Trush, feeling awful. Looking for advice.

L&B

L&B

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THRUSH **

So with it being a very wet winter this year it has been virtually impossible to keep my girls dry for any great length of time because of the sheer amount of MUD. I've done my best with what I have though, they've always come indoors of an evening to a clean dry bed, they have had their legs (heavily feathered) and hooves dried off and feet picked. Our livery yard is very stony.

I was mortified when my farrier attended to my youngest barefoot filly on Tuesday and unintentionally made her bleed whilst picking out her feet, then announcing she has thrush. She made it known she was in pain by almost knocking him flying as he ran his pick down the side of her frog :( :(
Farrier seems to think she's had a small stone caught in the groove down the side of her frog and this has allowed thrush to get in and do its worst. He says it's gone beyond the 'artificial frog' (??). I couldn't believe it! She has her feet picked every day. He said with the amount of damp, if I've so much as missed the stone, or it's been stubborn to get out when picking out for a day or two; that's all it would take. Doesn't stop me feeling like the worst mum in the world :'(

My poor girl is now footsore and hobbly at walk, no heat though. I have (following farriers advice) tubbed her foot with a dilute of hibiscrub and salt, dried her hoof off and laid her down a 3x deeper bed and now she is being Gold Label, purple sprayed twice a day every day.
The groove itself isn't as stinky as it was, but there is still a deep black gunky hole right in the corner of the groove of her frog which I can fit the tip of my little finger in and which she is flinchy about me touching... This is the hole we think the stone/thrush has created and I am attacking it with purple spray, squirting it right down there.

Can anyone else calm my mind or give me any tips or hints to help my girl?
Whenever I've experienced thrush before I've used a dilute of hydrogen peroxide in a spray bottle and it's been gone in 3/4days, never making them sore. Farrier says not to do that in this case as it's deeper, I've never seen it this bad before and I feel absolutely awful.

Vet is coming out for jabs on Wednesday next week, so if needs be I can have them take a look then.

Please no crit', nobody could beat me up more than I'm beating up myself. And donuts and coffee for anyone who read this far :)
 
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Not an immediate solution but I would look at adding a good vitamin and mineral supplement to their feeds. My own mare had quite bad thrush that wouldn't clear, but it was almost gone six weeks after starting her on a good supplement. I know a lot of users here really rate the Prohoof and Forage Plus supplements, so they might be worth a try. I used Formula4Feet because my old girl is a very fussy eater and it was the best I could do. It certainly worked!

I terms of treatment the Red Horse products are very good, especially the field paste https://redhorseproducts.com/shop-2/hoof-care/. However I know for severe cases there are special treatments you can do - I think Clean Trax is one? I've never used them though, but I know there are posters here who have so hopefully some of them will be along shortly and can tell you more about them :)

Also, don't beat yourself up about it. It does happen to everyone at one time or another :)
 
Think its worthy of a report to the RSPCA myself :D

Seriously, don't blame yourself. Its an easy thing to miss. My horse has the inside of his off fore built up with an extra bit built into the lateral aspect of his shoe.
I always worry that something will work its way under there and its impossible to get a hoof pick under. The bottom of the shoe can't be completely flush to the sole due to the natural curvature of the foot so I am sure before long he will get something that has worked its way up and will cause a bit of soreness.

No matter how much we wrap them up in cotton wool something always happens. My horse who has a healing lump out of his nose (hadn't a clue what he had caught it on) managed to bang his nose on something again in the few seconds it took me to pop to the loo at the yard the other night. Couldn't believe when he lifted his head up and blood was dripping from the same spot on his nose, yet only 2.5 mins before he was fine!!!

My friend always uses diluted hydrogen peroxide on her horses feet when it has thrush. Horrible smell, but does the trick.
 
Thanks all for your replies :) really appreciate them!
Will look into diet once this is all clear!
I have just ordered the red horse 'hoof stuff' this afternoon and I'm visiting the tack shop after work to pick up some more hypocare and hibiscrub.
The thing with dettol and hp is, if it's that deep as the farrier suggests I don't want it hurting her or working away on new tissues... What do you reckon? Am I worrying unnecessarily?
 
Firstly, it WILL get better :D

The big thing feet like this need is to be dry to recover. Absorbent bedding ( anything but straw) is best plus in extreme cases wrap up in a nappy over night to suck out the moisture.

Red Horse products are excellent and Gentle which some others aren't. However you need a big hole for Hoof Stuff. I recommend Sole Cleanse for daily use and ArtiMud for holes like you describe (it's like clay and easy to apply).

You'll be fine once the wet ground is resolved permanently.
 
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