Page 87 - Speedhorse May 2019

ESPOM SALT HELPS WITH ABSCESSES AND SOLE WOUND PUNTURES
For hoof abscesses, many horsemen rely on the tried-and-true poultice of Epsom salt, vinegar, and clay.
HOOF CARE
Puncture wounds to the foot are prime sites for infection because the penetrating item carries bacteria deep into the soft tissue. In the aftermath of flooding in Louisiana, veteran Baton Rouge farrier Dick Fanguy said he often found horses with punctured soles from debris. This type of hoof wound became his priority because of the danger from pollution in the
f loodwater.
For each foot he tended, Fanguy disinfected the wound with a surgical scrub, debrided it, packed it with a mixture of Epsom salt and povidone iodine (Betadine), and wrapped the foot. Epsom salt draws out the infection and soreness, and povidone iodine acts as an anti- septic to kill the pathogens.
Many commercial hoof products are designed to dry out abscesses, but veteran horsemen usually rely on the tried-and-true poultice of Epsom salt, vinegar, and clay.
An abscess often starts as a bruise that causes a hematoma (blood pocket) that creates inflam- mation and damage of the sensitive tissue.
“You might have to open it up to drain
it and relieve the pressure,” top farrier Steve Norman said. “Then you go through a process of soaking everything out and then the process of drying it out.”
Dr. Scott Morrison, head of the podiatry department at Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital in Lexington, treats superficial foot infections by soaking the foot in an Epsom salt bath. This can be done using a shallow feed tub filled
with enough warm water to cover the hoof to the coronet band. Add a generous amount of Epsom salt until it stops dissolving in the water. Stand the horse in the solution for 10-20 min- utes, then remove the foot from the Epsom salt bath, dry it off, pack the hoof with a drawing poultice, and wrap it.
A poultice of clay and Epsom salt or a pack- ing of Animalintex can be used for two-to-four days to relieve the soreness.
For sole puncture wounds, which are prime sites for infection, a good solution is to disinfect the wound with a surgical scrub, debride it, pack it with a mixture of Epsom salt and povidone iodine (Betadine), and wrap the foot. Epsom salt draws out the infection and soreness, and povidone iodine acts as an antiseptic to kill the pathogens.
LEG CARE
Epsom salt used as a leg poultice under
a bandage draws out fluid (swelling) and soreness and relieves tightness. Although no one has tested it scientifically, swelling goes down if an Epsom salt poultice is applied. Whether it’s the pressure from the bandage or the action of the Epsom salt is unknown. Standing a horse’s lower leg in an Epsom salt bath also provides relief.
A common belief is that magnesium in Epsom salt used topically can be absorbed through the skin to benefit the body. Humans suspected of a magnesium deficiency are advised to soak in an Epsom salt bath.
“There is no way to absorb it through the skin. It is picked up in the [gastrointestinal] tract through a specific pathway,” Worth said. “There is no scientific proof of that at all. It’s an old wives’ tale, I think. Magnesium would have to be fat-soluble to get into the skin, and magnesium is not fat-soluble. I’m not going to say it doesn’t, but I can’t see how. If someone produces a scientific study, I’ll believe it.”
EPSOM SALT FOR HEADSHAKERS
Dr. John Madigan has been investigating headshaking in horses since 1991 at the University of California-Davis. He and his team at the head- shaking laboratory found intravenous adminis- tration of a special 50% solution of Epsom salt obtained a significant reduction in headshaking for horses whose headshaking is caused by the trigeminal nerve in the horse’s head.
The study published in January holds that trigeminal-mediated headshaking results from low-threshold firing of the trigeminal nerve resulting in apparent facial pain. The research- ers wrote: “Magnesium may have neuroprotec- tive effects on nerve firing that potentially dampen signs of neuropathic pain.”
HEADSHAKING
A recent study showed that some headshaking
in horses may be caused by low-threshold firing
of the trigeminal nerve in the horse’s head that results in apparent facial pain. Researchers stated that, “Magnesium may have neuroprotective effects on nerve firing that potentially dampen signs of neuropathic pain.”
EPSOM SALTS IN THE BATH
Superficial hoof infections can be treated by filling
a shallow tub with warm water to the coronet band, dissolving Epsom salts in the bath, and standing the horse in the solution for 10-20 minutes. Dry the hoof, pack it with a drawing poultice and then wrap it.
For more information,
visit Madigan’s website
www.headshakerinfo.org. photo by Emily Blankenship, Speedhorse