Follow the doctor's orders! Feb.3, 2012

SBS Dealer eNewsletter February 3, 2012

Follow the Doctor’s Orders!

How an unexpected root canal became a lesson in hoof care.

SBS Researchers: Dr. Rick Shakalis & Dr. John Pautienis

The day before I left to fly to the International Hoof Care Summit, I had an emergency root canal procedure at my local dentist. The root in my cuspid was badly infected and had to be drilled out. I left his office with orders to take antibiotics for two weeks. The dentist emphasized how important it was to not miss taking the medication for the duration or the infection could return.

When I got to the Summit, I attended a seminar on Anti-Fungal Optionsfor hooves. It was quite evident that most of the farriers attending the session were interested in finding a magic bullet that would kill hoof infections with one or two applications. Apparently, it is in the culture of farriers to carry the heavy weapons (harsh chemicals) for their customers and try to fix their problem in one visit.

Unfortunately, a quick fix seldom works. The farrier cannot be there daily to administer therapy that may take several weeks to show results. This reminded me of my dentist’s final comment before I left his office, “make sure you take your medication every day until the bottle is empty.” He made me responsible for treating my infection until my next scheduled appointment.

What does my root canal issue have to do with hoof care? The SBS researchers have the answer. See below:

Empower the Horse Owner!

SBS researchers came up with a novel idea for responsible hoof care professionals. Perhaps farriers could write non-medical prescriptions for handlers or horse owners who care for their horses daily. Non-medical prescriptions are only recommendations on paper, but they do stress the importance of administering treatments or topicals consistently over time until the infection is under control.

Dr. Rick and Dr. John, who have written thousands of drug prescriptions, designed an official looking non-medical prescription pad that can give credibility to farrier recommendations. “Follow the doctor’s orders.” In this case do as the farrier recommends. The non-medical prescription padsare FREE for the asking from SBS or your SBS Distributor. Supply is limited, or you can download the pdf copy and print your own.

For over 25 years SBS researchers have been developing quality hoof care products that are safe for the horse, humans, and the environment. It is important to know that repeated use of Sav-A-Hoof products or Thrush Stop will not harm healthy hoof tissue, unlike harsh chemicals that can hinder cell growth.

Non-Medical Prescription Pads (25 sheets/pad, 5.5″ x 8.5″)

Non-Medical Prescription Sheets, pdf

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Follow the doctor’s orders! Feb.3, 2012