# Hoof Supplement for Thrush??



## Zimpatico (Nov 5, 2010)

I've been battling thrush in Zee's hind feet for months. Stall rest over the last six weeks is now making it worse, and I'm not expecting it to get any better as we head into Spring. I've tried everything. I have about 8 bottles of various shelf bought Thrush remedies, soaked in Apple Cidar Vinegar, picking out his feet multiple times a day, his stall is cleaned twice a day, and the vet cut a lot of frog away when he was at the clinic last month. I'm quickly running out of ideas...

I asked my farrier about putting him on a hoof supplement. He said it will definately help grow the foot & frog out faster, pushing a lot of the thrush out. Has anyone has any experience with a supplement when treating thrush? And brand suggestions? I'm leaning towards Farrier's Formula Double Strength.


----------



## Hanover (Apr 2, 2010)

I know there are a lot of people on the forum who are more experienced than I am but since no one has jumped in yet perhaps I can give it a try.

I too have battled thrush and have done pretty much the same as you except.....I would not recommend stall rest. One key to success is movement......getting the blood circulating through the hoof.

I also followed a strict routine of picking the hooves, scrubbing with a stiff brush using water with a squirt of anti-bacterial dish soap (Dawn), rinsing, spraying with a mixture of TeaTreeOil and ACV, and also I did a treatment of an anti-biotic that is used for cows who have mastitis.

Another thing to consider is how his heels are. Are they contracted? Getting them down and back will help open up the frog so there isn't a deep narrow crevice there that encourages thrush growth.

I know nothing about supplements but have added ground flax seeds to his diet and the hoof horn has grown out tighter.......along with the added bonus of a nice shiney coat  .

I hope this helps a bit and gets others talking. Take care and all the best to your horsey!


----------



## Zimpatico (Nov 5, 2010)

Sorry, I should have clarified. Zee is on stall rest for a torn suspensory... Definately not helping the problem!!


----------



## Hanover (Apr 2, 2010)

Yes....I kind of assumed that he was on rest for some other reason.......hope I didn't sound too snooty ;-)


----------



## Peggysue (Mar 29, 2008)

what's his total diet?? Many times high sugars and low metals will allow bacteria to breed and thrive. Namely Zinc and COpper have been shown to reduce thrush infections


----------



## Hanover (Apr 2, 2010)

Oh my....I just looked at your pictures......he is beautiful and I envy your riding area. Everything looks just plain perfect........gotta get these problems solved and get your baby feeling better soon.

I am a first time horse owner.........a Standie who is the ripe old age of 16. He is teaching me soooooo much and I am loving it!

Sorry for getting off the subject here and I hope you get your answer to the supplement question. I just had to comment on Zee because the pictures say so much about you and your relationship with him.


----------



## Zimpatico (Nov 5, 2010)

Peggysue, he's on Purina Senior, with supplements of Succeed, SmartProtect, and SmartRepair...

And yes, Zee is my big ol' baby!! My fiance and I don't have any children, so he is our entire world! We don't like to let ANYTHING bother him...


----------



## Peggysue (Mar 29, 2008)

I personally would put him on a non grain based feed like Triple Crown Senior or buckeye'ssenior or progressivesenior or nutrena life design senior


----------



## KawaiiCharlie (Nov 17, 2010)

my cousins horse has thrush in his hind hooves too, she uses a purple anti bacterial spray, then puts tar (spray bottle) on it to keep water/mud etc out of it. seems to work for her.


----------



## jess93 (Oct 14, 2010)

Try hydrogen parakocide tht how i got rid of my horses thrush u get it from chemists skwirt it in his foot and hold it up while it skizzles then put it dowbn do it 1 a day and also scrub his feet with hibi scrub 1 a day before hydro parokocide
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## Alwaysbehind (Jul 10, 2009)

jess93 said:


> Try hydrogen parakocide tht how i got rid of my horses thrush u get it from chemists skwirt it in his foot and hold it up while it skizzles then put it dowbn do it 1 a day and also scrub his feet with hibi scrub 1 a day before hydro parokocide
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


Do you mean hydrogen peroxide?

If so, you can buy that at any drug store (and most grocery stores).


----------



## barrelracer892 (Apr 3, 2010)

Zimpatico- Get some iodine, put it in a spray bottle, and spray it once a day for a month. Cheap and works wonderfully! My horse had it a few years ago and he hasn't had a major problem with it since. If it flares up again I catch it quick with this.


----------



## Zimpatico (Nov 5, 2010)

Alwaysbehind said:


> Do you mean hydrogen peroxide?
> 
> If so, you can buy that at any drug store (and most grocery stores).


AB, I think you made better sense of that than I did... :shock::shock::shock:


----------



## Alwaysbehind (Jul 10, 2009)

Zimpatico said:


> AB, I think you made better sense of that than I did... :shock::shock::shock:


It was the best I could come up with. Then I was not sure when they said you had to get it from a chemist. 
Hopefully they will come back and clarify.

I like Today/Tomorrow. It has always worked well for me in the past and is easy to put in the right spots.

I can not disagree with the diet change, etc ideas either.

It is hard when you have one on stall rest.


----------



## loosie (Jun 19, 2008)

Hi,

Firstly agree with PeggySue regarding diet change and yes, a good complete supp(as opposed to a 'hoof' one) is a good move. 

Thrush is an opportunistic infection, meaning it is more of a symptom of unhealthy feet than a 'disease' in it's own right - it doesn't effect healthy, well functioning feet. Unfortunately stall rest with lack of exercise is a huge problem and it may be just a case of keeping it at manageable levels until the horse can get out & about again. Obviously exercise may still be out due to the suspensory injury, but if your vet says it's ok, the more light exercise the better.

Unless the thrush is really severe - eg. bleeding or you can hurt him with finger pressure - I wouldn't use any heavy guns, only ACV, teatree oil or such. Chemicals can damage healthy tissue & nerves, which further reduce function.

I presume the horse is unshod if on stall rest? If not, I'd get the shoes off and keep him well trimmed(and not reshoe him at least until his feet are healthy). There may well have been good reason at the time for the vet to have pared a lot of frog away, but this also weakens the frog and leaves it more open to infection, as well as more sensitive, so the horse is even less likely to be comfortable and so further reduces good hoof function. Therefore trimming should not generally include paring any frog.


----------



## kitten_Val (Apr 25, 2007)

The only one remedy that worked for me was cleaning the hoofs 2-3 times a day to let oxygen to kill thush. You can also look into Koppertox - thats what my old vet recommended while back.


----------



## MHFoundation Quarters (Feb 23, 2011)

You might also try making "sugardine"...mixing sugar and 10% iodine or betadine, it will mix to be the consistency of honey. Cover generously and wrap his hooves with some cotton and vet wrap. It will draw the infection out and harden the hoof. The most recent studies have shown sugar has some antibacterial properties in itself. Also works great for abcesses. 

Noticed that no one has made suggestions about the root of the problem. Thrush is a bacterial infection and while we can treat hooves and clear it up, if we don't treat the ground it will just find it's way back. We treat all of our stalls, both arenas and common areas (in front of the barn, barn aisle, round pen, around the stock tanks and around the large tires we feed hay out of outside) 4 or 5 times a year. You can use a solution made specifically for it from a vet supply company or go to your local hardware store and get commercial grade lysol, it is a stronger grade made for hospitals. Spray everything down good and be sure to allow it to dry well before putting him back on it. It also makes the barn smell lemony fresh and spring cleaned  

Good luck, hope he heals fast and you are back to riding soon!


----------



## Peggysue (Mar 29, 2008)

the bacteria that causes thrush is in the ground and I don't know many people willing to treat their whole pasture 

by getting the diet "right" it boost the immune system so that it can stop thrush BEFORE it starts


----------



## Trinity3205 (Dec 21, 2010)

I use Thrushbuster. Not the off brand..only Thrushbuster. I use it daily or every other day on stubborn infections along with cleaning the feet daily. It clears it right up and does not destroy healthy tissue. 

I apply as needed thereafter, ( the bottle says once a week but I use it anytime I feel it needs a good dose) unless I have a bad succulous crack to grow out and then I keep treating daily and shove the nozzel way up in the crack looking for it to run out the back of the crack. I then stuff the crack with a cotton ball and soak the ball with TB also to keep medicating the crack as long and it stays in the crack...hopefully till I pick it out the next day if its a deep crack.

Its only downfall is it stains anything it touches purple for awhile.


----------



## loosie (Jun 19, 2008)

MHFoundation Quarters said:


> Noticed that no one has made suggestions about the root of the problem. Thrush is a bacterial infection and while we can treat hooves and clear it up, if we don't treat the ground it will just find it's way back.


'Thrush' is a bit of a generic term for a variety of different organisms, both bacterial and fungal. There are different organisms in different places. Even if it were feasible to treat a whole property, I would not personally want to do this, as killing bacteria & fungus that cause thrush will also mean there are a bazillion other micro organisms killed in the soil, which are generally good for something or other.

Regarding 'root of the problem', as I said, the root of the problem is unhealthy, ill functioning feet, not the organisms.


----------

