Pain in frog

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AshTay

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My mare's off fore frog is a mess. She had thrush in it from a bout of boxrest (try as I might to keep her feet clean and dry she developed a habit of pooing right by her door then turning round and standing in it).

Anyway, her frog now is a mess with a deep slit in it, deep around the sides and bits flaking away. It started to smell a bit thrushy the other day so I squirted some peroxide in and afterwards she was clearly uncomfortable for a few minutes and was stamping it. Then she was fine and I've since picked it out and she's ok (and it doesn't smell anymore).

What's the best milder option for keeping it all clean so it can hopefully recover as the weather dries out? She's in at night on shavings (and has stopped pooing in doorway) whch dries her feet out and out in the day.

Also, is there anything else i can do to help improve frog health? She's on pro hoof and soaked speedibeet. Her hind frogs look quite nice and her near fore frog isn't as bad but still quite deep around the sides.
 
Deep around the sides... do you mean the collateral groove? If so, that's a good thing - the deeper the collateral groove, the more sole depth you have.

For de-bugging, a lot of people use dilute milton. You can also use cider vinegar, salt water or tea tree oil/iodine. Anything like that. Oh, and lots of road work :D.
 
Thanks! She's out doing regular roadwork now too (and is landing heel first :)).
Is there a trade-off between treating for thrush and letting it heal itself? I don't want to over treat but I don't want it to get worse either.
 
there,s me telling farrier not to trim the frog and it looks like what she needs is the frog trimming!

she is already on a low sugar high starch diet and having pro-hoof supplement, i have owned her 4yrs and this is the first time i have had a problem
 
Thanks amandap!

I'm not sure what to do. I don't want to make her sore but I don't want it to get worse.

She's due farrier soon for a trim so might ask him. Will try and get some pics too.


Jools2345 - what is your mare's problem?
 
Yes, I wouldn't go mental on the thrush treatments; a couple of times a week should be ok. If you use something gentle and don't go overboard it shouldn't make her sore.
 
I'd use 'Pete's goo' (canestan mixed with triple antibiotic cream), mix and put into a big with wide nozzle syringe and squirt deep into the cleft after cleaning gently. Or, use canestan deep in the cleft and sudocrem squidged balls of cotton wool pushed in.

Scrub the whole hoof daily with salt water solution and dry as well as possible before treating cleft. Do this until the cleft closes but continue the scrubbing until the minerals kick in. Copper and zinc deficiency have been anecdotally linked to thrush and I have certainly found frogs are much healthier since feeding a good balancer.

That's what I would do from what you've described. I have used soaks as well but not when very sore in the cleft. I have had great success with getting treatment deep into the cleft in my horse that had this problem.
 
she has been a bit sore and i think its due to being a bit thrushy, frogis looking a bit scraggy rest of feet look good.

she is with s friend who has backed her so i have had to relinquish some control over turn out etc, so field is v wet and she is turned out daily. i am now over there daily and picking out/scrubbing feet, cleaning yard as often as poss (she is turned out in there daily too) have put rubber matting down in stable doorway too as she scrapes the floor, she was already doing road work, so hopefully we can get on top of it fairly quickly.

sorry amandap got carried away
 
amandap said:
I'd use 'Pete's goo' (canestan mixed with triple antibiotic cream), mix and put into a big with wide nozzle syringe and squirt deep into the cleft after cleaning gently. Or, use canestan deep in the cleft and sudocrem squidged balls of cotton wool pushed in.

Scrub the whole hoof daily with salt water solution and dry as well as possible before treating cleft. Do this until the cleft closes but continue the scrubbing until the minerals kick in. Copper and zinc deficiency have been anecdotally linked to thrush and I have certainly found frogs are much healthier since feeding a good balancer.

That's what I would do from what you've described. I have used soaks as well but not when very sore in the cleft. I have had great success with getting treatment deep into the cleft in my horse that had this problem.
Click to expand...

Sorry to hijack OP.

Could I ask you what is "triple antibiotic cream" (brand name would be helpful so I can go to the chemist and ask for it)?

And secondly, have just bought a mineral/salt lick that contains copper and zinc. The two ponies in the field have gone crazy for it, would they be getting enough from the lick?

Bit of background, NF pony been on the forest since birth, bought her in October. Obviously barefoot but she's footy and not keen on the hoof disinfectant and her frog has a deepish cleft and doesn't look that healthy. So I'm presuming it's sore (difficult to say as she's also a spook fest anyway). She did have a trim a few weeks back as fronts overgrown, she wasn't too happy afterwards but that's getting better and we are walking out on the roads.

She looks like she is on tip toes some of the time, would I be right in thinking that could be due to her frog not being right and a bit sore?

Thanks for any answers.:)
 
Aarrghimpossiblepony said:
Sorry to hijack OP.

Could I ask you what is "triple antibiotic cream" (brand name would be helpful so I can go to the chemist and ask for it)?

And secondly, have just bought a mineral/salt lick that contains copper and zinc. The two ponies in the field have gone crazy for it, would they be getting enough from the lick?

Bit of background, NF pony been on the forest since birth, bought her in October. Obviously barefoot but she's footy and not keen on the hoof disinfectant and her frog has a deepish cleft and doesn't look that healthy. So I'm presuming it's sore (difficult to say as she's also a spook fest anyway). She did have a trim a few weeks back as fronts overgrown, she wasn't too happy afterwards but that's getting better and we are walking out on the roads.

She looks like she is on tip toes some of the time, would I be right in thinking that could be due to her frog not being right and a bit sore?

Thanks for any answers.:)
Click to expand...
Have to admit dropping myself in doo doo re triple antibiotic creams/ointments as they are prescription only in UK. You can buy neosporin ointment on ebay UK but not sure if it's legal for you to buy. :o They of course should also be used with care, due to the growing resistance to antibiotics bit like the powders puffed here, there and everywhere for donkeys.

Try canestan and sudocrem balls in the cleft and if the horse not too sore a cleantrax soak should help if there is thrush. Horse will have to be able to tolerate the boots and liquid and stand for a good long while with a hay net though. There are also Red horse products which I have read are effective. I warm (blood heat) the water for soaks and find this helps when filling the boot. Thrush appears to be caused by many organisms so if no response a change in treatment may help.
The underlying thing is healthy tissue is much less prone to attack and infection so attention to keeping clean (saline scrubs) and getting the horse and hoof healthy and functioning is important. Diet and comfortable exercize are basics. Lots of road work is usually a good way it seems providing the horse is comfotable.

Feeding a low sugar high fibre diet along with good and appropriate levels of minerals is a big factor in many horses hoof and general health. If forage analysis is out then feeding Pro hoof or one of Forage Plus balancers (which have higher levels of minerals such as copper) should help general and hoof health. Tiptoeing could be a sign of sore frog or weak structures but from my reading it appears thrush is a very common cause of avoiding using the back of the hoof so structures wont develop. Treating thrush is often a way to break this cycle.

One or two things I have found to work well I am now loath to mention as I keep reading about horses being hurt from too strong solutions causing pain and damage.
 
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