Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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This invention relates to novel ointments for the
treatment and maintenance of animal hooves, and more
particularly to novel ointments that utilize both an
enzymatically hydrolyzed animal collagen protein with
enhanced penetrative and growth promotion properties and a
short-chain alkyl alcohol as an astringent and a
preservative.
There are numerous problems encountered in the
treatment and maintenance of animal hooves. The hooves are
10. continually exposed to the elements and to wear and tear from
general use. This results ultimately in wearing, cracking,
chipping, spliting, drying, and general degeneration of the
hooves that ordinary cleansing cannot prevent. Heretofore,
ointments that have been used in the treatment of such
conditions have not adequately penetrated the hoof material
to expose the entire hoof to the therapeutic agents contained
in such ointments.
Additionally, the methods that have been utilized
in promoting additional hoof growth have been both
20. time-consuming for the trainer and painful for the animal.
I'he most commonly utili~ed methods in promoting hoof growth
have severe drawbacks. In a first method, the animal, for
instance, a horse, is suspended in a water tank over a period
of weeks resulting in enhanced hoof growth. This method is
not only time-consuming, but the resulting hoof material is
soft due to an increased water content. The horse will not
be available for use until the soft hoof material hardens,
which may result in quarter cracking, shelling, and
separating. In a second method, commonly referred to in the
30. thoroughbred horse industry as "blistering", an acid or
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irritant is applied to the hoof to promote sore production
and scabbing which, upon healing, results in additional hoof
material. This method not only leads to an uneven
distribution or ridging of the hoof material, but is also
dangerous in the case of a misapplication of the blistering
material.
Further, without the use of such methods, the only
other means of effectively treating quarter cracking,
shelling, or separation of the hoof material is surgically to
10. "pin" the affected hoof material back together.
The present invention provides a novel ointment
that when applied to the hooves as part of a regular
maintenance program prevents degeneration of the hoof
material.
The present invention also provides a novel
ointment that is useful in the treatment of already existing
hoof degelleration, resulting ultimately in the rejuvenation
and promotion of growth of new hoof material.
Further, the present invention provides a novel
20. ointment that utilizes an enzymatically hydrolyzed collagen
protein with enhanced penetrative properties to assure the
treatment of the entire hoof.
Additionally, the present invention provides a
novel ointment that promotes rapid natural growth of new hoof
materialO
It is therefore an object of the present invention
to prevent the degeneration of animal hooves.
It is a further object of the invention to
provide a treatment for the rejuvenation of degenerated
30. animal hooves.
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It is another object of the invention to provide a
treatment that promotes rapid, natural growth of new hoof
material.
I'heretore, in accordance with -the present invention,
a novel ointment for the treatment and maintenance of animal
hooves includes a hydrolyzed animal collagen protein, a short--
chain alkyl alcohol, and water.
Further in accordance with the present invention,
a novel olntment for the treatment and maintenance of animal
hooves includes preferably from 5 to about 30% by weight, and
optimally 6 to abou~ 25% enzymatically hydrolyzed animal
collagen protein, from 10 to about 25% by weight short-chain
alkyl alcohol, and preferably from about 45 to about 80~ by
weight and optimally 35 to 80% water.
O-ther features and advantages of the present inven-
tion will be apparent from the following description of a
preferred embodiment representing the best mode of carrying
out the invention as presently perceived, which descrip-tion
should be considered in conjunction with the accompanyiny
drawing in which:
The Figure is a ternary diagram illustra-ting the
composition envelope of the ointment of the present invention.
In accordance with the present invention, an ani-
mal's hoof is treated with an ointment as defined herein that
incîudes an enzyrnatically hydrolized animal collagen protein,
a short--chain alkyl alcohol, and water. Following a course
of treatment, the result is a rejuvenated hoof material plus
accelerated growth of new hoof material that is devoid of
cracks, chips, splits, and other physical defects.
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This in turn reduces the danger of infection in the hooves,
while at the same time increasing the usefulness of the
afflicted animal, particularly horses. A horse which has
suffered a degeneration in the general condition of its
hooves is unable to be utilized in the same fashion as a
healthy horse. If a horse is ridden or worked while its
hooves are in a de~enerated condition, the effect is normally
a general worsenin~ due to aggravation of such condition.
By following the basic therapeutic course of
10. treatment using the ointment of the present invention, i.e.,
daily application to the afflicted areas of the animal, the
~orse will soon show a great improvement in condition and can
be ridden or worked without fear of further injury. The
ointment of the present invention also yromotes rapid,
heal~hy hoof growth in an afflicted animal, even in animals
that have never previously exhibited any noticeable new hoof
growth.
The ointment of the present invention can also be
utilized in a preventive maintenance program for animal
~0. hooves. Hooves that are treated with the ointment of the
present invention appear to be less susceptible to cracking,
chipping, and splitting than hooves that are maintained using
only normal cleaning care~
The chemical changes that occur in the hoof when
khe ointment of the present invention is applied have not
been elucidated~ The enzymatically hydrolyzed animal
collagen protein comprises a mixture of straight-chain
polypeptides having a closely controlled, relatively narrow
molecular weight distribution and an unusually low ash
30. content. The proteins are completely soluble in water over
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the entire pH range, are norl-gelling, and free of
sulfur-containing amino acids. This form of hydrolyzed
animal collagen protein has demonstrated substantivity to
hair and skin (stratum corneum). This substantivity is
greater toward damaged or processed hair. It is believed
that this form of protein also exhibits substantivity to the
hoof material and wlll thus bind itself to such material and
act as a proteinaceous glue. It appears also that the
enzymatically hydrolyzed animal collagen protein has
lO. excellent penetrative properties. This assures that the
entire hoof is adequately treated rather than ]ust the outer
toe, side walls, and top surface of the cornet band. The
short-chain alkyl alcohol is believed to act as an astringent
and as a preservative for the enzymatically hydrolyzed animal
collagen protein and also aids in assisting the protein in
penetrating the hoof material. Preferred short-chain alkyl
alcohols contain up to 3 carbon atoms, illustratively methyl,
ethyl, n-propyl, and isopropyl alcohols. Water is utilized
as a solubilizing agent for both the enzymatically hydrolyzed
20. animal collagen protein and the short-chain alkyl alcohols.
The following operating examples will more fully
illustrate the invention and the best mode for the practice
thereof~
EXAMPLE 1
An ointment of the present invention was prepared
comprising 6% by volume enzymatically hydrolyzed animal
protein having a formol nitrogen value of approximately 9
30. manufactured in accordance with the teachings of U.S~ Patent
~2~1~3~Z
Nos. 3,683,939 and 3,475,404 (trademark name LEXEIN X250 from
Inolex Chemical Co., 4221 Southwestern Blvd., Chicago,
Illinois ~0609) with 24~ by volume isopropyl alcohol and 70%
by volume water. One liter of the ointment was made by mixing
7~0 ml of water and 60 ml of hydrolyzed animal protein in a
vessel using suitable stirring means, then adding 240 ml of
isopropyl alcoholr and again thorouyhly mixing. The resultant
ointmellt had a syrupy appearance and a mild odor o~ alcohol.
The ointment was applied to the outer surface of a
10. damaged coronet band of a horse hoof twice daily for
approximately four weeks. Prior to the treatment, the coronet
band exhibited dryness and the hoof exhibited numerous cracks,
chips, splits, and other degenerative conditions. After an
initial treatment of two weeks, the coronet band had a
significant decrease in the number of ~racks, chips, and
splits. Upon continued treatment, the coronet band was
completely rejuvenated and attained a healthy, lustrous
appearance. Additionally, the ointment promoted the rapid
growth of new healthy hoof material, approximately 3/4" in
20. three weeks, compared with normal growth in a healthy horse
of only approximately 1/8" in three weeks. After the coronet
band and hoof had been fully rejuvenated, the ointment was
applied as part of a preventive maintenance program. The
hoof has shown no sign of recurrence of the degenerative
condition since being placed on the maintenance program.
EXAMPLE 2
A number of ointments, numbers 1-15, were made
30. utilizing the manufacturing techniques described in Example 1
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to determine the range of concentrations of each constituent
to provide an effective ointment. Additionally, ointments 1
through 5 were prepared without the short-chain alkyl alcohol
to determine the stability of the enzymatically hydrolyzed
animal collagen protein in water. The results of these tests
are tabulated in Table 1.
TABLE 1
~n~yma _cally
10. Hydrolyzed Short--Chain
Collagen Alkyl
Protein Alcohol Water Result
1 5 -- 95 Decomposed
2 10 -- 90 Decomposed
3 20 - 80 Decomposed
4 25 -- 75 ~eccmposed
5 30 -- 70 Decomposed
6 5 25 70 Satisfactory
7 10 20 70 Satisfactory
8 15 15 70 Satisfactory
20.9 20 10 70 Satisfactory
10 30 10 60 Satisfactory
11 5 25 75 Satisfactory
12 10 25 65 Satisfactory
13 15 25 60 Satisfactory
14 20 25 55 Satisfactory
15 25 25 50 Satisfactory
It can be seen from the results of these tests that
an effective ointment is obtained when the concentration of
30. the various constituents are within the following ranges:
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from about 5 to about 30% enæymatically hydrolyzed animal
collagen protein; from about 10 to about 25% by volume
short-chain alkyl alcohol; and from about 45 to about 80% by
volume water. Ointments No. 1 to ~, which were made without
the short-chain alkyl alcohol, decomposed rapidly and failed
to perform as an effective ointment for the treatment and
maintenance of animal hooves.
Referring to Fig. 1, a ternary diagram was
constructed to generate the composition envelope of the
10. ointment of the present invention, i.e., the boundaries of
the percent composition of the constituents of the present
invention that provide an effective ointment. It can be seen
that the preferred embodiment described in Example 1 falls
well within the composition envelope. It can also be seen
that other ointments t~3at have utilized a hydrolyzed animal
protein, such as Price U.S. Patent 4,070,451, do not fall
within the composition envelope of the present invention.
It is a general observation that the ointment of
the present invention tends to outperform other commercia~ly
20. available hoof treatments with regard to speed of recovery
and completeness of recovery. This is due in all probability
to the penetrative property of the enzymatically hydrolyzed
animal protein used in the ointment, when assisted by the
short-chain alkyl alcohol. ~one of the commercially
available hoof treatments utilize such a unique constitutent
and thus do not penetrate the hoof material to the same
extent as an ointment made in accordance with the present
inventionO The result is that commercially available
ointments cannot treat the entire affected area of the hoof
30. due to their inability to penetrate the hoof material to a
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8;3~:)2
sufficient depth to expose the affected areas to the
therapeutic agents contained in such ointments.
The ointment of the present invention thus provides
an inexperlsive, yet extremely effective means for treating
and rejuvenating degenerated hoof material. It also provides
an inexpensive yet effective means for preventing the
occurrence of such degenerated conditions in animal hooves.
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