Horses are gallant creatures. They’re beautiful, calm, and next to dogs, and they can be called man’s best friends. These animals were used as transport up until a hundred years ago. At that time, having only a horse instead of a carriage meant that you were poor.
Now, if you own a horse, most people would think you’re rich. This is just an example of how times change, but equines remain valuable. Many people wonder why nowadays it’s so pricey to own one. Well, for starters, there are so many vet checkups and vaccines.
Those aren’t cheap. That’s why many people turn to old sayings and try to recreate the remedies our elders used to treat their trusted riding partners. Maybe there’s a case of scratches, and you tried everything that came up to mind, and it all had little to zero effect.
Suddenly, a friend of yours calls you on the phone and tells you of a home remedy that worked. You want to try it, but you don’t know whether it will work. We gathered the info on the oldest treatments that have been used for more than a hundred years. Of course, you should always ask your vet before administering any kind of medicine on your own.
Is beer a cure for anhidrosis?
We’re going to start things off with anhidrosis. This is a condition that is quite common. Even when it’s scorching hot outside in the middle of summer, some horses can’t seem to break a sweat. This is not a good sign.
Mammals need to sweat in order to thermoregulate. Lizards and other cold-blooded creatures either sit in the sun to heat up, or they sit in the shade to cool off. Here is a great source of info that might help. Equines need to break a sweat in order to cool down when they exercise or when it’s warm outside.
The cure for this problem may lie in a cold glass of Guinness beer. It seems weird at first, but don’t worry, there is a scientific reason for it. Even though there is no definite cure for anhidrosis, most veterinarians recommend a surplus of vitamins, especially B and C. Guinness is a stout, which means it’s not as refined as lagers and ales.
This means the concentration of these vitamins is higher. However, before you try this remedy, give your riding partner some time off. Try to ride them a few times per week only at night time, or don’t make them exercise for a month. If the condition doesn’t improve, you can crack open a cold one and give it to the animal.
Can baby oil and mouthwash be used to treat rain rot?
After a riding session in the rain, you might see a patch of hair rise up and stay like that. Try touching the area and see if the horse will respond. If it’s sensitive to touch, then it’s probably rain rot caused by a common bacteria that lives on its coat. Follow this link for more info https://www.equisearch.com/articles/home-remedies-for-horse-people-18674
That’s nothing to worry about because it occurs mostly in humid conditions. Those are the conditions needed for the bacteria to multiply. An old remedy for this issue is to mix mouthwash with baby oil and rub the area. Some vets recommend this treatment, but more often than not, they add a small tweak.
Most mouthwash solutions have alcohol in them. And if you rub alcohol on a wound, it will help, but it will also irritate the skin. These particular bacteria can make use of the situation and worsen it by causing an infection. Instead of mouthwash, you can use two cheap alternatives.
Those alternatives are iodine and three percent hydrogen peroxide. You can grab a bucket and mix a 16-ounce bottle of baby oil with a 16-ounce hydrogen peroxide solution. Mix it well and add half an ounce of iodine. Take a sponge and gently rub the area. See how the equine reacts, and let the solution stay during the night.
During the night, the bacteria will die off, and the skin will be soft and lubricated. In the morning, look at the area and wash it with a mild shampoo and let your buddy dry off in the sun. When you finish, dump the remainder of the mixture you’ve made. If you seal the bucket, it might explode.
