Tag: Dr. Ramey

OK, here's the full question –

“A couple friends and I were talking about all the horses we've trained and ridden throughout the years and comparing their characteristics and personality traits, etc. We were wondering if horses can develop mental illness similar to what humans exhibit. For example, one of my horses, many years ago, acted like he had a nervous breakdown. And my one friend described her mare as 'acting autistic.' We both had raised these horses from birth and they had never been mistreated, and had normal-acting sires and dams. Do horses experience mental illness? Have there been any studies? Or do you think all behavior problems stem from training?”

I guess that we'd first have to define terms. Otherwise stated, what does the term “mental illness” mean? In looking it up, I find this definition, in the online medical dictionary: “Any of various conditions characterized by impairment of an individual's normal cognitive, emotional, or behavioral functioning, and caused by social, psychological, biochemical, genetic, or other factors, such as infection or head trauma.”

As such, that seems to me to be a pretty broad definition. But the key phrase seems to be “impairment of an individual's normal …. functioning….” As such, in order to determine if a horse had mental illness, you'd have to know what's normal for that individual. And there's the rub.

One would presumably equate mental illness in a horse with abnormal behavior. And, the subject of horse behavior is one that has received a whole lot of study. There's a lot that goes into horse behavior, but a lot of it comes down to two things: how horses normally behave, and how they were raised. So, for example, in the wild, horses are prey animals, so they normally react quickly, and without thought, when confronted with things that seem threatening; while we may understand that a traffic cone or a flapping tree limb isn't going to eat us, to a horse, it's something strange, and something to be afraid of. You never know when that tree limb is being pushed around by a pack of wolves, I guess. And while it'd be pretty weird for a person to run off blindly if, say, they saw a piece of paper blowing across the street, that's just the way that horses are.

The way that horses are raised definitely affects behavior. So, for example, it's been shown that stalled weanlings spend significantly more time engaged in behaviors that are considered undesirable, such as licking or chewing the stall/shed wall, kicking at the stall/shed wall, pawing, and bouts of bucking and/or rearing. And, of course, they may react quite aggressively to an unpleasant stimulus, remembering, for example, that something was unpleasant for them (like a horse trailer). While some people may not be able to understand why the horse wouldn't want to climb in the trailer, and may think that it's irrational, I personally have no idea why a horse would ever consider climbing into a dark, moving box.

Certain diseases definitely cause behavior changes, as suggested in the definition of mental illness. Diseases like encephalitis or rabies can cause depression or aggression. I remember one horse that I treated that had a brain abscess – he would seem normal, then start running around blindly, and become very aggressive. (He had to, ultimately, be put to sleep.) So I guess from that standpoint, you could say – at least on some level – that the horse was mentally ill.

From a physiology standpoint, horse brains are somewhat similar to human brains in both form and function; for example, most of the same chemical neurotransmitters work in both horses and humans. So there's not any reason why horses couldn't have mental illness.

But I think that the biggest problem with answering your questions is that there's no objective way to tell if a horse might have mental illness. There aren't any cognitive tests that might help differentiate between a horse with a behavioral problem and one that is certifiable. Even some of the questions that are typically asked people wouldn't help much if you were screening a horse.

OWNER: “Doc, I'm concerned that my horse might be depressed.”

PSYCHOLOGIST, TO CLIENT: “Hmmm. Let's see. Let me ask him a few questions.”

PSYCHOLOGIST, TO HORSE: “Do you feel like eating all the time? Do you feel fearful, but you can't figure out why? Do you find it hard to focus?”

From my point of view, if the horse answered, “Yes” to any of those questions, it would mean that he was a… well, a horse.

So, bottom line is that I think it's possible, but I think that it would be really hard to tell. Some of your friends probably act crazy from time to time, too, but you accept them for who they are, or move on. I think that's probably a good idea for most horses, too!

Dr. David Ramey is a vocal advocate for the application of science to medicine, and—as such—for the welfare of the horse. Thus, he has been a frequent critic of practices that lack good science, such as the diverse therapies collectively known as “alternative” medicine, needless nutritional supplementation, or conventional therapies that lack scientific support.

This article original appeared on Dr. Ramey's website, doctorramey.com and is reprinted here with permission.

The post Ramey: Can Horses Have Mental Illness? appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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I will readily admit that I have not studied the religions and philosophies of India. Nevertheless, I find myself drawn to a quote that is attributed to Sai Baba, an Indian guru and yogi who lived in western India, and who died in 1918 (he's buried in the town of Shirdi). Sai Baba is considered as a saint by many Hindus and Muslims (you can CLICK HERE to read about him, and if you ever think that this is just a horse blog, well, now you've been thoroughly disabused of that notion). I think that the quote has much to say in its own right, but this isn't an Indian philosophy blog (CLICK HERE to see a list of Indian philosophy blogs).

Anyway, here's what he said: “Before you speak, ask yourself: Is it kind, is it necessary, is it true, does it improve upon the silence?”

I've been thinking about this quote a lot, especially as pertains to treating horses. What strikes me about it is how it succinctly sums up what I think should be the approach to the veterinary care of horses. Of course, an interest in taking care of horses is something that everyone who reads my articles probably has in common, and while there may be some disagreements in the particulars of how we may take care of them, for me, at least, I think that Sai Baba's words offer some pretty good direction, no matter what treatment is selected. See what you think.

1. Is it kind? If your horse is like, say, every other horse that I've ever seen – or person, for that matter – he'd probably prefer NOT to be bothered with some sort of medical attention. Horses would much rather be running around in a field, or munching on some hay, than they would be standing with some bandage on their leg, or having someone grinding away at their teeth. They don't think kindly of that sort of attention. Of course, it's also not kind to allow a horse to suffer, and that's why, say, cutting into a horse's abdomen for a colic surgery is kinder than letting him die of colic.

To me, “kind” implies that you should choose the treatment with the least amount of discomfort, side effects, fuss, and bother.

Of course, it's “kind” that's one of the appeals of the “natural” health movement – “natural” gets used as a synonym for “kind” or “good.” And, while the association “natural” with positive attributes is a bit silly (see, for example, rattlesnakes, or Hurricane Katrina), to be honest, I completely agree with the idea that a treatment should be as kind as possible. For example, I always preferable to use a treatment that is less invasive to one that is more invasive. Or, to take another example, I like the idea that, when treating a wound, you should never put anything on a wound that you wouldn't put in your own eye. (CLICK HERE to read about things to put on wounds).

Still, kindness only goes so far. Kindness isn't the ONLY thing that one needs to consider, when it comes to treating. In fact, if you use something to treat a horse that isn't effective, that isn't kind at all. We owe it to horses to treat them with things that are likely to be effective, and we shouldn't bother them by giving them treatments that aren't (and you shouldn't have to pay for them).

2. Is it necessary? I really can't think of any reason to give a treatment if a treatment isn't needed. I figure that if a medication, product, or service isn't needed by your horse, why bother? If it doesn't do anything, why should you pay for it?

Now there's no question that things get done to horses all the time that are both kind and not necessary for the horse's health. Blanketing comes to mind. Daily brushing. Tail extensions. Deworming again and again without seeing if your horse actually has parasites (CLICK HERE to see recommendations on internal parasite control). Trimming a horse's feet on a preset schedule, rather than as needed. Stuff that seems, on the surface, like excellent care, but isn't really needed. It could be a long list.

And, of course, there a lot of things that people do to horses that aren't necessary for the horse, but make the people feel better – brushing might fit in there, and surely checkered leg bandages – and, mostly, I'm OK with those things. I mean, why have a horse if you don't get to feel good too? But things start to change if someone's trying to sell you something. That's where the “true” comes in.

3. Is it true? If I said that people should be told the truth about the treatments that someone wants to give to their horses, would you disagree with me? I hope not. Still, truth is a funny thing. In terms of medical treatments, it's supposed to mean something like, “In accordance with fact or reality.” But when it comes to medical treatments, people mostly use the word “truth” to mean something like, “It worked for me (and that's the truth).”

Sadly – frustratingly – medicine isn't that simple. The history of medicine is littered with treatments that people swore “worked.” They were being truthful in their thoughts, even though, in the light of hindsight, it was clear that the treatment did no good – or even did harm. For example, George Washington was most likely bled to death by his doctors. At the time, bleeding was considered a standard medical treatment – it “worked” – for something like 2,000 years. So, I think that “true” has to mean something more than, “In my experience,” or, “In my opinion.”

For example, I have absolutely no doubt that almost every time when someone tells me (or writes to me angrily) that this or that “worked” for a horse, that that person is telling me a truth – their truth. But if someone else's experience has been different – if, say, the exact same product or service hasn't done anything at all – when that person says that it hasn't done anything, he or she is telling the truth, too. So it seems to me that, in the context of treatment, there's a deeper meaning of truth, and, given that this whole discussion started with a comment from Eastern philosophy, that's probably not surprising. The deeper meaning goes beyond, “It worked for my horse.” I think that we owe it to everyone – and especially the horse – to find out if what we think is so (the truth, in some sense) is actually in accordance with fact or reality.

Now that said, one of the things that really makes me steam is the fact that there's so much stuff out there in the horse world that's just not true. Here are just a few examples:

• Acupuncture isn't some historical tradition of treating animals in China
• Stem cells haven't yet been shown to do anything useful for horses
• Ribs – any bone – don't get “out of place” unless there has been serious trauma. And, when they do get knocked out of place, you can easily show that they are out of place.
• Supplements haven't been shown to do anything to improve animal health, except in certain cases where there's a deficiency of something. In fact, in human medicine, they've been shown to be mostly useless, and they can sometimes cause harm.

To find out how deep the truth of what someone is telling you runs, ask them for the basis of their, “truth.” If they just come up with stories about how their horse was helped, or how this or that should be used because it is the “latest” treatment, I'd raise an eyebrow. You don't want your horse to just be the subject of some treatment experiment that you pay for and of which no one is keeping track. That's also not necessary or kind: to anybody. The sad thing about the horse world is that there are lots of people trying to sell you something but precious few who actually work to provide good evidence that their wares actually do anything. 

4. Does it improve upon the silence? With treatments, “silence” means, “Doing nothing.” Otherwise stated, is the product or service that is given to the horse better than just doing nothing?One of the beautiful things about treating horses is that they try to heal whatever injury they have. All biological systems have mechanisms to try to repair themselves. The goal of a medical treatment is to try to do better than the horse's body would have done on its own. If all you do is run around in circles providing treatments while the horse's body takes care of the problem – and pay for the privilege of doing so – you really haven't accomplished much.

It's a simple fact that some of the treatments being given to horses today haven't been shown to do more than the horse would do on its own. They keep getting given for a variety of reasons (hope, money, good intentions, etc). Of course, if improvement is noted while the treatment is being given, then the treatment usually gets the credit, at least for a while, at least until the next newest treatment craze comes along.

I think most people promoting this or that treatment or therapy really do want to help horses. I'm a skeptic, not a cynic. But I think you should keep Sri Baba's words in mind when you consider doing something to or for your horse. If you can't answer all four questions with a resounding, “Yes,” then maybe you should think twice.

Dr. David Ramey is a vocal advocate for the application of science to medicine, and—as such—for the welfare of the horse. Thus, he has been a frequent critic of practices that lack good science, such as the diverse therapies collectively known as “alternative” medicine, needless nutritional supplementation, or conventional therapies that lack scientific support.

This article original appeared on Dr. Ramey's website, doctorramey.com and is reprinted here with permission.

The post Ramey: Before Treating Your Horse With Something, Here Are Three Important Questions To Ask appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Being a horse doctor is wonderful. Just about every day I get up, knowing that I'm going to be outside, working with what I think is one of the most wonderful creatures on the planet. So strong, so patient, so willing to trust, so willing to do the most amazing things for people, asking nothing more than a little attention and a good bit of food.

Being a horse doctor is terrible. Not a day goes by that I don't worry. I worry about if a horse is getting better. I worry about making a difficult diagnosis that a client may not want to hear. I worry that I won't get called. I worry that I will get called when I have something that I really want to do. I rarely get a full night's sleep. Sometimes it's because I get a call to go out to see a sick or injured horse. Sometimes it's because I'm worrying. My phone rings all the time — when I'm in the shower, or at the gym, at a restaurant, or even in the bathroom. I've coached young boys playing games while consoling concerned horse owners. I've spoken to concerned horse owners while on vacation, walking through the streets of foreign countries. I carry a terrible responsibility — to help horses, to help people.

Being a horse doctor is wonderful. Just about every day, I wake up knowing that I'm going to go out and help somebody, and help a horse. I like that. It feels like I'm doing something good for the world. I really love horses.

Being a horse doctor is terrible. I have to deal with the worst sides of human nature. I have a long list of people who have asked me to be there for them – to take care of their horse, to give them needed supplies, to help their mare bring a new foal into the world – and then have simply refused to pay me for the work that I've done, or for the products that I've given them. Afterwards, I'm the one who is bad-mouthed. I've seen horses given needless medications, and countless needless products and supplements, all in an effort to live up to people's expectations for them. And I've been called ugly names for not wanting to participate in the charade.

Being a horse doctor is wonderful. Just about every day, I get to see friends who I have known for years. Friends who have shared triumphs and tragedies, and with whom I have shared my own. I have become part of their lives. Friends who trust me, not just to do the right thing by their horse, but to do the right thing. Friends with whom I have shared joy and laughter, triumph and heartbreak, both in the horse world, and beyond.

Being a horse doctor is terrible. In addition to my own concerns, I become part of every client's worry about his or her horse. I share hurt and despair when bad things happen, and especially at the end. Each client has his or her personal pain. I carry a little bit of each and every one. I have seen awful accidents happen to horses, bad memories that I won't be able to forget, and that I don't want to describe. I wonder if, in some way, these are not like the emotional scars that soldiers take away from battle. Not as extreme, not as emotionally devastating, but just as real.

Being a horse doctor is wonderful. Veterinary medicine is an art, and a science. I know lots of artistic tricks that help me convince a 1,200-pound animal that I'm not going to hurt him, even when I might, just a little bit. I'm paid to be a veterinary Hercule Poirot, noticing countless details, and trying to assemble them into a diagnostic package that makes sense. Some cases are actually pretty simple, and I can take care of them quickly — with an injection, perhaps some fluids, or maybe just tincture of time. Others are more complicated, more difficult, and more frustrating, requiring time, patience, and a variety of approaches to find the right answer, if a “right” answer can be found at all. I get to help sick horses find health. I get to help worried owners relax and not worry. At the end, I can help provide comfort and understanding, and give my client's emotions a soft shoulder on which to rest.

Being a horse doctor is terrible. I am constantly told that I am wrong. Everyone's an expert, it seems. I'm accused of not being open-minded, that I only like drugs and surgery, that I can't do this or that (even when I can), and that I don't care about the “whole” horse. I'm told that I'm wrong by “dentists,” and farriers, and “chiropractors,” and any number of “therapists.” And when it turns out that I was right after all, no one remembers. I often feel crushed by the stupidity of some of the things that people are told, and by the lies and weasel words that are used to get people to spend seemingly limitless dollars on needless products and services. I hate seeing people waste time and money on needless things, time and money that they should be using to enjoy their horse.

Being a horse doctor is wonderful. Experience has brought a good deal of wisdom, and tempered some of the arrogance that first came with being a “doctor.” I understand more about the limits of what I can and cannot do. I understand the limits of my profession. I accept myself for who I am – I accept others for who they are. I have made many deep connections: it's the most important thing in my professional life. I help horses, and I help the people who own and take care of them.

Being a horse doctor is terrible. I have made countless decisions that affect the lives of other people, and their horses. Happily, almost all of them have turned out well. But not all. Sometimes it's not possible. Sometimes bad things happen, no matter how much you know, how well you work, how perfectly you do your job. I remember the battles that I've lost, and the people that I've lost them with. Soon, there will be another battle to fight, and I will fight it as hard as I can, replacing some of the old memories with new ones. Again and again.

Being a horse doctor is wonderful. I live comfortably, but not extravagantly. I can go out to a nice restaurant every once in a while. As a veterinarian, I still get a little respect. There seems to always be something to do. My days aren't boring, and in between my work, I get to play some: on the golf course, in magic sessions – isn't horse medicine just another kind of magic? – with friends, with family.

Being a horse doctor is terrible. Paperwork is a constant part of my life. There are insurance forms. Health certificates. Lab forms. Over and over again. I sign lots of papers every month, and I'm not always sure what my signature really means. It takes lots of time, and some people don't think that's worth anything at all. I know, because that's what they tell me. My time isn't worth anything to them. It's terrible, being told you're worthless.

Being a horse doctor is wonderful. I wouldn't have chosen any other profession. No matter how terrible it can be sometimes.

Dr. David Ramey is a vocal advocate for the application of science to medicine, and—as such—for the welfare of the horse. Thus, he has been a frequent critic of practices that lack good science, such as the diverse therapies collectively known as “alternative” medicine, needless nutritional supplementation, or conventional therapies that lack scientific support.

This article original appeared on Dr. Ramey's website, doctorramey.com and is reprinted here with permission.

The post Ramey: Being An Equine Vet Is Wonderful; Being An Equine Vet Is Terrible appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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One question that seems to come up fairly often during the course of my practice is, “Which hoof dressing do you recommend?”  I wish I had a good answer to that. It's a hard question to answer anyway. A Google search of “Horse hoof dressing” shows 21 pictures of products on the first page, and a total of 10 pages of options, so it appears that it'd be kind of hard to try all of them over the mere course of a human lifetime.

But if it's a given that many horses don't have good quality hooves – you know, brittle, shelly, cracking, thin walls, and such – and that there are almost as many hoof dressing products as there are stars and that horse owners understandably want to make sure that their horses' hooves are in the best shape possible, I thought it might be fun to try to sort through the surprisingly sparse literature pertaining to hoof dressings and see if we could come up with a least a couple of reasonable conclusions.

BEFORE WE GET STARTED:  I won't be recommending any specific product.  If you have a favorite, I'd suggest you keep using it, at least use it until another product becomes your favorite product.

Let's start with a basic question.

WHAT IS HOOF?

Before you can do anything to something, you have to understand what the something is, right? There have been a good number of microscopic studies of the horse's hoof. They're very interesting and all – here's a fairly recent one if you're really interested in such things.

Hoof is basically the same sort of tissue (a protein called keratin) as are the outer layers of your skin, and particularly your fingernail or toenail. It's quite different from human nails, however, in that the tissue of the horse's hoof is arranged in both layers and tubes – human nails are more of a plate. The unique structure of the horse's hoof allows the horse to support his tremendous weight, which, of course, is not part of the function of your nails. The tubular structures of the horse are thought to have the main mechanical role in allowing the horse to trot, canter, piaffe, gallop, and walk (and rack and any other gait you want to add, as well). Oh, hooves give the horse something to stand on, too.

That's all well and good, but the biggest thing that you have to understand about hoof tissue – insofar as hoof dressings go – is that it's dead. Now I don't know what sort of luck you've ever had resurrecting dead things, but mine has been pretty dismal. Still, that's a pretty important fact to keep in mind when it comes to evaluating the claims made for various hoof dressings. You can't make dead come back to life. But you still may be able to do something.  Emphasis on the “may.”

WHAT'S IN A HOOF DRESSING?

A lot, depending on the dressing. But, fundamentally, not all that much. Hoof dressings generally contain one of three things, with a bunch of other stuff tossed in to appeal to… someone. That said, you can be pretty sure that any hoof dressing will contain one of three things:

1. Petroleum oil derivatives – These might include neatsfoot and/or cod liver oil, pine tar (think: “sticky”), petroleum compounds, and/or turpentine. Vaseline® is petroleum based. I once had a client that painted his top show hunter's horses hooves with used motor oil (I'm not recommending this, however, as far as I could tell, the horses did fine).
2. Lanolin-based products – Lanolin is a wax secreted by wool-bearing animals. Some wags call it “sheep grease.”  Lanolin products aren't oily – they're more like hand lotion. Lanolin-based products have things in them such as lanolin (hence, the name), lactates, stearates, alcohols, and glycerin.
3. Drying agent – Hoof dressings with drying agents in them are made with ingredients such as acetone, which is a primary ingredient in nail polish remover. In my experience, most people don't use drying agents routinely on their horses' hooves, probably because most people don't think that trying to dry out a horse's hoof is a good idea (and it's probably not).

WHAT IS A HOOF DRESSING SUPPOSED TO DO?

Well, let's see …  all you have to do is read the labels!  Critically, of course.

“…. retards split hooves and quarter cracks. Helps create healthy feet with regular use. Shines up hooves.”

A QUESTION:  Have you ever called your veterinarian because of concerns about the shininess of your horse's hooves?  I think it would be sort of like going to the mechanic because your car is dirty.

“…. helps prevent brittle, cracked hoof walls. This effective, long-term hoof conditioner that allows hooves to breathe.”

AN OBSERVATION:  Breathing through the skin (cutaneous respiration) occurs in a surprising number of organisms, including some insects, amphibians, fish, sea snakes, mudskippers, and turtles. Hooves, as previously noted, are dead. They don't breathe.

“Maintains optimum hoof condition and aids re-structuring & growth of the hoof. Application by hand stimulates keratin producing cells.”

YOU CAN'T USE A BRUSH?  Keratin-producing cells are in the horse's coronary band, not the hoof. Just sayin'.

“With daily use, XXX promotes growth of the outer aspect of the hoof, giving new hoof growth extra time to form without being exposed to harsh elements.”

NOW WAIT A SECOND: Hoof growth occurs at a fairly steady rate from the horse's coronary band, “elements” notwithstanding. And what about the “inner” aspect?

“,,,provides intense hydration for the hooves. The butyrospermum and fatty acids in its formula have very potent nourishing qualities. This action is further boosted by helianthus annuus seed oil, which provides emollient, nourishing, and renewing properties and and provides hooves with the ingredients they need to allow them to renew fully.”

THAT DEAD THING:  Renewing and renourishing probably work best when the target tissue isn't already dead. If you didn't know (I didn't), butyrospermum is a vegetable oil sold as shea butter and helianthus annuus seed oil is plain old sunflower seed oil, most commonly used to fry foods. Why can't we just say that?

“…the first hoof formula to include hyaluronic acid (HA) and MSM.”

OH DEAR: Adding extra stuff to something that you put on dead tissue still doesn't fix the underlying dead problem.

I could go on.  But I think you see the point. Lots of stuff on hoof dressing labels sounds good. But the key question is, “Do they do any good?”

HOW IS A HOOF DRESSING SUPPOSED TO DO WHAT IT IS SUPPOSED TO DO?

Hoof tissue is affected by the moisture content of the ground on which it walks (… trots, or canters). That's even been demonstrated in good scientific studies, but maybe not as much as you think. It's mostly the shape of the hoof that's affected by the ground. In wild Australian horses, the hardness of the ground and the distance horses have to travel have an effect on the shape of the foot. Harder ground and longer travel distances are associated with short hoof walls and minimal hoof wall flaring. Softer ground and moderate travel distances are associated with long flared walls, similar to that of typical untrimmed feet of domestic horses.  Hoof shape is also affected by exercise. It's also affected by genetics.

TAKEAWAY NUMBER ONE – Hoof dressings are not going to change the shape of your horse's feet.

As important as the ground is, the curious thing is that the ground itself doesn't seem to have much to do with the amount of moisture in the hoof wall. Whether horses live in wet or dry environments, their hooves seem to have about the same amount of moisture.

TAKEAWAY NUMBER TWO:  You're not going to do much to change the amount of moisture in your horse's hooves.

“But what about if you soak it in water?” you say (having been told to do this by many authority figures, but not necessarily how to get your horse to cooperate).

Hoof acts very much like your skin when you soak either one in the water. When left in a bathtub for a while – presumably with you in it – your skin gets all wrinkly from absorbing water into the outer layers. When it dries, all of the water evaporates.  Scientific American did a great, quick article about what happens with water and your skin:  it's a pretty directly comparable to what goes on in hoof.

ANY BOTTOM LINES?

Well, yes, actually.

About the only thing that a hoof dressing can realistically do is affect the rate of moisture loss from the dead hoof tissue.  And, in one study, done in the 1990's, and presented to the American Association of Equine Practitioners, petroleum-based hoof dressings ointments slowed evaporation more than lanolin-based dressings. So, you can look for that, but how important it is, is really anyone's guess.

Under any circumstances, since hoof is dead, putting stuff like MSM, or vitamins, or hyaluronic acid into hoof ointments really doesn't make a lot of sense. It might make someone some extra money, but it doesn't make a lot of sense.

Even so, if you think that your horse's feet have some sort of a problem that makes you want to run out and invest in a particular hoof dressing, you might want to consider looking elsewhere, for things such as a problem with diet, an inappropriate shoeing schedule, genetics (which you can't fix), excessive toe length, or exercise frequency and intensity. Otherwise stated, if you think your horse has the kind of foot that has a problem that a hoof dressing can fix, it's likely that something else is going on.

Lastly, if you think you've found a hoof dressing that solves all of your horse's hoof problems, stick with it. I would never try to convince you otherwise. I haven't found a cure-all yet. But it's only been 37 years since I started practicing and I still haven't gotten to most of the available products.

Dr. David Ramey is a vocal advocate for the application of science to medicine, and—as such—for the welfare of the horse. Thus, he has been a frequent critic of practices that lack good science, such as the diverse therapies collectively known as “alternative” medicine, needless nutritional supplementation, or conventional therapies that lack scientific support.

This article original appeared on Dr. Ramey's website, doctorramey.com and is reprinted here with permission.

The post Ramey: What Do All Those Hoof Dressings Actually Do, Anyway? appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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