Hoof thrush - also in veterinary

[LaurenM]

Just noticed the first signs of thrush in all hooves. He is kept out 24/7 on ground that is a mix of boggy and dry. Will continue to pick feet out everyday but what else can I do?

 

[Shysmum]

scrub clean with hibiscrub, then spray on the purple foot spray (from farm shops, used for foot rot in sheep). First get the farrier to trim away some of the crud. And get pony onto dry land or stable for a few days if poss.

My boy had it really bad, and it took a long time to heal up, but this is what the farrier told me to do. . Now I apply tea tree oil every few days vis a plant sprayer with a drop of water, and his feet are looking great.

 

[LaurenM]

Thank you!

 

[skewby]

I used to do all sorts of high maintenance stuff, then gave up and simply spray iodine all over the base of the hoof straight after he's shod. Rarely had a problem since. Good luck horrible condition x

 

[Mike007]

Forget Hibiscrub,Peroxide or purple spray. The single most effective prevention and cure is Stockholm Tar. As prevention mix 1 part with 5 parts vegetable oil and paint on as hoof oil every couple of days.

 

[VioletStripe]

Just to add, my friend really rates the purple spray and the Net-tex Frog Health spray, apparently it really clears up the thrush xx

 

[LaurenM]

I usually end up spraying more on myself than the horse when i use the purple spray!

Found loads of good reviews for the Stockholm Tar. Thanks!

 

[brucea]

Not a fan of Stockholm tar - anything resinous like that clogs up the pores in the hoof wall and interferes with the moisture balance.

I use a 5-10x dilution of Milton fluid in a sprayer bottle (old Detox bottle)_ and spray the affected hoof once every 10 seconds for a couple of minutes - usually sorts it out. Also tend to spray wiht similar dilution of ACV to discourage it in a thrushy horse.

 

[Mike007]

I find it does the opposite,the protective outer layer on a hoof is so often damaged in shoeing ,causing the hoof to dry too much. If you dont like to, dont paint it on the hoof wall, just the sole,but you wont find a better or cheaper treatment for thrush.

 

[LaurenM]

He's got it either side of his frog so would the Stockholm Tar be ok for that or just use it along the edges of the hoof?

 

[Mike007]

Just slap the diluted stockholm tar on all over the sole with a paintbrush. (Believe it or not stockholm tar is an old fashioned but highly effective cure for ear infections in humans too).It will do no harm .

 

[Cahill]

cleared ours up with domestos.once a day for 3 days,then once a week for a couple of weeks.

hydrogen peroxide is best but chemists are funny about selling it.

 

[LaurenM]

Cahill - my friend said she'd get me some peroxide but I'm not sure about it (not from personal experience just think it sounds harsh)!

 

[Moggy in Manolos]

I find regular salt water foot baths and iodine very good at controlling my thrush prone mare

 

[YorksG]

Tea tree oil works very well, dries up the wet foot and works as a very good antifungal agent. We were told by our farrier that hydrogen peroxide is the equivalent of smoke and mirrors Makes lots of fizz, but does very little actual good.

 

[Cahill]

Cahill - my friend said she'd get me some peroxide but I'm not sure about it (not from personal experience just think it sounds harsh)!

it gets in all the nooks and crannies and fizzles up.it`s about £1.50 for a bottle and you cant smell the thrush the next day,so it is the stuff to use.

chemists are funny about supplying stuff for animals and i exhausted the local ones (they think you will make a bomb with it!!!)
that is when some1 told me about domestos,i phoned my farrier and he said to try it and was impressed with the results. i pour a bit on and use an old toothbrush to give the grooves a scrub.

it has not returned.
keep the feet picked out because the bacteria doesnt like fresh air.

 

[LaurenM]

Yeh I discovered that when I told the Boots pharmacist that I need something for an open wound...

 

[Toffee44]

I used stockholm tar on my mare cleared up will. I have a iodine spray I use in the wet as a precaution. I find however mine are more prone to thrush this time of year when the ground goes wet dry wet dry and the weather is warm.

 

[Puppy]

One of my horses has great feet, but is very prone to thrush when on boxrest, (which she is at the moment, and has been for several weeks now). My farrier recommended spraying the soles with iodine daily, which I have been doing, and is has certainly worked to keep thrush at bay. If it does get nasty, then peroxide is the next step.

 

[LaurenM]

Thanks everyone!

I've ordered the tar and hibiscrub. Couldn't believe that there was a £5 difference between horsey website and chemist one! Silly!

 

[criso]

hydrogen peroxide is best but chemists are funny about selling it.

Just don't do what a friend of mine did and say you want it for thrush without explaining the horse bit - chemist was thinking of an entirely different condition in humans and looked shocked.

 

[TheFarrier]

Thrush is anerobic (which means it survives without oxygen) the last thing you want to be doing is covering it up.

Get your farrier to remove any necrotic tissue

Antibac is one of the best products for thrush.
It is a Swan product and if you google swan and antibac you will find it. It is a copper sulfate and eucalyptis mix and is also excellent for WLD and seedy toe.

 

[fitzaud2]

Go to boots and buy one of those empty spray bottles, get cider apple cider vinegar, and spray in into his hooves 3 times a day, and then put it in his feed. Mine all got thrush due to weather conditions last year, did that, got it fixed, now put in in their feed, some people put it in their water, but mine wouldnt drink it, but they'll take it in their feed ok. Swear buy it!!!!

 

[Mike007]

In case anyone is wondering exactly what Stockholm tar is,it is the product of distiling wood. It has some amazing antibiotic properties,but since it is a traditional remedy it is not patentable and so there is no profit for the veterinary or medical profession,hence it is rarely suggested. its effect on thrush extends deep into a frog riddled with pockets of infection. Much further than I would have expected by contact alone. It was used under another name to great effect by yugoslav partisans during the second world war,for treatment of gunshot wounds, and as I have said, is used on ear infections.(I had a deep seated ear infection for 18 months, eventualy a specialist used it. It took a grand total of 10 hours to clear up the problem).

 

[Janette]

I struggled with thrush which had eaten holes into Star's feet between her heels. This was extreme for her though. It needed Blue Spray from the Vet.
But, I also applied Life Data Hoof disinfectant which is basically Iodine with something else in it. Certainly better than straight iodine.

Now, if it gets a bit smelly down there, a squirt with Nettex Hoof Master does the job (puple spray with added extra's) and also Nettex Frog Health is great stuff.

 

[learningcurve]

I have found stockholm tar to be excellent stuff, but be warned it gets everywhere.

 

[touchstone]

I'm another who uses stockholm tar after trying much more expensive sprays, peroxide and iodine. My dad who had kept horses for years said that they always used to pack a thrushy frog with tar and tow and it would clear up every time.

After trying alternative treatments I resorted to the tar and have thrush free hooves at last, although I am also covered in it but I love the smell of it so no problem!