Deep sulcus thrush?

Gropony

Gropony

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Hi all. My pony has developed these cracks in the frogs of his front feet. About 5mm deep. He is not lame, possibly a tiny bit sensitive on stony ground but nothing obvious. These pictures are one week after he was trimmed. He lives out 24/7 and the field is dry.

Any advice on why these have developed (he didn't have them when stabled with turnout in winter). Should I be thinking about deep sulcus thrush? If so, what is your go to treatment?

For actual visible thrush I use Red Hoof Sole cleanse plus a product based on copper sulphate and vaseline that the farrier gave me, but I am concerned this is too harsh (it blocks gaps well and is very effective though).

Ps. The area is dark on the photos because I sprayed it.

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Yes, you are right, it is the start of thrush. I tend to use Red Horse Field Paste, or if I have run out then a basic home made recipe of Zinc and castor oil cream (baby nappy cream), a few drops of eucalyptus oil and a slug of honey all stirred together. Clean the foot out, brush out any loose mud, and slather in cream/paste.
 
Gropony said:
Hi all. My pony has developed these cracks in the frogs of his front feet. About 5mm deep. He is not lame, possibly a tiny bit sensitive on stony ground but nothing obvious. These pictures are one week after he was trimmed. He lives out 24/7 and the field is dry.

Any advice on why these have developed (he didn't have them when stabled with turnout in winter). Should I be thinking about deep sulcus thrush? If so, what is your go to treatment?

For actual visible thrush I use Red Hoof Sole cleanse plus a product based on copper sulphate and vaseline that the farrier gave me, but I am concerned this is too harsh (it blocks gaps well and is very effective though).

Ps. The area is dark on the photos because I sprayed it.

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Huge number of products now sold for thrush, don’t know how effective they are, but in the past : wash foot clean,
hydrogen peroxide squirted right into all the crevices (wear specs / goggles), or thick household bleach. Pack with copper sulphate, try to keep horse from standing in damp/ wet conditions while recovering. Stockholm tar’s another, but tends to get all over everything. Good luck.
 
Gropony said:
Any advice on why these have developed (he didn't have them when stabled with turnout in winter). Should I be thinking about deep sulcus thrush? If so, what is your go to treatment?


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Most likely the rapid change of weather from extremely dry to very wet. Hooves do best in dry conditions, thrush usually happens when they don't get a chance to dry out which is why the majority of thrush cases show up in winter when horses are standing around in the wet.

Just a note but deep central sulcus doesn't always mean thrush, could just as likely be caused by poor foot confo, but it does open it up to increased risk as obviously the bacteria will thrive in the cracks.

I cover the heels and frog with Sucocrem every couple of days during the winter which creates a good barrier.
 
IrishMilo said:
Most likely the rapid change of weather from extremely dry to very wet. Hooves do best in dry conditions, thrush usually happens when they don't get a chance to dry out which is why the majority of thrush cases show up in winter when horses are standing around in the wet.

Just a note but deep central sulcus doesn't always mean thrush, could just as likely be caused by poor foot confo, but it does open it up to increased risk as obviously the bacteria will thrive in the cracks.

I cover the heels and frog with Sucocrem every couple of days during the winter which creates a good barrier.
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His toes do turn out so this could be a factor. He always has some flare on the inside of the hoof. I just noticed that he is not landing heel first (it's not noticable unless I scrutinise the videos) and after he was trimmed last week.he was tapping the soles of his front feet with his hinds for a day, which makes me think he isn't 100% comfortable in his heels/front feet.

I will treat it and see how it goes.
 
My TB had deep sulcus thrush on/off for years; I tried various treatments and it would ease but never fully go away. A few weeks packing the crevices with Red Horse Hoof Stuff and it went never to be seen again.
 
Is your pony a Haflinger? Mine had the same condition. I think that they might be reactive to the wet soggy conditions underfoot in UK as they were bred originally to live in a dry mountainous area.
 
I have just had a battle with thrush in my new pony in a very deep cleft in one hoof. Tried lots of things but what worked was Leovet Frog Magic. It has a thin straw and powerful spray so it gets in deep, blows out any debris and fizzes on contact. It is pretty delightful to use. After a week pony was much happier me picking out that hoof and 2 weeks later I could see new frog growth.
 
dreamcometrue said:
Is your pony a Haflinger? Mine had the same condition. I think that they might be reactive to the wet soggy conditions underfoot in UK as they were bred originally to live in a dry mountainous area.
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Yes, half! You are probably right, any slight wet conditions and the frogs are soft. Did you get on top of it?
 
Yes we cleared it successfully. My farrier advised me to use an antibacterial solution well diluted and keep it in a washing up liquid bottle so I could squirt it deep into the cracks and also to use cotton buds to clean out any debris deep in the crack. I had to keep him in for a week or so to ensure his feet were dry. It all cleared up. The cracks extended into his heels and I was really worried 😟 but I managed to keep on top of it after that by keeping his feet really clean, especially when the ground was wet and muddy. X
 
I had a TB who had terrible thrush in his sulcas (is that the correct way of writing it 😬)
A friend showed me how to “floss” it, literally hold the hoof between your knees and with a baby wipe floss as you would your teeth.
Then stuff the crevice with Red Horse Hoof Stuff. Ram as much in as possible. I used the end of a hoof pick.
It was incredibly satisfying! Did a great job and tastes lovely if you accidentally get it in your mouth…
 
I used red horse products now but have previous used Kevin bacons for thrush which wouldn’t shift

It smells horrendous but it’s fantastic
 
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