thrush??

[jumpy]

the sole on my horses hoof is really flakey and little pieces are falling off. is this normal or is this thrush or some other hoof problem?

[yasmin**]

i realy sorry 2 hear about this but it is thrush

luv yasmin :) :) :)

[Big Ears]

flaking off is normal, thrush you would find the frog area soft, soggy and smelling very strong - flaking off usually occurs on normal hoof structure, it's just growing and getting too long.

with thrush, you would find the whole area a bit soft, and sensitive, with a distinctive smell - if you pick out the deep grooves round each side of the frog and smell the debris that comes out, you will know if you have thrush as it is a strong smell.

[jumpy]

how can i treat it? got any advice?

[jumpy]

if i go to pick her hoof out it does smell a little but it isn't sensitive and if i wash it the smell goes away. so is it thrush???

[entreat]

if it only smells alittle, then's it's probably not thrush. Thrush STINKS! If it's getting bad, there will be some black goo aswell.

I don't know what would be causing the sole to flake, but I doubt it's thrush.

[Big Ears]

most h orses feet smell a little - from the manure they tread in, earth etc - but thrush has a very strong distinctive smell, and you also get a lot of goo in the clefts round the frog so I don't think it is thrush.

Most hooves flake on the sole as they grow and get near to the next time the farrier is due but they come off in hard flakes/chunks - if the sole of the foot is hard and she doesn't flinch when you tap/prod it I doubt it is thrush.

If you want to be extra careful then you can buy some iodine spray or the blue cattle foot rot spray and once a week spray the sole, clefts and frog with this and it will cleanse the feet and keep them fresh.

[Jumping Genius]

when my horse had thrush it didn't smell very much but it had all the other signs. after a while it went away! just really clean out the hoofs really well. :)

[Moomin]

oooohhh - Moo's thrush STINKS like nothing else I have ever smelt. She gets it all the time no matter how clean she is kept - she came with it in fact!

Flaking sole - can only think of when the top layer of foot makes way for the next - maybe that's just how your horse is?

[entreat]

to treat thrush, mix 1 part water with 1 part 3% Hydrogenperoxide (from hairdresser or chemist). Wash & pick hoof thoroughly, then spray entire sole with mix - ensure you get right into the clefts. Do this once a day, and it should be gone in a week. :)

However, I still don't think jumpy's horse has thrush.

[MelanieD]

It's normal for flaky stuff to come off the sole, the flaky stuff is dead sole. Live sole is more sort of waxy and can be found underneath the shedding stuff. If there's thrush you'll usually find some black stuff around the edges of the frog or notice a really minging smell.

[Bebe]

Echo MelanieD.

One of Bebe's frogs is looking a bit raggy at the moment, my trimmer will tidy it up next weekend (I daren't trim the frog myself yet). I suspect it's just exfoliating as the ground is drying out and hardening up so the frog is taking more wear than it has done. There's definitely no thrush present.

[flowergirl]

Hi

What you describe is probably exfoliating sole and nothing to worry about, it is simply the process of the sole that is no longer receiving nourishment from the live sole flaking off - it is a natural process and can be left alone.

If you suspect you have thrush (any smelly bits right down in the cntre of the frog or down the sides) then it is really effective to use sudo cream or MSM cream - the Zinc in the cream kills the infection.

a foot soak with a bucket of water and a tablespoon of cider viniger is also helpful

Please do not use hydrogenperioxide - this will not only kill the infection but also the living tissue, which then creates dead tissue for the infection to feed on! It is also very painful if the horse has any open or tender areas.

Best wishes
Nicola

[entreat]

HydrogenPeroxide kills the thrush by creating a high oxygen environment (thrush is an anaerobic bacteria - can't live in oxygen). When I applied to to my friends horse, I had grazes on my hands, and I felt nothing. The horse is one that would have wholloped me with a kick if he was hurting in anyway, and he didn't flinch. Also, you never use it straight from the bottle - only heavily diluted.

[flowergirl]

Hydrogenperoxide is necrotising and not recommened - it is much safer and effective to use a non necrotising product that will only kill what you want it to.

Equine Elite also do an excellent range of very effective products for dealing with thrush, but the sudo cream is cheap, effective and also good if you have a raggy frog.

Best wishes,
Nicola

[entreat]

ok. I didn't realise it was a necrotiser! I got the mix I used from a website that specifically said not to use Formaldehyde (sp?) because of that reason!

All the conflicting advice out there!

[eventerbabe]

Hydrogen peroxide is essentially like a bleach. it WILL burn you. it burns away the tissue on their feet. as a chemistry graduate i certainly wouldn't touch it, let alone put it on a horses feet (i've had a nitric acid burn and it bl**dy hurts, H2O2 will do just the same). heres a great link:

http://www.horsekeeping.com/hoof_care_and_lameness/treating_thrush.htm

Quote:
DO NOT apply bleach or hydrogen peroxide to a horse’s feet. These so-called “treatments” will burn the healthy tissues of the frog and actually retard healing.

[dcp]

Hello interesting stuff. I was just wondering how do horses get thrush and what can we do to prevent it?

Thanks

[becs]

I'm new to this "posting" business, but have gratefully found lots of answers here, so when I read about this, thought, a-ha! I may have an answer! So here goes...

Whenever our old ponies have had smelly/ black frog clefts, we have used NAF Hoof & Sole successfully which has zinc sulphate (anti-fungal) as the key ingredient. You apply it daily (dob it on with a stencil-type brush) to start with, then less often as needed. The flaky sole and stinky black bits by the frog soon improved.

Hope this might help.

PS As an ex-nurse (only nursing ponies now - whoopee) I would agree that hydrogen peroxide (a bleach product) sounds a bit of an overkill for this sort of problem.

[parsharainbow]

Try this............

http://www.kevinbacons.com/indexen.htm

I've found the hoof solution to be the best thing on the market for Thrush, and believe me I've tried everything :)

You don't have a TB do you by any chance as they've got notoriously bad feet what with week hooves, flaking and thrush (and I have two to prove it) ;)

[ZAULTAG]

All horses Frogs flake its like shedding a skin. Thrush is soggy smelly and appears on the frog most commonly after they have been turned out or feet not been picked out as it is a bacteria that can live in dark damp dirty places, For the treatment of that i pick out my horses feet and keep them as clean and dry as possible and i also apply either frog disinfectant or some vol 10 hydrogen peroxide and hold it on for a minute.

hope this helps
the flaking frog will be treated when the farrier comes he will jsut scrap it off