Innovative Gel Solution for Foot and Nail Diseases in Animals from MAKÜ: Productivity Losses Will Be Prevented.

Burdur Mehmet Akif Ersoy University (MAKÜ) continues to transfer the qualified knowledge obtained from the projects it conducts in the field of animal husbandry to the sector. MAKÜ scientists offer an effective solution with the gel cream they developed against foot and hoof diseases frequently seen in animals.

Specialized in the field of animal husbandry, MAKÜ has found a solution to foot and hoof diseases, which are the most important problems of breeders. MAKÜ scientists, who have made it their mission to find solutions to the problems of the sector and to address the issues of breeders' animals, have once again achieved a first. As a result of the studies conducted under the leadership of Faculty of Veterinary Medicine member Prof. Dr. Mehmet Kale, the completely herbal and environmentally friendly MAKÜ Hoof Gel Foot and Hoof Care Product, which does not contain harmful chemicals, was developed.

The production of the gel, named after the university where the studies were conducted, has been completed and sales have started by launching it on the market. The commercialization process of MAKÜ Hoof Gel, which was commercially launched in cooperation with Master Vet Group, a local company, was undertaken by MAKÜ Technology Transfer Center. The product will provide great convenience to both breeders and veterinarians.

MAKÜ Hoof Gel hoof care product, used for the treatment of foot and hoof problems and lameness in cattle, sheep, goats, and horses, has already taken its place on the market as an alternative product in the treatment process.

Stating that the hoof care product is a very useful product for breeders and veterinarians and providing information about the hoof care product, Prof. Dr. Mehmet Kale said; “The MAKÜ Hoof Gel we developed is a new product used in the treatment of foot and hoof diseases in animals. The biggest innovation of this product is that it is a gel applied directly to the lesion area of the animal's wound or foot disease without any bandage application. After the gel is applied to the hoof, it dries within 10 minutes, and after drying, the animal is allowed to return to its normal living area. In this way, wound healing and reduction of lameness begin after 3 applications at 3-day intervals without any bandage in the animal's own environment. It is especially easy to apply by breeders. In addition, it is a product that can be easily applied by veterinarians, hoof specialists, and veterinary technicians. Since hoof diseases are a big problem, we worked with a team of virology, surgery, microbiology, pharmacy, and internal medicine specialists while developing this product. This was a 6-year process, field trials were conducted, results were presented, and we obtained very positive results. Currently, our product is on the market for sale. The biggest problem here is that two important anaerobic bacteria cannot be removed from the foot lesions due to the living areas of feces and urine, and the wound cannot be treated. The applied gel both heals the wound and makes it possible to get rid of these two bacteria. In addition, bandage-free treatment saves veterinarians and breeders from both labor and bandage costs. This product is not only for cattle but also for foot diseases called pieten in sheep and goats. It is also a product used for foot diseases in horses. Why is this product important? Today, as a result of a foot disease, if the animal goes to slaughter, the breeder suffers an economic loss of almost 50%. By preventing this loss, we contribute to the national economy and prevent the breeder's expenses individually. I feel it is my duty to sincerely thank our university, all our team members, our professors, and the company that supported us in this production.”

Master Vet Group General Manager Veterinarian Ziya Duran, who undertook the mission of bringing the MAKÜ Hoof Gel Foot and Hoof Care Product to the sector and reflecting it in the field, said; “As Master Vet Group, we have been working in the animal health sector for 17 years. In our MAKÜ Hoof Gel hoof care product project, we started commercial activities with a good relationship between the university and the private sector. We integrated the R&D studies of our expert professors and reflected them in the field. MAKÜ Hoof Gel is used for hoof problems in farm animals such as horses, cattle, sheep, and goats. Especially in dairy farms, hoof problems cause a 30-35% loss in efficiency. We have prevented these efficiency losses with MAKÜ Hoof Gel. I wish it to be beneficial for our sector.”

Emphasizing that the MAKÜ Hoof Gel model developed by MAKÜ scientists is a model that will benefit both the sector and the university, MAKÜ Rector Prof. Dr. Hüseyin Dalgar said in his speech at the product promotion meeting; “Today is a very important day for our university. As we always express at our university, our biggest dream was to turn the knowledge produced by our professors into products and to offer products that will solve the problems of the sector and create this ecosystem at MAKÜ. In this context, today we are gathered here to launch a product developed by our Faculty of Veterinary Medicine Prof. Dr. Mehmet Kale and produced in cooperation with Master Vet, a local company. The product developed by our professor is an important invention for foot diseases in animals. This product was developed as a result of R&D studies by an R&D scientific committee at our university for many years. The patent application for this product has been made and we are waiting for the result. Currently, the mass production of the product has been completed and sales have started. This model is a model that will benefit our professor, the sector, and our university. Previously, we had made a similar breakthrough with our mobile microscope project integrated into a cell phone. This is the second product. Hopefully, more products will follow, and we will continue to fill the content of our social contribution discourse with products and inventions that solve the problems and issues of the sector. I would like to thank Prof. Dr. Mehmet Kale and our esteemed professors who developed the project and the product. I hope it will be beneficial, and this product will be widely used to solve a very important problem in the sector, and we will be happy about it. The name of the product is MAKÜ Hoof Gel hoof care product. It is a product with the MAKÜ logo. I hope it will be beneficial.”