Frogs in his feet are poor any suggestions?

[Pixxie]

today when i collected my mudball from his field and gave him a good groom, when i was picking out his feet, i noticed his frogs (only his back on which he is unshod) are soft and have flaked towars the base of the heel and have got liek a flap, so i got a dandy brush and the hose and hosed them off getting all the mud out of the inside where the flappy bit was.
also at the very centre of his heel the hoof appears to be flaky and kind of split if you get what i mean.

do you think this is because the ground is so soggy and wet, and his feet werent particularly well shod before i got him a few months ago, or the suggestion of something a bit more sinister?? just wanted some basic thoughts before i get the farrier out

also if you have any suggestions that would be great

thankyou x
(this is also in new lounge, just wondering what you thought)

 

[hellybelly6]

My horse has this intermittently, its the frog and sole shedding. Each time my horse is shod, the farrier trims this away.

As you say his are flaking, I think the wet weather has made it worse.

 

[Janette]

Nettex frog disinfectant spray. Fab stuff.

 

[BethH]

Sounds like a touch of Thrush, has been very wet this last year so not surprising really. My horse has it for the first time since I bought him 5 yrs ago.

Most important things to do according to my vet and farrier are:

Pick feet out regularly at least a couple of times a day if possible.

Wash sole and frog with hibiscrub or similar at least daily and try to ensure no mud on hoof wall etc as wet and warm conditions are the best enviroment for the bacteria and weaken hoof/frog structure. (Think also helps to have dry bed in stable as wet & warm bedding again encourages bacteria)

Try and spray with Betadine spray (available from your vet or most chemists) or similar. This is an iodine based powder spary that kills bacteria. Have just paid a fortune at vets but found it on Chemist Direct for half the price!

Is very hard to eliminate completely but the above will help uyou keep it under control until we get a bit of sun to dry out the soil!

Hope that helps

 

[Spyda]

He's probably shedding - this happens about twice a year. Ask your farrier to trim it and tidy it up at his next visit. A trimmed frog will wont collect mud and debris so readily and will help if your horse is developing any thrushy symptoms. In the meantime, if there is any unpleasant smell or discharge around the creases of the frog, there would be no harm in disinfecting his feet daily for a few days. You could use a proprietory thrush medication or in the olden days, people used to use tincture of iodine or dilute chlorine bleach (equal part water to bleach). If you do adopt one of the older remedies, be sure to only apply it to the thrushy area and don't get any of the solution anywhere else on the horses foot.