Please be aware this article contains graphic images of a severely lame horse’s hoof. Discretion is advised.
Tracey Mallia first discovered Zinmet® in 2020, while treating a formerly competitive dressage horse with long-running, severe hoof problems.
Based in Nar Nar Goon, Victoria, Tracey runs a shockwave and pulse electrotherapy business treating horses for a range of conditions and injuries.
Her husband, Tony, is a farrier with over 40 years experience in the industry. Together, they offer equine services to a broad catchment area across Victoria and New South Wales.
Buddy, a 14-year-old thoroughbred, came to their stable with extremely severe damage to his hooves, due to an incorrect diagnosis from another specialist.
“He was being treated for laminitis, which actually developed as a result of an incorrect diagnosis,” says Tracey.
“They’d spent over $17,000 on vet bills and saw nothing but a rapid decline in his condition.”
When his owner reached out to Tracey, Buddy hadn’t been able to stand for two weeks due to the pressure and inflammation in his hooves.
“It was the worst case of sloughing I’ve ever seen,” Tracey continues.
“I told his owner that I couldn’t make any promises, but we would try to find a way to help him.”
“We ended up in contact with a UK-based vet who gave us some solutions to help ease Buddy’s pain, however we weren’t seeing any real improvement from the hoof itself.”
Tracey’s next step was to put the word out via Facebook, sharing photos of Buddy’s condition and asking for any recommendations about potential treatment.
Austasia Animal Products team member, Liam Grantham, responded to her enquiry and provided Tracey with a range of clinical literature published on Zinmet® and its benefits.
“I read everything Liam sent through, and it all pointed towards Zinmet® being a viable solution for the problem.”
“By that point, we had to try something or accept that Buddy wasn’t going to recover,” Tracey said.
Tracey also notes that Buddy was on a nutritionist-recommended exclusion diet, ensuring that the laminitis was not being inflamed by anything in his feed.
“We started Buddy on Zinmet® and the improvements began to show after that supplement was introduced.”
“Initially he was dosed twice a day with his feeds, 2 tablespoons per feed,” she continues.
“The extent of his illness would normally have taken around 18 months to fully heal, but with Zinmet® it was under control after just three months.”
“We then dropped his dose back to 1 tablespoon a day, and around 12 months after he arrived we sent him home and he’s back under saddle and fully sound.”
Tracey now distributes Zinmet® to her clients as needed, and uses it every day to optimise her own horses’ health (dosing ≈1 tablespoon per horse per day).
“Even during the wet season my horses can be up to their knees in water and their hooves will stay strong and healthy thanks to their daily dose of Zinmet®,” said Tracey.
“The benefits in Buddy’s case were nothing short of miraculous, and I couldn’t recommend it more strongly for general hoof, skin and coat health in horses.”
Austasia Animal Products
AAP manufacturers Zinmet®, a combined source of organic trace minerals, Zinc and Chromium, bound to methionine which increases the absorption of these minerals through the gastrointestinal tract. Suitable for cattle and sheep, research-based evidence confirms Zinmet®'s ability to improve average daily gain, feed conversion efficiency, better stress tolerance and reduce hoof problems.
Learn more about Austasia's Zinmet® range.
