formaldehyde???

[Rebmik]

My farrier recommended putting formaldehyde on my horse's hoof that is cracking. (Flies, wet mornings, dry afternoons,etc have caused...hooves other times of the year are in great shape)
I've had very respectable farriers recommend this in the past, however I've recently heard people "flipping out" at the suggestion of putting formaldehdye on hooves.
Any input? pros/cons

[chancellor2]

Formaldehyde at room temperature is a gas so what you would be using on your horse's hooves is 10% formalin which is 90% water btw.

I have used it to toughen and harden the soles especially mixed with betadine. It also works great on thrush.
That said, I'm not sure where you would easily obtain formalin unless you work in the healthcare industry (where it is used as a tissue fixative).

[pj]

It's in a mix that my vet makes up for white line disease, the mix works wonderfully but I really wouldn't use it for anything else that I can think of.
There has to be better, safer options.

[trubandloki]

Isn't that one of the main ingredients in Keratex hoof hardener?

[stryder]

My vet concocts "blue goo" of several ingredients, including formaldehyde. We apply it 2-3 times a week in the wet season to dry and harden soles, kill bacteria that can cause abscesses.

It smells and it burns like crazy if you get even a speck in your eye. Now I use safety goggles to apply. But people swear by it.

[chancellor2]

10% formalin is a suspected carcinogen btw. I used it for years working in histology and never had a problem with it. However, the stuff is nasty. I like it as a hoof hardener though.

[talloaks]

Isn't that one of the main ingredients in Keratex hoof hardener?


I think you are right!!

[wildlifer]

Formaldehyde/formalin is a very potent carcinogen that is transported through the skin. I have no idea why this would recommended for use on horses -- we use it only when we have to to preserve animal specimens, then once they are cured, switch them to alcohol so the hazard of formalin handling is removed.

There are many good products out there, I would avoid such a toxic one. Strengthening a hoof comes from the inside out.

[chancellor2]

Formaldehyde/formalin is a very potent carcinogen that is transported through the skin. I have no idea why this would recommended for use on horses -- we use it only when we have to to preserve animal specimens, then once they are cured, switch them to alcohol so the hazard of formalin handling is removed.

There are many good products out there, I would avoid such a toxic one. Strengthening a hoof comes from the inside out.

It is a POTENTIAL carcinogen NOT a potent carcinogen. It is not transported across skin.

[wildlifer]

I guess for me potential and potent are one in the same in my mind when it comes to carcinogens so it came out in the typing that way, my mistake! It's also why I don't use Furazone -- options are many and I opt for less toxic unless I have no other choices.

I suppose I should have been more specific on skin contact -- it will cause irritation (that I can attest to) as well as sensitization of skin. This then causes the user to become more and more suscpetible to developing stronger and stronger reactions to the chemical being used through contact and absorption over time.

[chancellor2]

Potential and potent are one in the same to you? Interesting...
And formaldehyde/formalin does not necessarily cause increasing skin sensitivity. Yes, it can cause sensitivity but that does not mean it is transported across the skin.

[Tom Stovall]

wildlifer in gray

Formaldehyde/formalin is a very potent carcinogen that is transported through the skin.

Formaldehyde is a suspected/probable carcinogen that can penetrate intact skin to some degree depending on concentration, length of exposure, liquid or vapor, and whose report one reads. The MSDS for formaldehyde and substances containing formaldehyde ain't pretty.

I have no idea why this would recommended for use on horses -- we use it only when we have to to preserve animal specimens, then once they are cured, switch them to alcohol so the hazard of formalin handling is removed.

Formaldehyde, glutaraldehyde, tannic acid, and similar substances are hazardous when misused! Used correctly, they DO NOT affect tissue with ongoing life processes, do not pose any particular threat to either the horse or the user, and are extremely effective for their intended purpose.

There are many good products out there, I would avoid such a toxic one.

While it's certainly true that there are many products out there, the ONLY demonstrably effective products contain aldehydes. Aldehydes form crosslinks with proteins at the molecular level which strengthen tissue structure and preserve morphology - which is the reason formaldehyde is often used to preserve biological specimens.

Strengthening a hoof comes from the inside out.

The timely strengthening of the solar surface of the hoof at the molecular level through the action of topicals containing formaldehyde is readily demonstrable.

[cloudyandcallie]

I wouldn't mix your own or use "full strength" (whatever that is).

I am currently using crossapol per my farrier's recommendation. Cheaper by the case ($10 off each bottle for case of 12).

[NeverTime]

Yes, it is one of the main ingredients in Keratex Hoof Hardener; THE active ingredient, I think.
To my unscientific mind, it makes perfect sense: Formaldehyde perserves dead things, the grown-out hoof wall is dead, so it preserves it. Right?

[Peggy]

MSDS for formalin (formaldehyde with methanol and water):
http://www.jtbaker.com/msds/englishhtml/F5522.htm

[trubandloki]

The MSDS for most anything are scary if you actually read them. :yes:

[hoopoe]

yes don't read the MSDS for water

Keratex is an excellent product and like most chemicals, when used properly it is safe. It works by keeping the good quality moisture and growing environment inside the hoof where it belongs.

MSDS are written for the people having intense large scale exposure to a product/ chemical.

[lindsay_aggie]

The vet that I used to work for made what we called "sole paint" to toughen hooves. It was equal parts formaldehyde, propylene glycol, and iodine tincture. It works great to toughen soles and will kill any thrush as well. Just WEAR GLOVES because it is nasty stuff to get on you, don't inhale it, and wear clothing that you do not like when using it.

[BornToRide]

Would not use this stuff on any living creature. Already learned in school (biology)to avoid it because it is a very unhealthy substance. There are other less toxic itms that work just as well.

[pj]

The vet that I used to work for made what we called "sole paint" to toughen hooves. It was equal parts formaldehyde, propylene glycol, and iodine tincture. It works great to toughen soles and will kill any thrush as well. Just WEAR GLOVES because it is nasty stuff to get on you, don't inhale it, and wear clothing that you do not like when using it.

That's IT!! The stuff that will knock wl disease right in the head!
I would not use it for anything else but after fighting wl for two years I was glad to try it for that and it WORKED!

[KrazyTBMare]

What about formocresol? It is formaldehyde and cresol. It is used on primary teeth to perform a pulpotomy, which kills the nerve in baby teeth - aka baby root canal. I have it readily available at work. Of course I was considering chlorohexadine as well as its an antimicrobial.... any thoughts?

[Helicon]

Born to Ride and Wildlifer have indicated that there are better, safer products available.

Which hoof hardener products would you recommend that do not contain formaldehyde? I have used Keratex in the past, but I would prefer to use something safer.

[katarine]

I use it and other things like furacin and use gloves with it. My lifespan is likely 70+ yrs, ample time to be affected by carcinogens in hoof hardeners and furacin. My horses, no matter what I do, aren't going to make it past 40 in a bet.

It's the lifespan that means furacin, keratex, etc is fine for horses, not so much on peeps.

[rcloisonne]

Born to Ride and Wildlifer have indicated that there are better, safer products available.
The former has been banned from this site (as well as others) for spewing misinformation in nearly every post and the latter doesn't seem to understand the difference between potential and potent. Not exactly expert opinions. :lol:

All substances are toxic at a certain level, including water and oxygen. It’s all in the use or misuse. If there are hoof hardeners as effective as those containing formalin (Keratex, Durasole, et.al.,) I don’t know what they are. Products like “Tuff Stuff” are basically nail polish (which contains acetone - also not so benign). ;)

[rascalboy]

Yeah, um, why? My mare gets iodine sprayed on her everyday and it works very well to keep her soles tough most of the time. In the summer when she has just gotten a trim, I'll put Venice Turpentine (or regular turpentine) on her hooves and that stuff REALLY works. It lasts at least 2 days, if not longer. I rarely apply it more than 2 times a week, just because I don't need to. (Besides, it dries the hoof out if you use it every day).

For cracking hooves, I would suggest iodine everyday, and turpentine whenever you need it, on the SOLES only. I also like to clean the hooves, have her stand in water for awhile, then put oil-based conditioners on, which will help lock in moisture to keep everything more stable. (It works for my mare. I know some people don't see how topicals do anything, but it works for my mare, and that's all that matters, right? :D)
Anywho, that will biotin will help.

[Tom Stovall]

rascalboy in gray

Yeah, um, why? My mare gets iodine sprayed on her everyday and it works very well to keep her soles tough most of the time. In the summer when she has just gotten a trim, I'll put Venice Turpentine (or regular turpentine) on her hooves and that stuff REALLY works. It lasts at least 2 days, if not longer. I rarely apply it more than 2 times a week, just because I don't need to. (Besides, it dries the hoof out if you use it every day).

For cracking hooves, I would suggest iodine everyday, and turpentine whenever you need it, on the SOLES only. I also like to clean the hooves, have her stand in water for awhile, then put oil-based conditioners on, which will help lock in moisture to keep everything more stable. (It works for my mare. I know some people don't see how topicals do anything, but it works for my mare, and that's all that matters, right? :D)
Anywho, that will biotin will help.

Due to its use in the synthesis of illegal drugs, the possession of strong iodine (aka, "livestock iodine" or "7% iodine") is a federal crime in the United States. Strong iodine has a desiccating effect on the hoof wall, sole and frog, but compounds containing more than 2.2% titerable iodine became United States Drug Enforcement Agency controlled substances as of September, 2008.

The most effective sole dressings/hardeners/tougheners work at the molecular level by creating crosslinks with proteins - which is why they contain aldehydes, tannic acid, and similar substances.

[Pat Thrasher]

Formaldehyde is the only active ingredient in Keratex.

You can order four liters of 10% formalin solution (8% formaldehyde by weight) from most science catalogs, the type that supply biology teachers. We get the four liters for about $80 IIRC (haven't ordered any for a year or so). It's a big ol' plastic jug, more than a gallon. Try a Google search. Or if there is a science supply house in your town, you can order through them.

Eight ounces of Keratex costs... what, about $60? You do the math.

Decant into a small durable plastic container with a tight-fitting cover, wear eye protection and gloves, apply with small paintbrush. It works. Even on soggy-footed TBs with long-standing hoof problems. It will do a very serious number on thrush with one application.

Don't dump it in the creek. Don't splash it on your skin, or Hoofer's. Paint the sole and the outside of the hoof wall.

The company you buy it from will probably ask you to sign a release that you won't sue them if it hurts you.

DO wear eye protection, if it splashes in your eyes it will really really hurt. :eek:

Hey, Tom, long time no hear. The Wreck is sorta dead....