thrush treatment, thrush prevention, thrush, what is thrush, thrush help, thrush information, thrush info
By Eleanor M. Kellon, VMD
There’s much confusion
about moisture and hoof
health, but one thing is for
sure: Wet ground conditions
alone won’t cause thrush.
Causes: Thrush is caused
by an anaerobic bacterium,
meaning that it can live without
oxygen. Poorly cleaned
stalls, urine-soaked and
manure-packed footing, and
wet, muddy conditions are
major factors that predispose
your horse’s hoof to thrush.
Additionally, poorly trimmed
feet — hooves with contracted
heels or overly high heels that
trap debris inside the foot and
around the frog — also contribute
to your horse’s chances
of contracting thrush.
But the primary cause of
thrush is inadequately cleaning
your horse’s feet. Anaerobic
bacteria can’t live and multiply
in air and light, but if you allow
your horse’s foot to become
a dark, wet, unsanitary sanctuary
for these bacteria, they’ll
move in and multiply, even
feeding on the frog tissue itself.
Symptoms: Thrush is characterized
by a dark, sticky
discharge and a foul, rotting
smell. The frog may be covered
with this discharge, or
it may only build up deep in
Hoof it�
Thrush-Busting Tips
Once you’ve smelled it, you’ll never forget it!
Here’s how to recognize and treat thrush.
the frog’s grooves. Thrush is
usually associated with poor
frog growth and disintegration
of the frog tissue.
Treatment: If your horse gets
thrush, first ask you farrier to
trim your horse’s hooves. He
or she can leave the crevices
beside the frog wide open,
while paring away any obviously
infected tissue. Then,
pick out your horse’s feet every
day, paying particular attention
to the frog crevices, until
the thrush has cleared up.
Thrush is highly sensitive to
air and drying, so trimming
Horse.com • state line tack HorseLink Magazine23
Click above to watch a video tutorial on thrush treatment
from the Horse.com video library.
Issue 5 2009
and cleaning will cure most
early cases. However, if thrush
persists, you can treat it with
dilute bleach (about 50:50
bleach and water) or hydrogen
peroxide. There are also several
commercial applications for
thrush, but ask your veterinarian
for advice — sometimes
these chemicals can be too
harsh on the tissues.
Eleanor Kellon, VMD, is the veterinary
editor of Horse Journal and
John Lyons’ Perfect Horse, both
sister publications to HorseLink
Magazine.
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