Barefoot, box rest and thrush

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SadKen

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My lad is barefoot and always has been. He has lovely little feet which on the whole self-maintain. I've had him since September and the farrier says his feet don't need a trim yet.

However he's been on box rest for a month due to a nasty cut on his fetlock which he's had to have an operation on. We're faced with 3 more weeks' box rest if the op is succesful, and longer if not.

I've noticed that his frogs have shrunk during this time and the heels seem to have contracted slightly. Am I imagining this or could it really happen in such a short time?

Also, I've been scrubbing his feet as best I can, picking out and using antibacterial spray to make sure he doesn't get thrush. I'd say he hasn't got it yet although they are not as clean as usual, and one frog is a bit tatty. The frogs are also a lot softer than it was. I'm wondering whether I should put something on his feet (say fill them up with Red Horse Artimud or similar) whilst he's in, to stop any bacteria getting to them? I pick out twice a day but of course the feet are filling up with bedding/any mess in the interim which I don't think is helping.

Any opinions on this are welcome! Thanks!
 
I don't think you're imagining it, reduced movement may will lead to a deterioration in his frogs but they should recover once he's back in his normal routine. I find aromafrog is excellent for preventing and treating thrush
 
Yes with the lack of movement this can happen really quickly. My girl moved places on boxing day and within that time to now shes lost the flesiness of the frog as shes not moving around as much as she was as shes stabled over night. Shes also ddeveloped thrush because of the amount of rain weve had so Ive just ordered some aromafrog which Ive heard great things about. Its a natural product that doesnt damage the frog but treats for thrush and fungal infections whilst hardening the frog up. Worth a try because they offer a full refund if the product doesnt work. Its new but they are the makers of aromaheel which Ive heard awesome things about so I figure if this product is as good as that then were onto a winner
 
I think unfortunately the lack of stimulation is the main problem, which you can't really do anything about at the moment. Red horse sole paint is good for use in the stable, but I'd prepare yourself for some work building the feet back up once he's off box rest.
 
I've been using Red Horse sole paint on my barefoot and on box rest horse, luckily mine is now able to be ridden so she is getting some exeercise.
 
Thanks guys - I'll go and have a look at aromafrog now. I thought about sole paint but didn't think it'd be enough to stop the bedding sticking - however it probably is worth a try. My main worry is the hoof on the leg that is out of action - due to the size of the dressing and the fact that he's not allowed to bend it, I can't pick that one out at all. Maybe artimud would be best for that one, if I can find some way of packing it in without him bending.

I'll be doing quite a bit of work on his feet when he's back in work but it shouldn't trouble him as I was only riding in the school anyway (still working on brakes etc). When I first got him, I don't think he'd moved around on different surfaces very much as I noticed that the frogs and heels all grew substantially within two months or so of him arriving. Hopefully he'll be back out again as soon as possible. On the plus side, he's an angel on box rest and hasn't got stressed about being in at all.
 
I would say it is lack of stimulation causing the deterioration of the frog rather than anything else... my boy's don't look as good having been in for 20 hours a day for two weeks while we had snow :(

I would just keep on as you are with the picking out and scrubbing and make sure he has a clean dry bed. Iprefer to use more bedding rather than less in order to achieve this.

Is the box rest to restrict movement or prevent the wound getting dirty? i.e. could you walk in hand for a bit each day?
 
We find if they have to be on box rest then the frogs quickly contract. We just keep the bed as dry as possible, and use a bit of NT dry and brush it in any crevices (especially around the heel) to prevent any thrush. Try not to worry too much as they do come right fairly quickly as soon as the box rest has finished.
 
Unfortunately it's to prevent movement - he has a slice-type cut out of his fetlock right on the joint. It's like an overreach injury but higher up, we think he might have overshot in the field trying to stop. He did initially have an infection in it, and as he wasn't lame when he first did it, which we think was the day before it was spotted, we missed the opportunity to put a stitch in as it was covered by his feathers. He's had an op to graft skin over the cut to help it heal (although it is healing, to be fair). If that takes, it's a quicker recovery time. Unfortunately, in the meantime, the last thing we want is for him to be flexing the fetlock at all because it'll reopen the wound. So we have to try and keep him as still as possible, and the dressing is thick so he can't bend the leg much. I can't walk him out, which is a shame, as he'd love that!
 
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