Posted 2012-08-03 5:21 PM (#146043) Subject: Outside of the box thrush cures
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 322 Location: Fort Madison, Iowa
I have a horse that I've have problems with thrush. It got bad during the three years of constant rain and helped contribute to the horse having bulb separation and a bad shoer contributed to contracted heels.
It's been a long learning experience with working with vets and getting a new shoer. We've made progress with the corrective shoeing and treating the thrush. I've been treating with Kopertox and Thrush buster but even with these drought conditions, we still have thrush. The thrush isn't always visible to the eye and lives up deep in the cracked bulbs which I put the treatment in those cracks.
The shoer and I were talking last night and I said I think I need to treat with something different for the thrush. We're seeing good progress with the corrective shoeing for the contracted heels and using a bar shoe to support the bulb issues but still we have thrush. He was going to bring a product to try but couldn't find it in the store he thought he could get it at. I told him what I was thinking about trying was product for Mastitus that I've heard has worked well.
I have a friend that heard seen a product someone was selling at the Midwest Horse Fair that was similiar to a treatment for Mastitus. Has anyone treated thrush with a Mastitus medication or have any other products that worked well for them. Both the shoer and vet said this will be a horse I'll always have to treat but it would be nice to get it under control and treat for prevention.
I've cleaned out between the bulb cracks before with treatment and I think now I'd like to try a different product and put medication on a cloth and leave it up inside the cracked bulb and change out daily for a couple of weeks. I'll probably get some Mastitus medication from my local vet and try it. Any suggesions would be appreciated.
Posted 2012-08-05 7:30 PM (#146103 - in reply to #146043) Subject: RE: Outside of the box thrush cures
Veteran
Posts: 235 Location: Keymar,Maryland
Yes, any of the mastitis treatments ( Today, Tomorrow, Dry Cow ) are very effective at central sulcus thrush. If really bad you can also do a soak of chlorine dioxide gas http://www.grandcircuitinc.com/ once a week and follow with 3/4x week of mastitis treatments.
Posted 2012-08-06 3:59 PM (#146136 - in reply to #146043) Subject: RE: Outside of the box thrush cures
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 322 Location: Fort Madison, Iowa
Thanks for the information!!!! I haven't heard the term central sulcus thrush before. After looking it up, I found more information and this is exactly what I'm dealing with. Also found out it's the product "Tomorrow" that I was trying to find.
From the website you gave, I also found a soaking boot that someone was telling me about that looks a lot easier to get on and off from the boot I was using. I was soaking the foot with epsom salt and iodine.
Posted 2012-08-07 5:43 AM (#146161 - in reply to #146043) Subject: RE: Outside of the box thrush cures
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 430 Location: TN
I'll third Today, Tomorrow and dry cow treatment. You can get it at any farm supply store or even Tractor Supply and it is cheaper than getting it from your vet. You should see a difference after a couple of treatments. I usue it once a week when treating for thrush and pack it into the hoof using a cotton ball to hold it there.
Posted 2012-08-09 7:57 AM (#146187 - in reply to #146043) Subject: RE: Outside of the box thrush cures
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 376 Location: Missouri
Plain ole 7% iodine works as well as any of the above and much less expensive.
If it is persistent, you can soak some cotton in the iodine, then place the iodine on the sole, cover that with a old hoof pad cut down to just smaller than the foot, duct tape that on, and leave it for as long as it will stay on. Usually last 2 or 3 days, depending on where the horse is kept. Repeat every couple of weeks if necessary.
Be sure and use enough cotton so the iodine stays in contact with the entire sole and up in, and around, the frog. And, unless you are a lot more careful than I am, be a good idea, to wear some rubber gloves.
If you can find some iodine crystals, you can add a few of them to the cotton soak and it will last longer. Crystals are pretty hard to find.
Posted 2012-08-09 5:35 PM (#146218 - in reply to #146043) Subject: RE: Outside of the box thrush cures
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 560 Location: Mena, AR
I have had real good results with mouthwash like Listren (sp?)and some generic type mouth washes. Pour it on, holding the foot up enough so it can soak into the cracks when you put it on.
Posted 2012-08-09 8:15 PM (#146224 - in reply to #146043) Subject: RE: Outside of the box thrush cures
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 434 Location: Brooksville, Fl
I like Clean Traxx. I live in wet, fungus ridden Florida and that stuff works wonders. You soak the feet for about 45 minutes and then wrap them for about 20 or 30 more minutes to let the gasses permeate all of the little cracks and fissures in the foot. Fungus cannot hide from it and it is a safe product to use unlike copper napthenate (not that I don't use it, just don't need it as often).
Good luck with your thrush issue!
Posted 2012-08-11 10:29 PM (#146268 - in reply to #146043) Subject: RE: Outside of the box thrush cures
Location: KY
Once upon a time, I had a horse (picked up from trainer) who had a massive and serious case of thrush. The vet compounded an anti bacterial and anti fugal paste, put it in hooves, then wrapped feet with baby diapers and duct tape. Also vet gave horse iv iodine treatment. Horse got well and went on to be a fine riding horse.
Posted 2012-08-22 4:53 PM (#146539 - in reply to #146043) Subject: RE: Outside of the box thrush cures
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 322 Location: Fort Madison, Iowa
Thanks everyone for your comments!! I heard that using IV bags was good for soaking a foot in as long as it had saline in it before so I called my vets office to see if they might have some. I ended up talking to the vet and he gave me some antibiotic to put in the water and soak for 30 minutes.
With proper trimming, using the bar shoe and soaking the foot, I have my horse almost back. It's been a long road. I rode him Tuesday and I don't think I've ever had a nicer ride. It was a real pleasure to ride him again and I almost forgot how great a horse he is. He's a horse that loves to go and on the home stretch, he turned to go in another direction, he wasn't ready to go back.
Posted 2012-08-23 4:45 PM (#146570 - in reply to #146043) Subject: RE: Outside of the box thrush cures
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 326 Location: central IL
Horsin,
I had a gelding with exactly the same problem. I fought thrush his entire life except for when he was on dry bedding 24/7 while in the vet hospital 54 days after a cancerous cecal tumor burst and subsequent surgery. I've tried each and every remedy you mentioned along with procedures except for the mastitis medicine. After Littleman got released, his incision was still not completely healed. His vets had me dress the open area with "Today" each day during change of dressing until the incision completely closed. I bought it at our area "Rural King". I still have a box of it.
Also, the vets used empty saline IV bags to ice his feet to prevent side effects of some of his meds. (He went through a LOT of issues due to the septic condition after the burst tumor.) They are great and cheap ways to soak hooves.
Wish I'd have heard of the mastitis remedy before spending so much money on the likes of White Lightning, Kopertox and such~none of which provided a cure.
So glad your horse is doing so much better. 4 good hooves are a must!
Outside of the box thrush cures
