Thrush & sheared heels

[GRIFFINPAULA]

Can anyone help? Eight months down the line and Thomas still has Thrush which has caused sheared heels in his fronts. I have tried Iodine, Thrush Buster, salt water and vets potions! Just starting to use Keratex! Has anyone used this and has anyone got any other solutions. He is smart to it all now and doesn't like me going near his fronts when I have any bottles in my hand. The only time it cleared up was in the snow! HELP! I want a happy horse!:confused

 

[ruth83]

Builders lime, packed into feet, especially clefts of frog (lateral and central)

 

[HBB]

My old boy gets thrush from time to time on his back feet. He has really deep central sulcus and collateral grooves down the sides of his frogs.
I stick to the old remedies such as thick Stockholm tar. I apply it once or twice a week through the winter to keep things clean and hygienic.

 

[Tr0uble]

My old boy gets thrush from time to time on his back feet. He has really deep central sulcus and collateral grooves down the sides of his frogs.QUOTE]

One of mine is the same as this. I've found a daily squirt of Redhorse Sole Cleanse, after a good pick out and They've both got thrush again this year because I'm not able to do that at the moment because I'm on crutches and it really noticeable.

 

[HBB]

One of mine is the same as this. I've found a daily squirt of Redhorse Sole Cleanse, after a good pick out and They've both got thrush again this year because I'm not able to do that at the moment because I'm on crutches and it really noticeable.

When their grooves are so deep its inevitable they will get bacterial infections from time to time. You don't want to dig too deep in case you bruise them, but you still want to make sure you get everything out so its nice and clean. Horses! Its never ending problem solving, lol!
Hope you're feeling better soon

 

[akashapachamama]

check out the redhorse products. i use field paste and artimud. both fantastic ans have prevented thrush on my girls' feet.

 

[mrdarcy]

Thrush starts as a dietry problem - that then gives the bacteria/fungus a chance to take hold in the frog. Sort out the diet first, then you can get on top of the bacteria/fungus and bingo! What's his diet now?

 

[Shilasdair]

Thrush = bacterial infection - and a useful remedy for this is peroxide, poured into the sole (don't let it touch any hair/skin though). It fizzes impressively.
As a preventative measure, try to make sure feet are kept clean, dry, and away from urine/faeces.

Sheared heels = imbalance in the foot caused by poor trimming and foot care.
A decent farrier should be able to ensure the foot balance is correct, allowing forces to be transmitted evenly down both sides of the foot. For extreme cases, using an eggbar shoe can help to stabilise sheared heels (and might be worth it, as in my experience sheared heels can be a precursor to fractures of the pedal bone).
S

 

[Tr0uble]

When their grooves are so deep its inevitable they will get bacterial infections from time to time. You don't want to dig too deep in case you bruise them, but you still want to make sure you get everything out so its nice and clean. Horses! Its never ending problem solving, lol!
Hope you're feeling better soon

Luckily his aren't SO deep that it can't be controlled. I find the sole cleanse, on 'jet' setting is great for blasting out the last bits of crud to get the grooves reallt clean.

I've found the wire brushes fab too, you ca buy mini ones from B&Q and they work really well to get and small bits of grit out of the grooves and keept the sole/wall junction nice and clean. Just have to not use them TOO often, once or twice a week works well.

 

[MrsHutt]

Thrush = bacterial infection - and a useful remedy for this is peroxide, poured into the sole (don't let it touch any hair/skin though). It fizzes impressively.
As a preventative measure, try to make sure feet are kept clean, dry, and away from urine/faeces.

Sheared heels = imbalance in the foot caused by poor trimming and foot care.
A decent farrier should be able to ensure the foot balance is correct, allowing forces to be transmitted evenly down both sides of the foot. For extreme cases, using an eggbar shoe can help to stabilise sheared heels (and might be worth it, as in my experience sheared heels can be a precursor to fractures of the pedal bone).
S

Hugo had a little of it in two feet last Sunday when I looked. I bought some stuff from the tack shop, cleaned them out and sploshed it on. You are supposed to apply it every 2-3 days. YO suggested peroxide as a 'once and for all' treatment, so went up yesterday expecting the worst as I hadn't been able to get there in the week. Guess what?! Not a sign of it! I thought at first I'd looked at the wrong foot - fresh as a daisy! So I will keep the peroxide in case it happens again. I think the fact that we'd had a few dry, slightly warmer days probably did the trick, rather than anything I had put on!

The incredible self-healing horse!?

 

[cptrayes]

If the shears are deep enough to hold it, a make-up remover disc smothered in sudocrem and folded in half.

My experience of sheared heels is that I have cured several sets on horses which were cause by contracted heels. If yours is the same, and you can get your farrier/trimmer to widen the heels and get the frog in contact with the floor, the sulcus should spread with the heels and become a lot shallower or disappear altogether.


ps hydrogen peroxide at the 3% strength you should use it at is perfectly safe on skin, his and yours, but it will bleach his hair and your clothes It is sold in Boots as a cleaner for open wounds safe for use in children.

 

[mil1212]

My farrier has suggested copper sulphate, I have 2 horses that are prone to this situation, 1 has very definite sheared heels too. He also has a theory that it may be related to rubber mats and the way we look after horses these days standing in stables etc.....
Anyway, one of his other clients was prescibed copper sulphate by the vets for really bad thrush, and so I investigated online. It seems more commonly used in America.
I brought a load of it for a fiver on ebay - it's widely available as it has many uses from growing crystals to cleaning ponds. I diluted the powder to something like 1 in 10, put it in a spray bottle and spray it on about once a week. Has helped hugely, the frogs are knitting together.

 

[HBB]

One of mine is the same as this. I've found a daily squirt of Redhorse Sole Cleanse, after a good pick out

I think I'll have a wee look for this Redhorse Sole Cleanse stuff. Stockhole Tar works really well for me, but its a pain in cold weather as it almost goes solid. Not easy faffing about with feet, feathers, hoof picks, paint brush and a solid tub of goo, all at the same time with an impatient horse resting all his weight on you

 

[Puddock]

I think I've tried just about every product on the market in an effort to treat this. From Farrier's Anti-Bac to the Red Horse products to more traditional remedies such as iodine (vet's suggestion) and hydrogen peroxide (farrier's). None of it really had much effect. You may also run into problems trying to buy peroxide, I believe it can be used for making explosives, so expect to be questioned closely when you buy it. Boots/pharmacies etc are also not licensed to sell it for use on animals, so if they ask you, have another excuse ready!

The only thing I've found to work (with fairly spectacular results) is Cleantrax solution. You can buy it from Equine Podiatry Supplies. To use it, you either need your farrier to remove shoes or if unshod to trim back the area removing any raggedy tissue etc behind which bacteria could hide. Then you use the powder supplied to make up a soak and keep the foot/feet in it for 30-60 minutes. Last time I used it, the thrush was gone within three days after the treatment.

It's also important to have a strict daily cleaning regime. I use diluted hibiscrub and each affected foot is cleaned thoroughly. I use a hoof brush on the sole and frog and the kind of bottle hairdressers use to hold hair dye (it has a long thin nozzle) to squirt the hibiscrub deep into the central sulcus. Then I dry the affected area thoroughly with a towel. Whenever I pick the feet out, they get a quick spray with Milton solution, which is antibacterial, but fairly mild. My horse currently has thrush again, I have a bottle of cleantrax ready and waiting, but unfortunately our fields are currently so muddy that there is little point in using it - I am keeping them clean day to day using the method described above and will get the cleantrax on as soon as the ground dries slightly.

For what it's worth (and I know other's will disagree) my vet, farrier and ri are all against the "plugging up" methods such as Stockholm tar - they think that creating that kind of closed system provides an ideal breeding ground for the bacteria. I fully respect their views, vet is one of the head equine vets at the university here and farrier and ri are both hugely experienced.

I hope some of this helps, pm me if you want - I've been battling this for a long time and I know how disheartening it can get sometimes!

 

[Clippy]

If your horse is stabled, leave the bedding up during the day. Cavalor Dry Feet spray is brilliant and you can apply it with a brush and stab it down the sides of his frog if he doesn't like the spray.

 

[Piglet]

Twice my horse has had thrush in the same foot, both times were in the summer despite my excellent hoof hygiene, we have a lot of sheep foot rot on the moor and apparently it is the same bacteria, I used to use Footmaster purple spray but it didn't work, peroxide was a waste of time, my friend suggested a solution of Jeys fluid and hot water, put hoof into the tub and pour/syringe the mixture into the frog. My horse was so bad that big holes appeared in the bulb of the heel, the thrush has now cleared up (I don't keep/or ride him on the moor any more) and I tub all 4 frogs once a week to keep it at bay. Good luck