Hoof emergency!! * UPDATE PG 2 *

horsey-gal · 07-17-2008, 06:36 PM

Tonight I went to ride Raven. While cleaning her feet, I noticed that her feet are squishy, her bars are higher than her frog

She also has an abcess on one of her hind feet. I put her in the barn, soaked her foot in epson salts and put thrush buster on all her other feet. I left a message for my farrier also.
Its like her feet are rotting

Any suggestions??

cameo05 · 07-17-2008, 06:42 PM

They do sound thrushy. Going through something of the same thing right now, for some ungodly resaon. You have done everything that you need to do untl your ferrier calls you back. Just sit tight and everything will be ok.

cameo05 · 07-17-2008, 06:44 PM

Oh yeah, does she have any cracks, holes, or anything lke that in her heel? If she does poke that thrush buster down n the hole to insure that you get it where it needs to be.

horsey-gal · 07-17-2008, 06:48 PM

No cracks, her feet look horrible! She was just trimmed 6 weeks ago, the farrier said her feet were great. She's never been lame.
I put trush buster all over her foot, making sure to get in the grooves of her frogs etc. . . should I get something to harden her hooves? Will thrush make her feet soft underneath? I can literally squish them down, she has lost alot of her frog too, looks like it is shrinking.
Its been really dry here, I don't understand

GreyDot · 07-17-2008, 06:50 PM

Sounds like thrush. The other name is, indeed, 'foot rot'. Correcting my previous post... even though it has been dry, thrush appears to live in the soil, and can become 'active' on horses that are prone for whatever reason.

Get a good stiff brush (a wire brush works well), and gently but firmly and THOROUGHLY scrub the sole of each foot and the frog until no 'squishy' stuff remains. You should be seeing only firm frog and clean hoof. If bits of hoof are flaking off, you can chip those off with a hoof pick or a hoof knife. If a piece just doesn't come off, just leave it - it will come off later. You'll need to disinfect the foot - and you can certainly use one of the commercial anti-thrush solutions (KoperTox, CopperCare or whatever), but I find they're messy, expensive and not very effective. Cheaper, and more effective, are iodine or bleach. Iodine you can use full-strength. If you have iodine spray, such as used for wound care, just use that. Bleach can be used either diluted (1 part bleach to 2 parts water) or full-strength, depending on how bad the thrush is. You can buy Clorox Anywhere (or Javex, in Canada), which is already diluted and comes in a convenient purse-size spray bottle. What you will want to do, though, is to hold each foot up so that the sole is as horizontal as possible, coat the sole and frog with bleach or iodine, and let the solution stay in the foot for about 30 seconds - or as long as you can keep the foot in that position. You don't need to rinse it out, but do try to keep both bleach and iodine from coming in contact with skin or even the bulbs of the heels, where they become 'live' tissue. Iodine will stain, and both can cause chemical burns if left on skin - so be careful.

Your farrier will probably just clean out the decayed foot and tell you to do something similar.

Sounds like you're doing pretty much all you can for the abscess, though!

Good luck

horsey-gal · 07-17-2008, 06:52 PM

I cleaned her feet best I could tonight. I have never had a horse with thrush nor seen one this bad.
I will certainly get some Javex or iodine tomorrow first thing. For now she will be in the barn where her feet can remain dry.
Thanks!

Sassy · 07-17-2008, 06:56 PM

Some draft horses at a stable I worked at had that squishy foot thing and farrier said it was thrush!! Hoof rote whata stink!! Good luck!

GreyDot · 07-17-2008, 06:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by horsey-gal

I cleaned her feet best I could tonight. I have never had a horse with thrush nor seen one this bad.
I will certainly get some Javex or iodine tomorrow first thing. For now she will be in the barn where her feet can remain dry.
Thanks!

You're welcome

It doesn't have to be Javex - any laundry bleach will do. Doesn't have to be brand name. You can even just use plain soap or antibacterial dish soap, and scrub those feet very, very well, for now, until you can get bleach. The main thing is to remove the nasty decayed foot and let air and oxygen get to it. Now, here's a thought - if you have some peroxide in your medicine cupboard at home, you can use that, too. It's an excellent disinfectant. It will fizz like mad, but it should work. Plus, it will get oxygen to the hoof surface and take care of any anaerobic nasty bugs - and it breaks down to water, so it'll be OK. Just be careful, because IT can cause burns on skin, too.

horsey-gal · 07-17-2008, 07:01 PM

I do have peroxide!! I will use that tomorrow morning when I go to work! Will that be better than bleach? I just want this gone, I feel so bad for her.
I hope the farrier calls back very soon to help clear this up.
Thanks again!!

thumpersgirl · 07-17-2008, 07:05 PM

Sure sounds like thrush. We had a couple horses get it this year. I tried Kopertox on our horses and then decided to try a solution of 1 part bleach to 4 parts water. The water/bleach mixture worked better on my horses. I hope your farrier gets back to you quickly.

GreyDot · 07-17-2008, 07:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by horsey-gal

I do have peroxide!! I will use that tomorrow morning when I go to work! Will that be better than bleach? I just want this gone, I feel so bad for her.
I hope the farrier calls back very soon to help clear this up.
Thanks again!!

I wouldn't say that it will work BETTER than bleach, at the strength that most household peroxide can be obtained, but it will work well. Peroxide breaks down very, very quickly, to produce oxygen and water - while bleach breaks down a little more slowly. Bleach can actually dry on the foot and keep working a little, while peroxide will just be gone. I would use it as an emergency quick-fix, but definitely not rely on it long-term. You'd need to keep reapplying it, which would defeat the purpose as you'd just keep getting water on the foot. As it is, though, if you have the peroxide, then just give those feet a very good scrubbing and put peroxide on them - holding each foot up as long as the horse will let you. Just fill the 'cup' of the hoof, and let it sit and sizzle. Try not to let it trickle down onto the bulbs of the heels, especially when you FIRST apply it, because it will start out full strength but its strength will go down as it sits and reacts with the dead organic matter of the foot. I would do as much as you can as soon as possible, though, because the organisms that are eating up the hoof are active all the time.

Good luck with it

cook1745 · 07-17-2008, 07:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by horsey-gal

I do have peroxide!! I will use that tomorrow morning when I go to work! Will that be better than bleach? I just want this gone, I feel so bad for her.
I hope the farrier calls back very soon to help clear this up.
Thanks again!!

No don't us peroxide on the foot wha you need is something to kill the AND dry her foot. Peroxide will keep her feet WAY to wet alcohol would be by far better. But with bleach or alchohol be very careful because it can hurt like the dickens and she may strick or kick.

crittermom · 07-17-2008, 07:22 PM

My horse got thrush last year too and we were in the middle of a really nasty drought. My vet said it could be the moisture from the dew on the grass in the A.M. Fortunately, he hasn't had a problem this year. Hope all goes well.

walkerfarms · 07-17-2008, 07:41 PM

When you say just trimmed 6 wks ago,we trim ours every 6 wks.

BarnBum · 07-17-2008, 07:42 PM

I swear by Koppertox when I need to use a thrush remedy.

horsey-gal · 07-17-2008, 07:46 PM

I meant she is just due for a trim. She is trimmed every 6 weeks.

My farrier called and is meeting me at the barn tomorrow morning. Wish me luck!

BarnBum · 07-17-2008, 07:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by horsey-gal

I meant she is just due for a trim. She is trimmed every 6 weeks.

My farrier called and is meeting me at the barn tomorrow morning. Wish me luck!

When was the last time you actually picked her feet ?? Thrush that bad doesn't come overnight.

Hope everthing works out.

horsey-gal · 07-17-2008, 08:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BarnBum

When was the last time you actually picked her feet ?? Thrush that bad doesn't come overnight.

Hope everthing works out.

Due to risk of nasty comments, I am not going to completely answer the picking feet question.
I will say that she has her feet cleaned out as often as I can. I do know this was preventable and my own fault, I am doing the best I can.

I just want her feet normal again so I can prevent this from happening again

thumpersgirl · 07-17-2008, 08:16 PM

If your farrier is coming tomorrow, he/she will have some good suggestions for you. You had asked about toughening up her hooves. Does she have soft feet all the time or is it just due to the thrush? I had a horse that had soft, cracked feet and I used Hoof Aid for him. It worked great at hardening his feet.

PaintsQH · 07-17-2008, 09:16 PM

I know someone who never cleans their horses hooves out. They let the farrier do it because they are scared of getting kicked or something. My farrier said to use Lysol disenfectant, the liquid kind for routine prevention. I guess you dilute it and put in a spray bottle. Knock on wood, Ive never had a horse with thrush. And I can honestly say that. I do, esp in rainy season, clean them out and put diluted bleach on them. Good luck

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07-17-2008, 06:36 PM
horsey-gal Coming two Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Valley, N.S Posts: 1,655	Hoof emergency!! * UPDATE PG 2 * Tonight I went to ride Raven. While cleaning her feet, I noticed that her feet are squishy, her bars are higher than her frog She also has an abcess on one of her hind feet. I put her in the barn, soaked her foot in epson salts and put thrush buster on all her other feet. I left a message for my farrier also. Its like her feet are rotting Any suggestions?? __________________ " If God made anything more beautiful, he kept it for himself. " Last edited by horsey-gal : 07-18-2008 at 11:35 AM.

07-17-2008, 06:42 PM
cameo05 Bombproof Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Georgia Posts: 8,854	They do sound thrushy. Going through something of the same thing right now, for some ungodly resaon. You have done everything that you need to do untl your ferrier calls you back. Just sit tight and everything will be ok. __________________

07-17-2008, 06:44 PM
cameo05 Bombproof Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Georgia Posts: 8,854	Oh yeah, does she have any cracks, holes, or anything lke that in her heel? If she does poke that thrush buster down n the hole to insure that you get it where it needs to be. __________________

07-17-2008, 06:48 PM
horsey-gal Coming two Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Valley, N.S Posts: 1,655	No cracks, her feet look horrible! She was just trimmed 6 weeks ago, the farrier said her feet were great. She's never been lame. I put trush buster all over her foot, making sure to get in the grooves of her frogs etc. . . should I get something to harden her hooves? Will thrush make her feet soft underneath? I can literally squish them down, she has lost alot of her frog too, looks like it is shrinking. Its been really dry here, I don't understand __________________ " If God made anything more beautiful, he kept it for himself. "

07-17-2008, 06:50 PM
GreyDot Started Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Between AZ and OH Posts: 2,295	Sounds like thrush. The other name is, indeed, 'foot rot'. Correcting my previous post... even though it has been dry, thrush appears to live in the soil, and can become 'active' on horses that are prone for whatever reason. Get a good stiff brush (a wire brush works well), and gently but firmly and THOROUGHLY scrub the sole of each foot and the frog until no 'squishy' stuff remains. You should be seeing only firm frog and clean hoof. If bits of hoof are flaking off, you can chip those off with a hoof pick or a hoof knife. If a piece just doesn't come off, just leave it - it will come off later. You'll need to disinfect the foot - and you can certainly use one of the commercial anti-thrush solutions (KoperTox, CopperCare or whatever), but I find they're messy, expensive and not very effective. Cheaper, and more effective, are iodine or bleach. Iodine you can use full-strength. If you have iodine spray, such as used for wound care, just use that. Bleach can be used either diluted (1 part bleach to 2 parts water) or full-strength, depending on how bad the thrush is. You can buy Clorox Anywhere (or Javex, in Canada), which is already diluted and comes in a convenient purse-size spray bottle. What you will want to do, though, is to hold each foot up so that the sole is as horizontal as possible, coat the sole and frog with bleach or iodine, and let the solution stay in the foot for about 30 seconds - or as long as you can keep the foot in that position. You don't need to rinse it out, but do try to keep both bleach and iodine from coming in contact with skin or even the bulbs of the heels, where they become 'live' tissue. Iodine will stain, and both can cause chemical burns if left on skin - so be careful. Your farrier will probably just clean out the decayed foot and tell you to do something similar. Sounds like you're doing pretty much all you can for the abscess, though! Good luck __________________ ...There is nothing to be done till a horse's head is settled. ~William Cavendish Stuipid CAN be fixed... you just have to hit it hard enough! ~A rare moment of inspiration

07-17-2008, 06:52 PM
horsey-gal Coming two Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Valley, N.S Posts: 1,655	I cleaned her feet best I could tonight. I have never had a horse with thrush nor seen one this bad. I will certainly get some Javex or iodine tomorrow first thing. For now she will be in the barn where her feet can remain dry. Thanks! __________________ " If God made anything more beautiful, he kept it for himself. "

07-17-2008, 06:56 PM
Sassy Started Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Northern Alberta, Canada Posts: 2,332	Some draft horses at a stable I worked at had that squishy foot thing and farrier said it was thrush!! Hoof rote whata stink!! Good luck! __________________ A horse which stops dead just before a jump and thus propels its rider into a graceful arc provides a splendid excuse for general merriment. ~ DUKE OF ENDINBURGH ~

07-17-2008, 07:01 PM
horsey-gal Coming two Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Valley, N.S Posts: 1,655	I do have peroxide!! I will use that tomorrow morning when I go to work! Will that be better than bleach? I just want this gone, I feel so bad for her. I hope the farrier calls back very soon to help clear this up. Thanks again!! __________________ " If God made anything more beautiful, he kept it for himself. "

07-17-2008, 07:05 PM
thumpersgirl Greenbroke Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 3,391	Sure sounds like thrush. We had a couple horses get it this year. I tried Kopertox on our horses and then decided to try a solution of 1 part bleach to 4 parts water. The water/bleach mixture worked better on my horses. I hope your farrier gets back to you quickly. __________________ Some people are like Slinkies; they're good for nothing, but make you smile when you push them down a long flight of stairs.

07-17-2008, 07:22 PM
crittermom Started Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Virginia Posts: 2,516	My horse got thrush last year too and we were in the middle of a really nasty drought. My vet said it could be the moisture from the dew on the grass in the A.M. Fortunately, he hasn't had a problem this year. Hope all goes well. __________________ Peace!! I wish the people of the world could get along as well as the animals in my backyard.

07-17-2008, 07:41 PM
walkerfarms Weanling Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: TY TY Georgia Posts: 348	When you say just trimmed 6 wks ago,we trim ours every 6 wks.

07-17-2008, 07:42 PM
BarnBum Greenbroke Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Sunshine State Posts: 3,612	I swear by Koppertox when I need to use a thrush remedy. __________________ Murphys Horse Law - A horse's misbehavior will be in direct proportion to the number of people who are watching !! Last edited by BarnBum : 07-17-2008 at 07:59 PM.

07-17-2008, 07:46 PM
horsey-gal Coming two Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Valley, N.S Posts: 1,655	I meant she is just due for a trim. She is trimmed every 6 weeks. My farrier called and is meeting me at the barn tomorrow morning. Wish me luck! __________________ " If God made anything more beautiful, he kept it for himself. "

07-17-2008, 08:16 PM
thumpersgirl Greenbroke Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 3,391	If your farrier is coming tomorrow, he/she will have some good suggestions for you. You had asked about toughening up her hooves. Does she have soft feet all the time or is it just due to the thrush? I had a horse that had soft, cracked feet and I used Hoof Aid for him. It worked great at hardening his feet. __________________ Some people are like Slinkies; they're good for nothing, but make you smile when you push them down a long flight of stairs.

07-17-2008, 09:16 PM
PaintsQH Started Join Date: Jun 2007 Posts: 2,442	I know someone who never cleans their horses hooves out. They let the farrier do it because they are scared of getting kicked or something. My farrier said to use Lysol disenfectant, the liquid kind for routine prevention. I guess you dilute it and put in a spray bottle. Knock on wood, Ive never had a horse with thrush. And I can honestly say that. I do, esp in rainy season, clean them out and put diluted bleach on them. Good luck __________________ My treasures do not clink, they gleam in the sunlight and neigh in the night