Does anyone know if thrush can make your horse totally lame? I thought my horse had foundered on the Spring grass. Farrier came today to trim and said he had thrush and didn't think he had foundered. I have read online about it and says a horse rarely is lame. He is pastured 24/7 and we do have a lot of green grass so it isn't like he is in a dirty barn or muddy conditions. We do have commercial farmers on both sides of our pasture who spray with who knows what chemicals so that could be a factor. Any help would be appreciated.
Posted 2016-04-27 9:52 PM (#166932 - in reply to #166925) Subject: RE: safty hitch system
Veteran
Posts: 185 Location: riverside ca
short answer is yes. thrush can make a horse dead lame, if you have lots of green grass there is probably enough moisture to harbor thrush. I like to use bleach or strong iodine on it
Posted 2016-06-02 12:30 AM (#167212 - in reply to #166925) Subject: RE: Thrush
Expert
Posts: 2615
When our farrier came today we found that not just one but ALL FOUR of our horses have it,even our old mare who is not shod.we had to leave the shoes off and im going to get Koppertox or Thrush Buster.weve had tons of rain this spring.so it's not a shock but- there goes our riding doe probably the rest of the decent weather before it gets hot as all get out!
Posted 2016-06-02 10:20 AM (#167217 - in reply to #166925) Subject: RE: Thrush
Elite Veteran
Posts: 690 Location: missouri
Did he tell you limit them on grass? maybe let them graze a few hours, bring them into a drylot.... I spray diluted clorox water on them daily when I've had them get "funky". The Kopertox works well, but stains concrete badly... I know it is hard to stay on top of it in wet weather... good luck.
Posted 2018-06-23 5:13 PM (#171680 - in reply to #166925) Subject: RE: Thrush
Expert
Posts: 2615
Been dealing with it on all four of my horses,shod and unshod.ive tried several things.Theush Buster is good ( Jeffers makes a generic thats cheaper.) some vets say soak in warm Epsom salt water followed by a cool diluted bleach water soak just on the soles.I have found,that what has worked really well and quick is the cattle product Cow Tomorrow applied to the frog and sole every day for 2-3 days then every other day for a couple of weeks.removing the shoes is pretty much needed also,until it's cleared.
Posted 2018-12-02 6:10 AM (#172063 - in reply to #171680) Subject: RE: Thrush
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 333
also, thrush can get into the central sulcus of the frog and do some damage. If the back of your foot between the bulbs has what looks like a "butt crack" most likely your horse has it. Gently probe with your hoof pick and see if it sinks into the frog sulcus. Be careful, it hurts your horse. One friend told me I was crazy, so I used a flea comb, gently probed and pulled out the comb with some of the nastiest stuff on it. She was a believer. There is a internet recipe for a dry "no thrush" type product that works well on this since it is internal and dries the wet in the frog. The wet stuff works as well.
Posted 2018-12-15 3:14 PM (#172096 - in reply to #166925) Subject: RE: Thrush
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 391 Location: Columbia, KY
Yes thrush can definiately make a horse lame. Sometimes they can have thrush and you don't even know it. As someone else mentioned, if there's a deep "butt crack" between the heel bulbs they probably have thrush way down in there. That also means there's some heel contraction which is a whole different subject. Thrush Buster contains formalin and I'd rather stay away from using real caustic stuff in those sensitive areas.
I'd clean the foot out really well, then soak in a solution of Oxine AC or apple cider vinegar mixed half and half with water, or soak in a solution of Clean Trax, dry the foot then apply Tomorrow (sold as a cow mastitis treatment) or Field Paste down deep into all the cracks.
This treatment is for hard core cases, and probably more work than what most owner swant to do. Cleaning the feet daily helps more than anything to prevent horses from getting thrush in the first place.
Posted 2019-05-13 4:18 AM (#172375 - in reply to #166925) Subject: RE: Thrush
Veteran
Posts: 170 Location: Minnesota
One of the "Cons" of getting old(er), you have heard a lot of BS. One of the "Pros" of getting old(er) is you have heard a lot of good. I've been around horses, mules, etc. for more than 70 years. We were taught that you needed to cut out as much of the bad as you can without getting into the good. Only than do you treat with what ever. Thrush buster works well. Bleech / water (50 - 50 mix) works as well.
Thrush
Thrush Buster contains formalin and I'd rather stay away from using real caustic stuff in those sensitive areas.