Thrush in a very deep cleft

[klb]

Contracted heels are so common that a lot, not all, farriers don't even seem to notice let alone comment on them.

A lot, not all, aren't aware of the benefits of a period without shoes or how the foot should function and the effect that diet has on hooves.

There is a lot missing from the farriery curriculum about hoof health as the main focus is preparing a flat surface for a shoe and fixing the shoe on.

If you wanted to post a picture then users in here would give their opinion, but that's your call. A solar view (pic when hoof held up) and pics from the front and side on level ground and ideally crouched down and taken at the same level as the hoof are ideal.

However without seeing a picture and based in the information it does sound like if there is a deep cleft than heels have to be contracted to some degree and if the frog is weak there is also a chance that the heels are underrun but masked with shoeing.

Shoeing isn't the worst thing when dine correctly but hooves do need a break from shoes to recover. The (farrier/shoeing book) No Foot, No Horse is a good read and also emphasizes that point (it's written by a farrier). It appears to have shot up in price but you might find it cheaper in ebay or facebook https://www.amazon.co.uk/No-Foot-Ho...rse&qid=1571881744&sprefix=no+foot+no+&sr=8-1

Hi everyone, I've taken some photos today but it is saying file is too large for the the server to process, so i can't upload them. I'm not very tech savvy for not sure if there is anything i can do

 

[Red-1]

Hi everyone, I've taken some photos today but it is saying file is too large for the the server to process, so i can't upload them. I'm not very tech savvy for not sure if there is anything i can do

If you are on a windows PC you can shrink the images using the dots in the top right...

 

[Mule]

Hi everyone, I've taken some photos today but it is saying file is too large for the the server to process, so i can't upload them. I'm not very tech savvy for not sure if there is anything i can do

It always does that recently. What sometimes works is to take a screenshot of the photo and just upload that. (If your photos are on your phone). There are also apps you can download that reduce the size of the image.

 

[HashRouge]

I upload the photos to Facebook then save them back onto my computer. The new images seem to be smaller as I can always upload them.

Out of interest OP, is it just one hoof she has this on or all four? And is it front or back?

 

[klb]

Can you "floss" the cleft with a baby wipe? That's usually quite effective but gentle.

Thrush does hurt and that isn't always acknowledged.

I'd be worried about keeping her in because horses with thrush tend to stand on their dung to "cool" the soreness and burn from thrush. If she was in 24/7 its swapping one problem for another.

Will she stand in a bucket to be rubbed? Alternatively I think its shires who do a pull on sock boot with a rubber bottom to let you soak the foot.

I would soak the foot in salt water, then try to dry it (kitchen towels) and "floss" the cleft them let horse stand on dry hard floor for an hour before packing it with red horse hoof stuff. If you dont have hoof stuff to hand a nappy cream covered bit of baby wipe does a job until you can get hoof stuff.

I had a horse with chronic abscessing in a frog and heel bulb that also caused really bad thrush so I feel your pain re the kicking. He had to endure two surgeries and countless vet visits without ever getting a cure. I feel your pain with the kicking...literally.

The only sort of solution was to establish a routine. So as much as mine hated being tubbed (fed him at this point to try to get him standing still) and having his sore hoof messed with he learnt there was treats and distraction at each stage and got a bit better at letting me clean, dry and dress it. I also just needed to get better at holding on because once he managed to get his foot back it was double the work after that.

If the horse will be tubbed that's half the battle.

Be careful riding because stones will be agony on a thrushy frog and sand and irritant to a deep cleft.

I upload the photos to Facebook then save them back onto my computer. The new images seem to be smaller as I can always upload them.

Out of interest OP, is it just one hoof she has this on or all four? And is it front or back?

Thank you everyone, its both backs fronts are ok at the moment, just shooting to the yard will try the facebook method when i get back, thank you

 

[klb]

Thank you everyone, its both backs fronts are ok at the moment, just shooting to the yard will try the facebook method when i get back, thank you

 

[klb]

Tried the facebook route, minimising them and ive screenshot them keeps saying too big, what a pain in the rear

 

[AmyMay]

Tried the facebook route, minimising them and ive screenshot them keeps saying too big, what a pain in the rear

message them to one of us and we can resize them for you

 

[HashRouge]

Thank you everyone, its both backs fronts are ok at the moment, just shooting to the yard will try the facebook method when i get back, thank you

I'd be inclined to remove both back shoes when your farrier is next up if that's the case, as horses tend to do fairly well with no back shoes, especially in winter. It's not a magic fix for your problem, but stimulating the back of the hoof does tend to improve the quality of the frog and can reduce the likelihood of thrush.

 

[klb]

ive done it, thanks for all your help. let me know if there are any other angles that would be useful, photos are of both back feet, she is due the farrier so her frogs are really ready for a trim

 

[klb]

Contracted heels are so common that a lot, not all, farriers don't even seem to notice let alone comment on them.

A lot, not all, aren't aware of the benefits of a period without shoes or how the foot should function and the effect that diet has on hooves.

There is a lot missing from the farriery curriculum about hoof health as the main focus is preparing a flat surface for a shoe and fixing the shoe on.

If you wanted to post a picture then users in here would give their opinion, but that's your call. A solar view (pic when hoof held up) and pics from the front and side on level ground and ideally crouched down and taken at the same level as the hoof are ideal.

However without seeing a picture and based in the information it does sound like if there is a deep cleft than heels have to be contracted to some degree and if the frog is weak there is also a chance that the heels are underrun but masked with shoeing.

Shoeing isn't the worst thing when dine correctly but hooves do need a break from shoes to recover. The (farrier/shoeing book) No Foot, No Horse is a good read and also emphasizes that point (it's written by a farrier). It appears to have shot up in price but you might find it cheaper in ebay or facebook https://www.amazon.co.uk/No-Foot-Ho...rse&qid=1571881744&sprefix=no+foot+no+&sr=8-1[/QUOTE
photos are posted, thank you

 

[TPO]

The heels are underrun and the shoes are too short. See how the cornet band doesnt sit on a horizontal straight line but collapses at each side and runs down?

The hooves are also bull nosed. This is often a dietary issue but can also be linked to the heels and changes angles.

The white hoof looks to be showing bruising too. That could be from a knock or it could be dietary too

ETA they arent the worst hooves ever but there is room for improvement

 

[klb]

The heels are underrun and the shoes are too short. See how the cornet band doesnt sit on a horizontal straight line but collapses at each side and runs down?

The hooves are also bull nosed. This is often a dietary issue but can also be linked to the heels and changes angles.

The white hoof looks to be showing bruising too. That could be from a knock or it could be dietary too

ETA they arent the worst hooves ever but there is room for improvement

thank you, i can see the points you have made, so maybe looking for a new farrier wouldn't go amiss then. none of the points you have made are down to her feet being due are they??

 

[emfen1305]

I would be looking for a new farrier.. however they are not as bad as I was expecting!

 

[TPO]

thank you, i can see the points you have made, so maybe looking for a new farrier wouldn't go amiss then. none of the points you have made are down to her feet being due are they??

No, I wouldn't look at those feet and say that they were overdue.

Once the thrush is treated and the central sulcus opens and becomes shallow the frogs look to be a good size.

Personally I'd pull hind shoes and let the heels sort themself. I'd look to tweak the diet slightly and expect the hoof wall to grow down tighter and eventually lose the bulbous profile.

Just out of interest what are the fronts like? Absolutely ok if you dont want to post the pictures

 

[klb]

I would be looking for a new farrier.. however they are not as bad as I was expecting!

thank you, my daughter and I have been working really hard over the last 3/4 days to tackle the thrush and last night when i took the photos I could notice an improvement and tonight better still, i have kept her in the last couple of days

 

[TPO]

What level of work is your horse in?

 

[klb]

No, I wouldn't look at those feet and say that they were overdue.

Once the thrush is treated and the central sulcus opens and becomes shallow the frogs look to be a good size.

Personally I'd pull hind shoes and let the heels sort themself. I'd look to tweak the diet slightly and expect the hoof wall to grow down tighter and eventually lose the bulbous profile.

Just out of interest what are the fronts like? Absolutely ok if you dont want to post the pictures

no I don't mind i appreciate the help, I will take some tomorrow. I did get some of the supplement you suggested, so will be gradually introducing that to her feeds

 

[klb]

What level of work is your horse in?

normally she is ridden about 5 times a week, a mix of schooling, hacking and jumping but over the last month this has been reduced due to such bad weather and my daughter having a foot op so she has been ridden on average 3 times a week

 

[emfen1305]

thank you, my daughter and I have been working really hard over the last 3/4 days to tackle the thrush and last night when i took the photos I could notice an improvement and tonight better still, i have kept her in the last couple of days

Thrush is one of the only satisfying horse ailments because if you work hard to treat it then it actually goes away! Keep going with it, looks like it’s going in the right direction!

 

[klb]

Thrush is one of the only satisfying horse ailments because if you work hard to treat it then it actually goes away! Keep going with it, looks like it’s going in the right direction!

thank you, will defo keep at it

 

[Hokuspokus]

I second Kevin Bacon's Hoof dressing. The only thing thats worked for mine and thats been with trying iodine, red horse products etc

 

[oldie48]

My horse has very deep sulci and came with a bit of thrush which cleared up quite quickly with being on a clean dry bed. However it raised it's ugly head again and I used copper sulphate crystals in a very dilute solution as recommended by my farrier, also used a stiff brush to clean out the frog. she didn 't have a bad case but it cleared up very quickly. It'a a real pain but will respond to treatment. i knew as soon as she objected to having her feet picked out that something was wrong and I think it's something I'll always have to be on guard for. Good luck I hope you keep it at bay!

 

[Mule]

I remember now my farrier advising me to use copper sulfate for something. It was years ago so I can't remember if it was thrush but oldie48's post jogged my memory. It worked anyway.

 

[klb]

Thank you everyone, Have still been keeping her in and she seems to be tolerating it quite well easing my guilt a little. We have been packing the deep cleft out with the red horse hoof stuff, she is still objecting and still trying to cow kick our heads off of our shoulders, I'm impressed though that at 55 years old i can still move quite quickly. All the time she is objecting though i feel i haven't got rid of the worst of it, i just hope the pulling of her leg and the cow kicking hasn't become a habit now. I havnt forgotten to take photos of the fronts but i did yesterday, so will get them tomorrow when i go back down. Oldie48 what did you dilute the copper sulphate with as I have some of the crystals. Im planning on turning her out again on monday after the farrier has been but so worried about the mud getting back into the cleft and being back to square on again if i can't manage to get all the mud out properly, even though the foot stuff goes right in im not sure how well it will stay in once she goes out, its designed to stay in but not convinced it will. For the cleft to grow out completely will probably take months, I can't keep her in that long

 

[emfen1305]

Is she out 24/7 or out in the day at in at night? Any time on a dry bed will do it good, the hoof stuff is great at staying in if you pack it right in, mine only started coming out once the split had opened up and lessened in depth but at its worst I struggled to get the old stuff out because it was packed so tightly!

 

[klb]

No she is in of a night but at the moment she has been in since saturday, planning on turning her back out when the farrier has been on monday. Did you just use the hoof stuff in the split as I've been trying to syringe iodine in there first, not sure if both treatments together was too much. She is on straw as she is the wettest, messiest mare ive had, her bed is thoroughly mucked out everyday, whilst she has been in its done twice a day

 

[emfen1305]

Once I felt it had dried up a bit and it was just a split then I started packing with the hoof stuff and that kept the grit and mud out which helped it to heal, once grit gets in there it keeps it moist and rubs every time they move so it won’t heal so it’s more important to try and keep the grit and mud out. That’s what helped us, I use iodine now just to dry things up if it flares up again as I find it the quickest and most effective treatment!

 

[klb]

Once I felt it had dried up a bit and it was just a split then I started packing with the hoof stuff and that kept the grit and mud out which helped it to heal, once grit gets in there it keeps it moist and rubs every time they move so it won’t heal so it’s more important to try and keep the grit and mud out. That’s what helped us, I use iodine now just to dry things up if it flares up again as I find it the quickest and most effective treatment!

did you find your horse was reluctant to let you clear the mud out of the crack when it was at its worse

 

[emfen1305]

He’s a pretty docile chap but would not tolerate them being soaked, he did pull his feet away and when it was at it’s worse I used to ask someone to hold up another leg so he had to concentrate on balancing but that’s risky if they are over dramatic, I didn’t spend too long on syringing, at the start I would syringe in the evening and then pack his feet before he went out in the morning and then would just change the hoof stuff every couple of days or just pack more in to keep the grit out. I would say it took a couple of months before the split closed up so it wasn’t at his hairline but he’s always prone to it reopening if I don’t stay on top of it.