really bad thrush

[confidentgal08]

ahhh help. i have been battling along side my farrier for over a year now with thrush in the back right, no matter waht i do it wont clear up or itseems to for a bit then happens agin. It has now been suggested that this could be canker but farrier says that it is not showing all the symptons of it. he is not lame and is not tarry just seems to have really weak frogs.

any ideas as i have not got him insured and finacilly at the moment cant afford this . I am now contemplating the option of PTS or if someone out there wants to take him on for. I have tried every trick in the book so far unless somone else can come up with anything else. He is only just over a year and had it when we brought him.

[K8]

A good few years ago we used to use something called 'thrush magic'. I've got a feeling they've stopped selling it in the uk, but do a google search? i can't cause i'm at work!!
It was the only thing that worked for us.
is he a cobby type?

[confidentgal08]

funny enough yes he is kate. but have other cobs which dont suffer or do but clear up with proxide

[K8]

Ours was terrible, we tried everything, but the only stuff that worked was thrush magic, just did a search for you but can only find it in usa. he has terrible boxy feet.

[K8]

www.equineintl.com/thrush.html

[confidentgal08]

no prefectly normal feet, although that is not understood on why the frog keeps collapsing as it is not of the califlour consistansy that resembles canker, but i fear as speaking with the farrier taht the vet will probably treat this as canker and drain the foot. now this as i understand will cost a fair which is somthing i have not got at the moment.

under the frog is white but not crumbly but extremly soft would this be canker too?

[K8]

I don't know to be honest.. i'm no foot expert, i'm sure someone else can point you in the right direction.
I hope you manage to work it out tho.

[pd]

These things are usually connected to their diet/environment, it may well clear up if he moves to another home. It would be worth a try.

[Zuzan]

If you do a search for Canker there was from memory a DGer who treated with maggots.. ask your vet about it ..

[easyaspie]

I almost didn't answer this thread.

However for the good of the horse. There is a UKNHCP CP and Instructor called Sarah Braithwaite who treated a very severe case of canker, successfully, with maggots. The maggots however have to be bought from the vet, and the vet has to administer. Maggots that are used in vetineray or hospital treatment are all genetically modified and all have the same DNA, just like lab rats... otherwise the results are skewed. YOu can see the treatment, photographs and success on Sarah Braithwaites website under Millies story.

www.performancebarefoot.co.uk

So, if you can't afford the vet now, you certainly won't be able to using the maggot treatments, it not a cheap option.

There are some excellent ways to treat the thrush on your horse that are easy, inexpensive and effective. I've treated thrush on horses successfully using a number of things, this one works well.

However, the biggest thing is committment and taking the effort to do the treatment. I would suggest taking the back shoes off for the time being. Soak the foot in a hoof boot three times a week in the right dilution of milton, or an antibacterial/antifungal solution, any kind will do just as long as it does what it says on the bottle.

Completely dry the foot out in clean, dry surroundings, and pack with guaze soaked in sudocreme.

Works a treat.

Once the thrush has cleared up make sure that the feet at least two to three times a week are cleaned, dried and treated with an antibacterial/antifungal treatment.

[confidentgal08]

thanks for all the answers but the only one i have not tried is the thrush magic which i am in the process of getting hold of now!!

The way he is kept is in practicaly sterile conditions due to this problem, he comes in if it is too wet, feet picked out regually, diet he is only a yealing so fed on hay when stabled and grass (if the others have feed he has a handful of chaff) if he is in on shavings and mucked out twice a day, stable matting under neath for extra drainage.

when washing his feet in the past we have tried scrub with hib scrub ( then recommened to hair dry it) which we did then hydrogen proxided it then dried then out on idodine then left, we played about with the proxided a bit by making a little weaker come to the piont of 25 - 75 water from 20 vol as we found it was alittle too strong at one piont.


we have tried milton but all these seem to be doing is hardening up the outside and the inside is soft, so not how we want it to heal. the bulbs of the heel are usually the first to collapse.

He has been in poultice so somthing similar to sudacream, this method did work on another horse that had a bout, which cleared up within a couple of days and ever since has been fine (Touch wood) however foal didnt

Maggots for some reason flies love it there and they bred overnight. when we first got him he had maggots falling from his frogs at least 20 were visible so dont think that maggot treatment in this case would be successfull

he was extremly underweight when we first got him and he has gradually put on weight since we have had him and is now up to what i would like to call a perfect weight to how he should be. so for dietry i think i must be doing somthing right. i have read and read about canker but i am not convienced that this is the case and even if I did somehow manage to fund this treatment there seems little comfort in knowing that this could reoccur again .

tonight looking at his feet again, he is losing his frog but also due for the farrier still soft and now looking like it is falling off again!!

just so confused and now have got now idea what is for the best, doubt that this thrush magic will do any good.

[beany1]

Could you try Manuka honey? Sounds an absolute nightmare, esp with limited funds Also have you tried Cleantrax?

[confidentgal08]

what is taht when its at home beany and where do i get it from?

[Deleted]

Here you go, CG08:

www.equinepodiatrysupplies.co.uk/treatments.html

Cleantrax: very effective and easy to use if you you can get your horse to stand still with his foot in a boot (or an old feed bag...) for 30 minutes.

Hooflex, also listed on that page, is very effective too but doesn't soak in the way Cleantrax does. It's more for superficial problems and keeping on top of things.

Manuka honey is great. You can get it from most supermarkets. Expensive for honey, but not expensive as a treatment.

I'd probably start with Cleantrax as it is the one that will get deepest.

I'd also look at getting another opinion on your trim (or is he shod?). If you've got an issue such as contracted and/or underrun heels, the foot will be more open to problems (please correct me if I'm wrong, any EPs or learned ones). I had an ILPH pony a couple of years ago who had a central sulcus you could loose your hoofpick in, really horrid and infected. Yes the topical treatments helped but addressing her heels with good trimming was what really solved the problem and stopped it recurring.

Ask kate1981 for the name of her trimmer. He's not as cheap as a farrier trim by any means but it might be the long term answer and if at least you get a second opinion it's got to be worthwhile. You'll know more what you're talking about if nothing else.

[confidentgal08]

thanks liz. i have ordered some thrush magic from th US so this should be through soon. so i will give this ago first as heard this mentioned quite a bit.

wonderwhy they dont stock it in the uk? is there an ingredident that has been banned does anyone know?