In the past, I never worried too much about thrush. I knew what it was, and it only happened in horses kept in wet pens or dirty stalls. I knew it always presented with a black mush in and around the frog and a foul odor. Well, it turns out I was wrong. I've since learned that thrush can happen in nearly any horse--no matter what their environment, and it doesn't always look like thrush! It's caused by a bacteria or fungus, and if left untreated, it can cause permanent lameness.
So how do you know if your horse does have thrush? It can be a little difficult to recognize when the foot doesn't present the classic symptoms. If your horse appears to have heel pain--long, stretched toes (symptom of toe-first landing), has contracted heels, or high bars, he may have thrush. Also, a spongy frog or a deep groove in the central sulcus (groove in middle of frog) can be a tell-tale sign. If your horse is barefoot, put him on cement and see how he stands. A horse will tend to lean forward if he has heel pain.
Many people automatically think 'navicular' if their horse has heel pain. That may not be the case though--it could very well be thrush, which is much easier to treat! If in doubt, I would treat for thrush. Pete Ramey, an expert in natural trimming, recommends soaking an infected hoof in lysol (follow dilution directions on bottle) for 30 minutes 4-5 days in a row. Or for a topical treatment, mix 50/50 triple antibiotic cream and athlete's foot cream ('Pete's goo') and apply in the central sulcus. If you'd rather buy a product, White Lightning is a good one. To read more about thrush causes, symptoms, and treatments see Linda Cowles website.
Ta-ta!
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