prob 2, soft tender heels with deep gashes

lynnandbella

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my 3 yr old mare has very soft tender heels with deep gashes / pockets , i know the weather is friggin awful at the moment, warm and soggy!, shes had her feet trimmed a week ago and although not lame she doesnt like her heels being touched when i do her feet they are very soft and squidgy, i just concerned that its perfect for bacteria etc there are deep pocketed areas in the heel skin, shes only just started to allow to pick her feet up and pick out as shes been a bit kicky/mareish she wont let me use any smelly liquids on her feet so what can i do to keep the infections and bacteria away? i always used to use purple spray on other horses but there NO WAY ill get in the stable without a strop!!, any ideas ??
 
Sounds like thrush.

You can try soaking boots with 50% apple cider vinegar, 50% water or Cleantrax.

I use Red Horse's ArtiMud or Sudocrem packed in...but if she won't allow that, then soaking might be your best bet.

Diet and movement are the best treatments for thrush - the horse can create more resilient and hardier tissue but topicals have their place too.

If you can't get at them or soak them - you could spray iodine from the ground, at the back of her heel?
 
My girl had these symptoms in one heel a few weeks ago so I hot tubbed for a few days then it burst. It was an abscess in her case. Abscess was in her foot near frog and came out at weakest point. She was short on that back leg but not lame.

Agree with Oberon it could also be thrush.
 
thanks everyone, have been bringing her in for a few hours picking them out and purple spraying 3 times a week seems to work a treat i did use an udder cream that helps with bacteria etc but the spray seems to stay on longer !
 
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