Thrush in Horses – Farrier Tips for Treatment & Prevention

DAN: "With all the spring rain and mud, there is a concern for the development of conditions in the hoof, such as Thrush. Besides picking the hoof and regular trims, is there any other treatment that one can use to prevent this? Also, it seems that when a horse develops Thrush in a foot, this hoof tends to get Thrush more often than the others, even after treatment. Does it lay dormant in there? Is there a change in the hoof that causes it to be more susceptible to Thrush, again? Thanks, again, in advance for your answer."

So we've done lots of questions in the past about Thrush. You've done videos for us before in the past about Thrush. We've never quite answered this question, exactly. So I'm very curious to see what you've got to say for us.

DR LYDIA GRAY: Me, too.

DANVERS CHILD: Well, it's kind of cool because there's a lot of layers in there. The idea of Thrush is-- it's prevalent. Even whether you live in wet or dry, it doesn't matter. People are going to encounter Thrush. And everyone talks about it as a hygiene problem, and it is, to a certain extent.

But what was she mentioned was the idea of regular maintenance and hoof picking. And I think that's a key factor that we all have to think about. And a good friend of mine and of Lydia's, Dr. Steven O'Grady, always says that the best treatment for Thrush is a rasp.

DR LYDIA GRAY: Oh, I love that.

DANVERS CHILD: Yeah. And I think that's really, really cool. I mean, the idea of maintenance and working with that is key and critical. And the more you can do regular maintenance and keep that foot balanced, the better off you are. Trimmed, balanced, well-maintained-- professional maintenance is key.

But, beyond that, you've got to figure out the levels of Thrush that you're dealing with. We don't actually have a grading system for it. But if you have it in the lateral sulci-- the frog's kind of a triangular shape. And if you have it in the-- on the outside on those-- of that triangle, it's usually superficial. And you can treat it with pretty much anything.

When you get it into the central line, the central sulci, back in the center of the frog and toward the bulbs, then you start getting voids and pockets. And those are critical to treat. So I think she asked about treatment protocols and what to use, what products to use. So I think that it's key that we take any voids and fill them with something productive. Otherwise, they're going to fill with something counter-productive or nonproductive.

So I like to use Hawthorne Sole Pack, Magic Cushion, even cotton soaked in betadine. I think these are ways that we can take that void and fill it. If we fill it with something tame and mild, then we get good new growth. Because the hoof doesn't heal. What we're dealing with is dead tissue. So we're not looking for something that's going to heal. We're looking at something that needs to regenerate and grow anew. So if we treat it well--

DAN: I think that's a great point that a lot of people forget, is that you're actually-- the hoof, you're trying to regenerate it. It's not going to heal. I think people kind of forget that little nuance there when trying to treat things like this.

DANVERS CHILD: Absolutely. And if we pour caustic agents on that, then we're going to retard that healing or slow down that new growth. And I think that-- I'm going to digress a moment. One of the things about Thrush is that it rarely causes a profound lameness. It's an irritant. It will cause lameness, but it's usually-- it's not something like founder or laminitis, that's going to cause a huge lameness.

Therefore, it doesn't get a lot of research. And what we-- we tend to say, oh, well. He's got Thrush. We'll treat it. And how do we go about treating it? Well, you know, "Daddy did it this way."

[LAUGHTER]

So the minute we fall into that, you know, "Daddy did it this way," then we start doing foolish things like pouring bleach on it. And if you pour that caustic agent on it and treat it with caustic agents, then you're going to retard the new growth. And I think that it's critical that we use something mild and allow that hoof to regenerate. And if we're patient enough that--

DR LYDIA GRAY: And you mentioned working farrier. This is a good time-- you also should be working with your veterinarian. They're your best--

DANVERS CHILD: Absolutely.

DR LYDIA GRAY: Those two health care professionals are your best resources for what should go in the foot. And, like you said before, if it's superficial or deeper, they can help you diagnose and treat that. So don't forget about them.

DANVERS CHILD: Absolutely. Everything should be a team effort, here.

[LAUGHTER]

And it doesn't always work that way, but it should.

DAN: So the last part of her question, I think, is-- was really interesting, was does it lay dormant? And, if they have Thrush, are they more susceptible to get Thrush again?

DANVERS CHILD: Exactly. And she also said something about getting Thrush in one foot that--

DAN: Yes.

DANVERS CHILD: And I think that those two kind of go hand-in-hand. As I said previously, we always talk about Thrush as a hygiene issue. And you go to the literature, that's all you find. But that's not necessarily the case. I go in very pristine, clean barns where horses will have Thrush. And people are actually ashamed or embarrassed, thinking that they've failed somehow, and that they're not doing proper cleaning.

And I think what really happens here and what we need to recognize is that Thrush is tied very closely to circulation and vascularity. And you'll see, and I've put this compromised-- a club foot, an injured foot, something of that sort, you'll see Thrush show up in that one foot and not in the other three. So it's not simply a hygiene problem. It's a vascularity and circulation issue.

And that goes back to the regular maintenance. You get proper loading, you get even loading-- and anytime you've got a horse that's loading unevenly you're going-- that foot is going to be more susceptible to the problem. So it can very much be a gait or a lameness issue or a loading and landing issue as much as it can be a hygiene issue.

So circulation is a key element here, and which is probably a good time to point out that we do make a product that's SmartCirculate, and we do have that in our ultimate-- in our Hoof Care Ultimate Mix. So circulation is vital. And activity and exercise-- getting that horse out, moving around, working-- anything new you can do to promote good circulation and good vascularity is going to be wonderful for the hoof, not just for Thrush issues but for the horse.

DAN: That is fantastic. And I think that's such an interesting point to your-- because that one does mention the hygiene issue and maintaining your facility. But there's the other component that we don't really talk about a lot, which is that vascularity and promoting normal blood flow. So I think that's a great point to bring up, as well. And, to Lydia's earlier comment about working with the vet, working with the farrier, to make sure you really are coming with a program that's going to help best support your horse and the conditions they have is really the best way to move forward, for sure. But Danvers--

DANVERS CHILD: Absolutely.

DAN: --thank you so much for taking the time to answer that question.

DR LYDIA GRAY: That was fantastic. Yeah.

DAN: We could talk about that all day long. But we greatly appreciate your expertise and you joining us today.

DANVERS CHILD: I enjoyed being here. Appreciate working with you.

DAN: [LAUGHS] Well, thank you so much, again.