“If you wouldn’t put it on yourself, don’t put it on your horse.” - Pete Ramey
Whether mild or severe, no horse owner wants to deal with hoof thrush. This infection is a combination of bacteria and fungi. The onset of this infection could be a result from wet environments, poor trimming, reduced circulation, or even compromised hoof areas (such as thin soles.)
Regardless of the reason for your horse’s thrush, nutrition, immune support, and true hoof health all play key roles in treating and preventing future flare ups.
TREATING
When treating thrush, I highly encourage you to steer clear of the traditional remedies as many of them are caustic - meaning they can damage/kill new, healthy tissue. This causes more harm than good and can drive the infection further into the hoof.
Some traditional treatments are:
Bleach
Thrush buster*
Koppertox
Lysol concentrate
Copper sulfate
Turpentine
Iodine
*The chemical that gives Thrush Buster it’s purple color is called gentian violet and may increase the risk of cancer. Eeek!*
Topical applications that block oxygen getting to the hoof are best avoided as well:
Pine tar
Bacon grease
Petroleum-based tar
So, it begs the question as to what safe products you can treat your horse’s thrush with? Let’s break it down.
To soak or scrub:
50/50 apple cider vinegar
Colodial silver
Diluted Thieves Household cleaner
Grapefruit seed extract
Essential oils*
To pack the hoof:
Artimud
Hoof-stuff
Field paste
Pure sole hoof mud
Zinc oxide cream
*Some essential oils to use for bacterial or fungal infections:
Tea tree
Thyme
Oregano
Lavender
Lemon
Rosemary
Thieves
Melrose
Marjoram
You can make your own hoof packing clay with this recipe:
1 1/2 cups of bentonite clay/other healing clay
16 oz. zinc oxide cream/calendula cream
10 drops each of chosen essential oils
1 1/2 cups of apple cider vinegar or honey water
SUPPORT/PREVENTATIVE:
Before, during, and after a bout of thrush, you can support your horse with organic, non-gmo herbs. Herbs that boost the immune system, improve circulation, and strengthen the hooves are all beneficial.
Just to list a few:
Garlic + echinacea: combat bacteria and viruses and boost the immune system
Nettle + rose hips: provide vitamin c that strengthens protein bonds in the hoof. They also encourage new growth and stimulate circulation.
Burdock root + cleavers + comfrey: strengthen hoof walls
Kelp: contains wide variety of necessary amino acids for building proteins
As I mentioned in the beginning of the article, nutrition/diet is an important factor. An overload of carbohydrates (that provide starches and sugars for bacteria to feed on) or deficiency/imbalance (especially where minerals are concerned) can be a culprit.
The best thing you can do is offer your horse a super low starch and sugar diet, preferably forage-based and put them on a quality, loose mineral.
When the diet is sorted, the hooves can start to sort themselves out as well and less hoof issues will occur.
Thrush is often overlooked as a cause for lameness, but if left untreated because it doesn’t seem relevant it can become a bigger issue.
Soreness or sensitivity that accompanies thrush could potentially cause toe-first landings in an attempt to not use the part of the hoof that hurts. This snowballs into abscesses, flares, wall cracks/chips, navicular damage, etc.
Something that seemed so small is now turning into a monster. Tackle the thrush today and take the steps to prevent it from happening in the future.
Emily
Resources:
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