Hoof Products: Product Q&A

 Biotin Hoof Blast   |    Equine Hoof Guard     |     Hoof & Hair Guard 

▼ANALYSIS OF BIOTIN HOOF BLAST

Customer: “I was wondering if you had a more complete nutritional breakdown for the Biotin Hoof Blast product?”   
Answer by Ph.D. Equine Nutritionist, Kelsey Johnson Nonella: Biotin Hoof Blast is strictly extruded soybeans, d-biotin, dl Methionine, Zinc Protinate, and Methylsufonylmethane. We don’t add anything else to it. The extruded soybeans are 35% crude protein and 15% crude fat. However, with only being fed at 2 ounces a day it has very little effect of the total amount of protein and fat in the horse’s total diet.

◄NO LYSINE IN HOOF SUPPLEMENT?

Customer: “My farrier wants me to use a hoof supplement for my 12-year-old Andalusian gelding because his hoof walls are “thin.” I am already using Horse Guard, Hylasport OTC which is a joint supplement with MSM, HA, glucosamine and chondroitin; Quiessance, and alfalfa pellets in addition to grass hay. My readings indicate that in addition to biotin, zinc, and methionine for hoof health, lysine is needed. I see that your hoof products do not contain lysine. Please advise. Thank you very much.”   
 Answer from Ph.D. Equine Nutritionist, Dr. Kelsey Johnson Nonella: Thank you for your question. Lysine is the first limiting amino acid for horses. This can be a problem in horses fed diets that provide low quality protein. However, horse-quality hay usually provides high-quality protein. Your horse, especially receiving alfalfa pellets, is getting enough lysine. For ease in feeding, you may consider switching your Andalusian to Trifecta. In a daily dose, it will not only provide him with Horse Guard, but also a joint supplement(5000 mg of MSM, 5000 mg of Glucosamine, and 100 mg of HA), a hoof & hair supplement (32 mg of Biotin, 400 mg of Zinc and 5000 mg of Methionine), and a probiotic, prebiotic and live yeast supplement (2 million beneficial bacteria and 5 billion live yeast). If you like your current feeding program and would just like to add a hoof supplement. You have two choices. A daily dose of Equine Hoof Guard provides your horse with 32 mg of Biotin, 2500 mg of MSM, 2500 mg of Methionine, and 150 mg of Zinc. If your horse’s feet are really bad (which it doesn’t sound like is the case) you could feed Biotin Hoof Blast which provides 100 mg of biotin along with the same amounts of MSM, Methionine, and Zinc. I hope this helps.

◄BIOTIN HOOF BLAST ALONG WITH TRIFECTA

Customer: “I just started with trifecta. Should I stop the biotin blast in combinations with the trifecta?”   
 Answer by Ph.D. Equine Nutritionist, Kelsey Johnson Nonella: Although, Trifecta has a complete hoof supplement contained in it, if your horse has really bad feet you are perfectly fine to keep feeding the Biotin Hoof Blast with Trifecta. Combining the two will do no harm to your horse’s health. If your horse’s feet just have a tendency to be brittle and not up to your expectations, you probably are ok just feeding Trifecta.

◄FEEDING HORSE GUARD AND BIOTIN HOOF BLAST

Customer: “Is it ok to feed horse guard and biotin hoof blast together on a long term basis? Thank you!”    
Answer by Ph.D. Equine Nutritionist, Kelsey Johnson Nonella: Yes, it is perfectly fine to feed Horse Guard and Biotin Hoof Blast together on a long term basis.

▼HELPING STRENGTHEN MY HORSE’S HOOVES

Customer:“Hi there, two 900lb. horses – one with great feet, but will soon be turned out into a rocky paddock area daily, other horse has thin-walled hooves/sensitivity (might not put her in paddock due to this). Both have been on Horse Guard w/ grass hay min. 5 years. Friend says give Hoof & Hair also. Seems like too much biotin & other things. Can you advise?”
Answer by Ph.D. Equine Nutritionist, Kelsey Johnson Nonella:You have a couple of options. Hoof & Hair Guard is a great product to pair with Horse Guard, and you don’t need to worry about too much biotin and other nutrients. It will help your horse’s hooves and hair grow and look amazing. However, I would recommend Horse Guard and Hoof Guard. It has 32 mg of biotin, zinc, methionine, and MSM (important to help build structural protein in the hoof). Hoof Guard will help strengthen your horses’ feet, especially the one with thin walls. Horse Guard and Hoof Guard are a perfect combination, and should really help your horses’ feet, and prevent cracks from traveling up into the new hoof growth. Which would be good for your horse that you will be turning out. It is important to remember that feeding a hoof supplement won’t change the hoof that already exists, but it will build a stronger new hoof. So, as your horses’ feet grow the new material will be more resistant to cracks. The complete replacement of the hoof will take around 9-12 months.

◄SHELF LIFE OF HOOF GUARD

Customer: “How long is Hoof Guard good after opening? Are the soybeans cooked? How long is soy oil stable, does it go rancid?”
Answer by Ph.D. Equine Nutritionist, Kelsey Johnson Nonella: Hoof Guard has a two-year shelf life. The soybeans are cooked and then extruded, making the product fairly stable. The biotin, zinc, methioinine, and MSM is formulated to withstand a shelf life of two years. The bag that Hoof Guard comes in is resealable, reducing oxidation. However, if the product is store in an area where temperature can get very hot the oil can go rancid.

◄HOOF GUARD FOR MY MINI

Customer: “I have a 300lb miniature horse. Ferrier suggested I try hoof guard to help him grow more hoof. Is this safe for mini’s? And what would the dosage be?”
Answer by Ph.D. Equine Nutritionist, Kelsey Johnson Nonella: Hoof guard would be great for your mini. Dosage for 1000 lb horse is 2 oz, so you would want to your 300 lb mini 1/3 of a scoop. Good luck! It is an amazing product.

◄WHERE CAN I GET EQUINE HOOF GUARD IN AZ?

Customer: “I live in Prescott, AZ. Where can I find your hoof guard, and how good is it for my horse’s hooves?”
Answer by Ph.D. Equine Nutritionist, Kelsey Johnson Nonella: You can get Equine Hoof Guard at your local Cal-Ranch store. If they don’t have it in stock they can order it for you or you can order online and we will ship it directly to you. Equine Hoof Guard would be great your horse’s hooves. It has 32 mg of biotin per 2 oz dose, which is more one of the most powerful doses on the market. In addition, the product has Zinc, methionine, and MSM. It is the only hoof supplement that contains MSM which is important for building structural proteins.

◄DO I NEED TO FEED HORSE GUARD WITH HOOF GUARD?

Customer: “I currently have my horses on Horse Guard – looking to improve hoof heel on one of them so going to put him on your Hoof Guard product – do I still need to keep them on the Horse Guard also?”
Answer by Ph.D. Equine Nutritionist, Kelsey Johnson Nonella: To ensure your horse is getting adequate amounts of all his vitamins and minerals keep him on Horse Guard, as Hoof Guard is only a specific needs product and doesn’t contain a complete vitamin and mineral package. For convenience in feeding you may consider switching to Mega-Dose which contains a complete vitamin and mineral supplement, hoof supplement, and a gut supplement in a 4 oz. dose.

▼FEEDING HOOF SUPPLEMENTS AND HORSE GUARD TOGETHER?

Customer: “I am already feeding horse guard and hoof and hair guard. i am just wondering about starting on the joint guard in addition to these. but i am wondering if they will get too much of something if i add this supplement can you give me some advice?”
Answer by Ph.D. Equine Nutritionist, Kelsey Johnson Nonella: Great to hear you are taking great care of your horse. You are perfectly fine to feed a joint supplement in addition to Horse Guard and Hoof and Hair Guard. However, you may consider replacing Horse Guard, Hoof and Hair Guard, and an additional joint supplement with Trifecta. Trifecta not only has a full dose of Horse Guard; it has a hoof supplement (32 mg of biotin, zinc, methionine, and MSM), gut support (prebiotics, probiotics, and live yeast cultures), and powerful joint supplement (5000 mg glucosamine, 5000 mg MSM, and 100 mg hyaluronic acid). Trifecta is an amazing product that helps to simplify feeding. In 2 scoops (8 oz) a day to a 1000 lb horse, your horse gets all of this support. We have fifteen head of performance horses ourselves that all receive Trifecta and do absolutely amazing on it.