Soft Soles/ Heels/ Frogs - persistent Thrush - Underlying Cause ??

[Spangles]

We have a horse who has had persistent thrush in all 4 feet to a lesser or greater degree for several months now. Started to clear up with drier weather but now after all the rain his frogs & heel bulbs are very soft.
We’ve treated with iodine, kept feet dry, clean & dry stable etc
He has very deep clefts & regular farrier trims to keep as much air through.
Could there be an underlying cause or condition involved ?
Feed wise, Happy Hoof Mollasses Free so high fibre blend, low sugar, low starch but does have Alfalfa in it.
Could the Alfalfa be contributing ?

 

[Birker2020]

We have a horse who has had persistent thrush in all 4 feet to a lesser or greater degree for several months now. Started to clear up with drier weather but now after all the rain his frogs & heel bulbs are very soft.
We’ve treated with iodine, kept feet dry, clean & dry stable etc
He has very deep clefts & regular farrier trims to keep as much air through.
Could there be an underlying cause or condition involved ?
Feed wise, Happy Hoof Mollasses Free so high fibre blend, low sugar, low starch but does have Alfalfa in it.
Could the Alfalfa be contributing ?

I was told that the reason mine had thrush was because he had cushings or EMS. He was tested negative to both.

Despite picking out his feet twice daily, being stabled on clean shavings and the application of iodine he had it for a good while.

Now he is retired, out 24/7 and never stabled/ feet picked out he doesn't have thrush! Crazy.

 

[SEL]

No idea on the alfalfa but it's worth changing to something basic like grass pellets and adding a really good vitamin and mineral balancer to see if that helps

Changing treatments can also be effective. My go-to is the sheep rot foot spray which comes with a nozzle that can easily get into cracks. I've also found as much movement to stimulate the frog as they can do helps

 

[Highmileagecob]

Is your horse shod or barefoot? The turning point for my boy was changing to a barefoot trimmer. He had never been shod, but I could not get on top of the thrush. Trimmer gradually lowered his heels over a six month period to get the frog under gentle pressure, minimal trimming of the frog, scrub soles daily with soap and water, rinse and spray with 1% iodine solution, Do not routinely slice off the top of the frog, and do not remove any sole. The heel area should have a shallow collar of hoof wall to the same height as the bars, with a gradual mustang roll down to sole level at the toe. Thrush is painful, and you may find your horse reluctant to walk on firm surfaces until the initial healing starts to take place. Pete Ramey's Hoof Rehab pages are a good source of information.

 

[ycbm]

I've also found as much movement to stimulate the frog as they can do helps

This, definitely, but also as HMC says the frogs have to be in contact with a surface (either the ground, a boot, or padding inside a boot, as necessary) or they won't pack down and harden up.
.

 

[reynold]

Definitely the sheep foot rot spray.

Also an older remedy is to treat first with Hydrogen Peroxide and follow that with iodine.

If you bed on shavings it might be worth a try to use wood pellets under the shavings to absorb the wet and keep the shavings on top drier. This also, as @ycbm said above, will provide a firmer surface than just wood shavings alone and will keep the frog working.

Turn out as much as possible when the ground is drier and firmer (if it ever stops raining....!)

 

[Bonnie Allie]

I had success with Red Horse Field Paste. Iodine, peroxide, foot rot spray, thrush buster were all too strong and damaged the hoof tissue making horse very tender.

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

I wouldn't use iodine long term it's too harsh and actually destroys the healthy tissue it's OK short term but I would use the field paste or I use Swan antibac.

 

[Christmascinnamoncookie]

Mine had very soft soles and bruised very easily. I used Keratex and a decent paintbrush with great success and then put boots on him to go up and down the very stony lane to turn out/catch in. I was also fussy about my farrier.

Obviously the ground conditions will affect him, drier weather will help hugely. What bedding do you have him on? Shavings/wood pellets worked well for me, I mixed them so it was really absorbent.

 

[smolmaus]

We are struggling with the weather and thrush here too. Problem front saw really nice improvement with a warm salt soak a few times a week, red horse sole cleanse spray and packing the central sulcus with "hoof stuff", the zinc oxide/honey packing material.

We now have a problem hind which is proving a bit more difficult as it is a horrible, scrappy frog shed rather than a sulcus issue but I am keeping on with the protocol. Have also started using the forage plus hoof and skin balancer a few weeks ago as my brain went down the same track as yours did but probably too soon to see any significant effects yet, especially with the weather being what it is. Uphill battle!

 

[Surbie]

If you use the Alec Swan antibac (which is great stuff), be warned it comes through the nozzle fast and you only need a few drops. I used mine last week and forgot this. The whole barn stank of teatree for 2 days.

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

If you use the Alec Swan antibac (which is great stuff), be warned it comes through the nozzle fast and you only need a few drops. I used mine last week and forgot this. The whole barn stank of teatree for 2 days.

I love the smell but yes it does fly out quick. I sometimes tip a bit in a shallow container then put some in a small syringe it's easier to just drip it.

 

[paddy555]

I think we dealt with this on your earlier thread if it is the same horse. My advice now is the same as then ie soak in copper sulphate solution a couple of times.

However to answer your current question of the underlying cause the answer is very simple. The back of the foot isn't working properly. That's the same answer that SEL, Highmileage and YCBM have put in various forms.

Mine don't have thrush, we are in a wet area of the country and have mud so just the same problems as anyone else. I don't regularly pick feet out. (not crazy Birker, I do what works )

So why no thrush? simply because the feet are working as they should.

Feed wise I have fed everything over the years including the most molassessy, lovely coarse mix to my highest mileage barefoot, unbooted horse.. So I don't go along with feed too much. Supplement maybe if you want growth as I did find that worked.

So to my mind I would start with the trim. post 4 refers. I suspect the heels will need to be lowered to get the frog working and when it does it will become a strong, conditioned frog.
However it is chicken and egg, lower heels onto a sore frog and horse will be reluctant to walk nicely and certainly won't land in his heel as he should.
Don't adjust the trim and you remain where you are now.

It is impossible to comment without pics at least however in this situation I would (in general) soak in copper sulphate, turn out and let feet pack with mud, do a 2nd copper sulphate soak, trim anything thrushy or in the way off the frogs so that may be a slightly more severe trim, and then take a single swipe of the heels and walk/ride/long rein whatever in padded boots. Carpet any area where he has to walk over stones in the yard. You don't want him to think his feet hurt.
Then continue in padded boots and keep taking single swipes off the heels. Before swiping the heels make sure he is landing well in the boots. Once he lands OK slightly lower, keep working and then when he is good lower again.

One you get to that stage (which will take a while if you are coming from a poor position) start removing the boots for a tiny distance only, reboot with pads to work the frog then gradually remove the boots for a longer and longer distance.

 

[Anna Clara]

My 14 year old warmblood had a history of very thrushy feet when shod and in, or in and out. He was then turned away to be out 24/7 barefoot and his feet got much better. They were still very crumbly and deep last year.

When I took him on in January I fed him a probiotic and biotin, and changed to a barefoot trimmer every 4 weeks. His feet are doing so well, there has been no thrush or cracks and chips, they are rock solid and the new growth is so much thicker and healthier.

The change has been incredible. I've never used any products.

 

[bubsqueaks]

This year has been particularly bad for barefoot horses with the wet - we use horse leads hoof clay, feed Equimins Balancer with Simple System Haycare soaked, & have brilliant barefoot trimmer.