Hoof hardener, treatment, etc. anyone tried it? Active ingredient is birch bark oil. Pretty pricey. “100% all natural real medicine that helps to solve most hoof problems.”
I have some on order, if it ever arrives…
I’m assuming “birch bark oil” is going to be something along the lines of Venice Turpentine or Pine Tar?
I’ve been using it a few weeks now. My horse has good hoof wall, no thrush or white line, but he does have thinner soles and will abscess in wet weather/mud. I figured I’d start using it now before mud season to see if it would help at all. I’ve previously used venice turpentine and Keratex Hoof Hardener with possibly some improvement, but we think he’s abscessing in the heels as it always comes out there or the frog.
The Hoof Doctor product can be applied on the frog and heels unlike the others I’ve tried.
Its consistency is very thin, almost water - definitely not like venice turpentine or pine tar. It smells like campfire, as the extract is made from burning the birch.
It will be worth the $50/can if I don’t have to deal with multiple abscesses every spring and fall!
Oh, and I don’t think it qualifies as a “hoof hardener” - their ads say it makes the soles more durable or something. I actually messaged them on FB to specifically ask if it could potentially help with my horse’s abscess issue, and got a canned response about how it promotes healthy hooves through maintaining proper moisture balance. My farrier is out this coming week and I plan to ask him if he notices any difference.
I bought some a couple of months ago to use on my mare with sheared heels . I didn’t pay $50 for it, more like 36.99 and they shipped for free. I think I got it in 2 days and was quite surprised at how fast it shipped. I like what it has done so far but haven’t been consistent due to super hot weather
My current wet weather is just spraying iodine (Betadine) on the sole and frog. It knocks back any pathogens that want to get a foothold, and it dries out the sole and frog so they don’t get mushy from the wet paddock.
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It’s $49.99 in Canada 
I was just talking about this the other day with someone at the barn - spraying iodine on the heel and frog/sole. My farrier has suggested that for after-abscess care before (after the abscess has burst and we want to toughen up the foot that got soft with Animalintex soakings). I’ll ask him about this too when I see him.
I’ve been using this for 2 days so far, the only thing I can comment on is I like the way it smells.
Any updates from other ‘Hoof Doctor’ users?
I’ve always used iodine and find it works well.
I bought a second can, because this is the first fall in YEARS that my horse hasn’t abscessed in the mud. We had a very wet October so normally he would have had at least one, and probably two, by now.
I’m still brushing it on the frog and heels, occasionally the sole, daily while we have mud.
I’m on my second can over several months. I started using it as my horse gets thrush easily and it had been a pretty wet spring/summer. I would say it is helping more than other products I have used for thrush. My horse has good feet otherwise, but has a frog shape that tends towards thrush.
One of the blacksmiths at my barn was saying good things about it, so I decided to give it a go. Pretty happy with it. I use it every other day when its wet and once a week or so when things dry up.
