to work with, whereas a supplement like hardy hoof, contain a range of ingredients put together to improve the overall quality of the feet, not just the toughness (if that makes sense!) I rate this supplement.

[No_Angel]

thanks everyone:)

I will have a look into Equimins Hoof Mender. I have seen some stuff one ebay called barefoot Biotin, anyone tried it?

[capalldubh]

I have seen some stuff one ebay called barefoot Biotin, anyone tried it?

Is that the one from the lady who sells magnesium as well on eBay? I tried it for a while but it was working out more expensive than the Naf - you can get refill bags for the Naf Biotin which makes it work out quite cheap, and it has zinc and methionine added which are important to make sure the biotin works.

I've ended up with the Hoofmender now (though tried the Equimins Biotin first - goodness, it smells delicious, like banoffee pudding :D). Jackson has been on biotin, magnesium and salt for a year. I'm coming to the conclusion that he has somehow inherited "TB feet" - they just don't seem to get better, despite low sugar diet and good turnout :( But I will say in defence of the biotin that they have good thick wall, very little flare and a nice tight white line. They are just not as concave as they could be, have a nasty sand crack that won't go away, and have had 3 abscesses since Christmas...

So there's things the biotin seems to help, and things it doesn't...

[No_Angel]

Yes thats the one, I need some more magnesium for Ceryn so was wondering if I should order some, but can get the naf biotin from the tack shops around here.

Maddie has flared feet and they are constantly cracking,all the way up the hoof. They just don't seem to be changing, she also has flat feet. this is her fronts, the backs are actually quite nice.

Ambers are also flat, and flared,but hers only seem to crack at the bottom of the hoof. Her feet have always cracked, even when she was shod.

[capalldubh]

You can get a good deal with the eBay shop if you get delivery of a few items, I think - I seem to remember doing this and the lady was very helpful. That would make the total price more attractive.

[Yann]

Constant flare and flat soles sound like diet combined with less than brilliant feet. Tess's feet flare if she gets too much spring grass and presumably sugars in her diet, so far they've improved dramatically each winter. I'm hoping using the Hoofmender and tighter management will stop them backsliding so much this coming spring.

You might also need to consider whether your trimming is proactive enough where the flares are concerned, it's a fine balance but if you consistently don't take enough then what's left will just perpetuate the situation.

[MelanieD]

Flarey flat feet are quite likely to be related to diet. You might get better results reducing access to grass or anything else sugary (what are they fed now?) than from adding more stuff. Having said that though Hoofmender has high doses of biotin and is meant to help with LGL, haven't tried it myself. If the feet are a bit weak and already flared then pressure on the flare can keep growing more flare so trim needs to be good as well as diet to grow it out.

Another thing to look at if they're on a generally good diet and cracking is still not improving is infection in the hoof wall. Jay her persistent weak cracked and nasty outer wall despite shape improving and no sign of black ming anywhere, but treating the wall with Hoof & Sole to kill off any infection has been a bigger help than diet changes with the cracks. Soaking in something like cleantrax is better but I didn't fancy my chances of getting impatient yearling to stand still long enough :)

[No_Angel]

They are both fed Chaff and sugarbeet. one of them is on pink powder. They get haylage. One is in at nights, the other is out 24/7.

They are both poor doers, and this summer the one out 24/7 seemed to be getting straighter growth at the top of the hoof.

[clydesdalelover]

My friends TB had awful feet when he arrived and she used special expensive feed stuffs ( don't ask me what!) which sorted them out in 8 weeks, and now using biotin has kept the condition on without any more trouble.