Treatment for white line disease?

S

saddlesore

Well-Known Member
Joined
13 April 2008
Messages
4,789
Location
Wonderland!!
Visit site
My horse was shod today and farrier said he has mild white line disease and he suggested trying to clean under the shoe area with a bleach solution 3 times a week for the next few weeks. I am happy to follow his advice but have never come across this problem before so would be interested to know what treatments others have used and if they were successful? :confused:
 
I've tried various things over the years and the very best thing is Anti-bac, available from your farrier - or not!
 
My horse was diagnosed with this last year. The best method I found was to tub his feet in a solution of cold water and Milton (baby Sterilising Fluid). Milton is acti bacterial,fungal and viral and the cold water will also help kill the "bugs" as they tend to breed in warm damp conditions.
I found that as you really need to get under the shoe and penetrate the soultion into the nail holes tubbing was the best way. Thankfuly mine was very good and just stood in buckets to tub but you can get specially designed "socks" for doing it too.
 
As for the bleach solution... I would not recommend it. I found it to harsh for horses hoofs as it tends to not only kill the infection but also healthy hoof tissue it comes into contact with. The bacteria/uingasides causing the infection feed off dead hoof tissue and using bleach will give them a greater food supply to reastablish and thus start the cycle again.
 
Thanks for your reply. I did wonder about Milton but it said that it takes 45 minutes to kill all bacteria/fungus etc and there is no way my horse would stand for that long! Probably being thick here but would it work faster if it wasn't as diluted?

As for getting it under the shoe I've been trying to get under ith with a tooth brush which I think is kind of working......... :(
 
my farrier mixed tea tree oil with hoof moist for my pony when she had it, cleared it up.
 
Yes, Tea Tree is also good, especially as it soaks into the hoof well to reach all problem areas. You could buy some Tea Tree Oil, mix with water, shake before each use, and spray or soak the lower hoof.
Still prefer the Anti-bac though, cheap and easy too.:D
 
Thanks DM - you've clearly run into this problem before! Had horses for 18yrs now but rather than getting things that I know how to treat they have to be 'individual' and keep coming up with new problems for me to solve lol x
 
Hey in answer to your question about Milton don't think it takes 45 minutes, I certainly haven't used it for 45 mins. Think it says 15 mins on the bottle I used. My horse will stand for that long in buckets to soak :D but you can use it a little less diluted scrubbing into the nail holes, sole, frog and round the join of the sole and hoof, a tooth brush is good! leave the hoof for 10/15 mins if your horse will stand on some cleanish hardstanding then rise off.

I too use the tea tree oil and it is very good rinse off the milton leave the feet to dry then apply all hoof inside and out.
 
We get somthing from the vets called hoof dressing its mostly eucaliptas (sp)! stinks and you cant get it on there/your skin as it burns but you just put in above the nail holes on the shoes and it soaks in. Transforms Songs feet in a few weeks as he gets it every summer!
 
When my mare had it I tubbed her foot in warm water and diluted hibi-scrub for about 10 minutes, which seemed to clear it up :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top