Managing thrush?

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Bert&Maud

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I've just been speaking to a friend whose daughters 17hh mare has a history of thrush. She apparently has very deep clefts around her front frogs which harbour the condition. It's recently flared up, and she's currently treating it with iodine, she normally tries to keep it under control by washing with hydrogen peroxide once a week but this wasn't done while she was away on holiday. I have no experience of thrush, so couldn't help her with any advice, but I told her I'd post a message on HHO as you lot were bound to have some suggestions - particularly with the best bedding to use and management and treatment. Any ideas???
 
This works for me:

after thoroughly picking out feet; scrub frog and collateral grooves with salt water.

Current stables come with rubber mats. Ours are ok, but I have seen some where the join is where the horse stands by the door. So the front feet are in a constant pool of urine (it squashes up from under the mat).

On top of the rubber matting I've tried many types of bedding. Horse moves around a lot so shavings and aubiose, usually my favourites have ended up a gooey mess. Now I use chopped cardboard, which I originally hated, but now love because it is so good at soaking up the pee. A bit pricey, but worth it for me. Might not suit everyone though, it's not pretty to look at and doesn't seem 'cosy'. But my girl doesn't do cosy, but she does pee quite a bit! :-)

And having arrived with terrible thrush she now doesn't have any
 
Its not the bedding that causes the problems, its dirty bedding getting caught in the clefts. An easy way to keep it bay is to scrub out the feet every couple of days and then just spray in the clefts with purple spray. I do this any time my horse starts to have slightly whiffy feet!. This is a maintenance treatment - if the horse already has thrust badly, then I agree with scrubbing out the feet, I then use a syringe to spray the hyrdogen peroxide into the cleft, then iodine or purple spray on top. Does work!
 
Our NF had wiffy feet, and suspected thrush, so went round with a toothbrush dipped in hibiscrub (which was all I had to hand, and farrier said would work well), and brushed it into all the cavities at the sides of the frog. Did the job anyway!
 
As well as scrubbing and cleaning everyday at least once I'd do weekly soaks of cleantrax, apple cider vinegar, salt solution or milton solution. Soak for minimum of ten minutes thirty if possible. It may also be worth once feet cleaned, dry and apply a barrier cream such as sudocrem to keep poo from direct contact.
 
My mare had quite terrible thrush just after I bought her. The treatment from the vet was to pack the clefts of her frog with cotton wool soaked in metronidazole and taped up with duct tape. Metronidazole works on anaerobic bacteria (not needing oxygen..which is what causes thrush). This treated the initial issue very quickly.

Now, if her frogs get a bit soft looking, I spray her feet with Terramycin Spray. It's a foot rot spray for sheep and contains antibiotic. It works a treat and is far, far better than any purple spray you can buy from a saddlery. It's prescription only. It can cure mild thrush and I use it at least once a week as a preventative measure.

I've also found that my mare doesn't get thrush since I've moved from straw to shavings beds. I've put this down to the shavings being cleaner and drier so her feet stay cleaner overnight during winter.
 
I find red horse products really good I keep on top of it with sole cleanse and hoof paste, if they have it bad I hibiscrub each day then spray with the hoof cleanse then put the hoof paste on.

I tried manuka honey, sudacream and some other stuff but this is what seemed to work for lily, she had a bad case once, and Tigger doesn't really get it if I just use it now and then

I wouldn't use anything too strong like peroxide it will kill all the good tissue too, just nicely for the bad stuff to have nice fresh meat to eat. If you use products that are way too strong you will find the problem reoccurs again and again and again. Although it clears up quicker the long term result is not good, you're better using gentle products that slowly clear it without killing good tissue. Also if the horse has a bad infection it will really sting!
 
A second vote for Terramycin Spray.

MY retired hunter has really bad circulation in his feet which leads to thrush.

So once a week I scrub out with hibiscrub, then drop Eucalyptus oil in each clesft and then spray with Terramycin Spray (only £6 from countrywide but wear gloves as it stains your hands and clothes).
 
a 3rd for the terramcyin spray! after months and i do mean months of constant battling with thrush and using every thing under the sun i eventually got the magic spray lol,
i still keep a spare bottle just in case.

its the best thing since sliced bread :D
 
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