# Crack/split on horses frog.



## melmotthecat1 (Feb 3, 2012)

I'm fairly new to this website so sorry in advance for anything I may not understand.

To the point.
Yesterday I rode my 6 year old thoroughbred, just plain excersize and jump practice and she seemed fine, no lameness or sore anywhere.

It was raining a fair bit today so I just lunged her for bit (very soft grass) and she seemed lame when trotting. I checked all her feet, cleaned them out etc etc, and I found on one of her front (can't remember which side) frogs had a split or crack from top to bottom. 

I should also include her frog is very close (if not sitting right on) the ground. She has very sensitive feet and feels pain when even walking on a road,dirt and rocks without shoes. She's not shod at the moment her feet are growing as she had a fair bit of her hoof ripped off when a shoe was stuck. 

Any help I would really appreciate


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## IquitosARG10 (Aug 27, 2011)

I would not feel comfortable giving advice on an injury like that without seeing it, but my first reaction would be to get it clean and soak it with epsom salts and warm water. I would call the vet and ask for their recommendation.

Without seeing it it's hard to make a judgement call. 

I don't think it's uncommon for thoroughbreds to have thing soles, mine does. Since I've had him he has never had shoes but I finally had them put on at the beginning of last year...I had test done and the results showed that he has thin soles so now I have pads put on his fronts as well.

I would also talk to your farrier and your vet to see if there's a more advantageous way your horse can be shod.

I hope this helps a little bit!


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## sierrams1123 (Jul 8, 2011)

I would also like to get a picture.
Its best to consult a knowledgeable farrier in this situation, if not a vet.


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## melmotthecat1 (Feb 3, 2012)

I'll get a photo in the morning and post back asap.


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## melmotthecat1 (Feb 3, 2012)

Sorry for the really bad quality, but this is it :/ She's still lame today


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## sierrams1123 (Jul 8, 2011)

Not showing up for me.


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## melmotthecat1 (Feb 3, 2012)

Yeah sorry had to go back adn put the picture in :s Theres a bit of dirt there but you can see it retty much is the whole length :/


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## IquitosARG10 (Aug 27, 2011)

Well it looks to me like is foot is really dry...is it dry by you? Or is he turned out on sand?

I would imagine your horse is very tender and uncomfortable one it! The fact that it is an open crack will make it very easy for thrush to creep in! 

I'm no expert but if it were my horse I would call the vet and see about some antibiotics. I would also soak it in a diaper with some sort of solution, then let it air dry - rinse and repeat!


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## IquitosARG10 (Aug 27, 2011)

Does it smell at all?


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## melmotthecat1 (Feb 3, 2012)

It's actually been a bit wet lately because we've had a fair bit of rain, hence all that green grass haha. But No doesn't smell. I'm going to get the other lady from my paddock to look at it before I call a vet, They're pretty pricey around here and I'm only an 18yo student so :S


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## IquitosARG10 (Aug 27, 2011)

I hear ya! I always ask around at the barn before calling a vet; but usually you can ask to talk to them first to see if a barn visit is really necessary - let us know when you get an answer...I'm curious!


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## Skyseternalangel (Jul 23, 2011)

Has your horse always been barefoot or previously wore shoes?


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## sierrams1123 (Jul 8, 2011)

I would def call my farrier out if I was you. Also like the poster said above get something to prevent infection from your vet, just call and ask for some sort of feed through. I would also clean it really well and stick a boot on him, a diaper will only make it nasty if its wet were you have him.


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## melmotthecat1 (Feb 3, 2012)

I used to have shoes on her when I lived more up north because it was mainly rock and it was really painfull for her on trail rides etc etc, but just recently her and I have moved back down and she's been on a break, and also, A chick pulled off her last shoe for me (it was half off and all mangled :S) and a chunk of the hoof wall came off so I'm just letting that grow back and for pony club season to start up completely before she gets shod again


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## sierrams1123 (Jul 8, 2011)

melmotthecat1 said:


> I should also include her frog is very close (if not sitting right on) the ground. She has very sensitive feet and feels pain when even walking on a road,dirt and rocks without shoes. She's not shod at the moment her feet are growing as she had a fair bit of her hoof ripped off when a shoe was stuck.


Sky....
The way I took this was she usually does but currently does not have her shoes because of the outcome from a thrown shoe.


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## Kayty (Sep 8, 2009)

Have you had a farrier look at the damaged wall yet?
Often they will put shoes back on, and nail around the damaged area, with regular trims every couple of weeks. Otherwise, you will be wearing the damaged area down further, as well as risking issues such as what you are currently having, with foot soreness.


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## Mellow Mel (Dec 1, 2011)

Hi There...
My horse has FOUR of those in all four feet. I have had the farrier out and vet out. Mine is due to being sored(twh) when he was younger and they sored him very low so when a small crack appears it grows like yours. It is a thrush magnet!!! This is what I have been told to do. I soak in epsom salt, I use "tommorow" (made to dry up cow udders but used for thrush as well). Tomorrow has a syringe on it so you can get it up in those cracks and not only does it get rid of the thrush it also seems to dry out the cracks and make them smaller. My farrier will also take cotton soaked in thrush buster and put them up there for a few days(i pull it out). It takes a LONG time for those cracks to heal....there is also a new product that I am going to try, I forgot the name, I will send to you when I get it. Supposed to help close the cracks.


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## IquitosARG10 (Aug 27, 2011)

Mellow Mel said:


> Hi There...
> My horse has FOUR of those in all four feet. I have had the farrier out and vet out. Mine is due to being sored(twh) when he was younger and they sored him very low so when a small crack appears it grows like yours. It is a thrush magnet!!! This is what I have been told to do. I soak in epsom salt, I use "tommorow" (made to dry up cow udders but used for thrush as well). Tomorrow has a syringe on it so you can get it up in those cracks and not only does it get rid of the thrush it also seems to dry out the cracks and make them smaller. My farrier will also take cotton soaked in thrush buster and put them up there for a few days(i pull it out). It takes a LONG time for those cracks to heal....there is also a new product that I am going to try, I forgot the name, I will send to you when I get it. Supposed to help close the cracks.


I have read about this online, I was doing some research on it because I was curious. It seems like this helps a lot of horses!


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## melmotthecat1 (Feb 3, 2012)

Thanks! I'm deffinatly going to get the farrier out!

A friend of mine recommended that I use "Purple spray" to get rid of infection until then


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## dirtroadangel (Jan 24, 2012)

_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## dirtroadangel (Jan 24, 2012)

my horse gets that since where I live is very dry. but he loves standing in the pond which makes thrush like condition. I make sure he has pine shavings to draw out the moisture and I put iodine over it, some people use a chlorine and peroxide mix with water or thrush x.And keep up with farrier he can
offer most help..
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Royal Pine Buck (May 28, 2011)

this crack usually develops when there is thrush or other fungus present (usually when wet) sometimes when a hoof is dry it will REALLY suck up moisture from the ground when it finally rains. 

drying up the crack has worked for me. it usually gradually closes up. Dillon has had it all the way up the bulbs before on hind feet. drying them up solved it. I like the today cow mastitis treatment ( a lot of farrier's use it, but it's EXPENSIVE) try some iodine or diluted bleach in a spray bottle. should clear it up


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## melmotthecat1 (Feb 3, 2012)

Royal Pine Buck said:


> I like the today cow mastitis treatment ( a lot of farrier's use it, but it's EXPENSIVE) try some iodine or diluted bleach in a spray bottle. should clear it up



Thanks heaps, I have another thread asking about bleach and whether it's safe to use and a few people stronlgly dissagree. Though I've used it and alot of my friends have aswell I still wasn't quite sure.

It's looking better since using a bit of bleach and water on it.


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## melmotthecat1 (Feb 3, 2012)

Hey, Just a little update, The crack seems shorter but a little wider open, I'm not sure if this is a good thing or a bad thing


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## GeeGee Gem (Oct 14, 2011)

first off don't worry that her frog touches the ground. it should !! it's a natural shock absorber and should even touch the ground in a correctly shod horse.

I'd try something like keratex hoof gel / hardener to help healthy growth and maybe get some purple sprey on it to toughen it up and keep disinfected. x


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## HoofMechanic (Feb 11, 2012)

I took a look at the photo you posted earlier and think the crack you are concerned with is running from the middle of the frog up into the back of the hoof between the heel bulbs. If so this is being caused by deep seated thrush. I would not ever use Bleach, not even diluted, or Hydrogen Peroxide. Both will damage live tissue. 

Actually I would try to not soak these hooves at all with how wet the frog appears now. There is a product called No Thrush that is dry and draws disease out of the hoof. If this doesn't work on it's own I can recommend other items. But that is what I'd use to start.

Then I'd pick up either the Quick Fix Hoof Wrap, the Deluxe Equine Slipper or a pair of hoof boots to try to keep your horse out of the wet. This will also provide a way to put a #2 Diaper into the wrap, slipper or boot and puff the No Thrush into it so the hoof will have treatment throughout the day. Disease is very painful and can be quite invasive if not taken care of.

The other issue would be the trim. I would pick up a Blackmaster Rasp and 2 F **** Ascot Knives (1 left/1 right) so you can begin cleaning up these hooves on your own. Most important right now is to open the central sulcus to expose this disease area to the air.

I don't think radiographs are necessary at this time. What I think you need to do is start doing a rehabilitative trim on this horse, combat the disease and provide support for the healing.

There is a product I always use with thrush instances and that is from For Love of the Horse. It's called Hoof Ailments and is wonderful for assisting the body to heal the area.

I hope this helps a little. I do not work for any of the companies I've mentioned but do have a lot of experience in using them. I know they work or I wouldn't recommend it.

Take care,
Linda


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## its lbs not miles (Sep 1, 2011)

melmotthecat1 said:


> Hey, Just a little update, The crack seems shorter but a little wider open, I'm not sure if this is a good thing or a bad thing


As others have mentioned. Check for thrush (you can't mistake the smell). It will look very dark, black even. Soft, even gooey. Smells really bad. If the frog is loose enough that you can slide a pick under it you might need to cut some away.
Personally I wouldn't use bleach. Vinegar works great. Thrush doesn't like the acid. Apple cider vinegar if you want a better flavor :lol:
I've had horse I bought arrive with thrush. One looked a bit like what your picture showed. Not as long a openning. Shorter, but wider towards the back. Nothing to cut away at the time, but I was able to dig out some, rinse the vinegar and then packed in cotton (gauze works too) soaked with tea tree oil. Cleared it up, but she had a couple of other spots that showed up as pockets on other feet that I needed to dig out and cut away the overlaying bit of frog. Over all it took me a month to get all her feet "right".
Establlished thrush will cause the frog to be sore, so be careful when getting any out, since it could hurt some. Fortunately horses general deal with pain better than we do.
It's nasty stuff and loves getting up inside the frog. Doesn't need oxygen, thrives in a moist invironment, but will do well in dry too once it's in.
I practice prevention by having a spray bottle of water and vinegar mix that I spray thier frogs with when I pickout their feet. I can't stand thrush.


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