Hoof Nutrition Intelligence Hoof Nutrition Intelligence is a twice-a-month web segment that is designed to add to the education of footcare professionals when it comes to effectively feeding the hoof. The goal of this web-exclusive feature is to zero in on specific areas of hoof nutrition and avoid broad-based articles that simply look at the overall equine feeding situation.

Below you will find Part 1 of the latest question and answer installment that you can share with your footcare clients.

Q: What role does zinc play in hoof quality?

By J. Frank Gravlee, DVM, MS, CNS, and Scott Gravlee, DVM, CNS, Life Data Labs

A: A healthy hoof requires zinc for the prevention of parakeratosis, which is a defect in the formation of keratin. If keratin is not properly formed, the hoof will be soft and brittle.

Make sure you provide the proper quantities of zinc in the diet or through supplementation.

Frank Gravlee and Scott Gravlee are veterinarians and equine nutrition consultants at Life Data Labs, Inc. in Cherokee, Ala.

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Click here to read part 2 of the April 15, 2020 installment of Hoof Nutrition Intelligence: What is white line disease and what can I do about it?

Click here to read more installments of Hoof Nutrition Intelligence.