Monday, December 20, 2010

Thrush epiphany

The friendly people at No Thrush just advanced my understanding of thrush by leaps and bounds in three sentences. Here is part of their response to my pictures:

"The original photos tell the whole story. The sulcus and lateral groves are so deep, and the frog is so narrow, and there is such a concentration of thrush in there, that once the thrush and disease begin to get under control, that top layer will almost always shed. It is not unusual for the entire V to come off if the frog is extensively infested with thrush/disease."

After I read that I went back and took another look at his before photos.

Just ignore the uneven heels for now

This is the view I should have been looking at. Just look at how deep those cracks go into his feet, all the way to the hairline! That is all from thrush. Look at Gwen's non-thrushy foot below for comparison, no deep crack there.

Now lets take a closer look at the pictures I posted last time.


This picture proves that the No Thrush WAS working. See how the tissue is filling up what used to be a super deep crack? That was why it took so long for me to see results, his frog had a LOT of recovering to do from deep inside the hoof capsule. There was also the issue of me not knowing what to look for, though I think I have an inkling now.

Since I'm feeling a whole lot better now that his feet are on the road to improvement, I can go back and cogitate on the other signs of thrush he was exhibiting. Right off the bat I want to say that there was NO stink and NO black ooze in his feet. Don't let the lack of those symptoms fool you like it fooled me. Other than the clues my eyes should have given me when looking at his feet (and will from now on) I should have noticed other symptoms under saddle. For instance he was very footy on rocks, even little rocks. He had also started being a total slug in the arena which, in hindsight, was probably because the footing was getting up in those cracks and irritating his feet. It's a testament to his stoicism that he wasn't lame all the time.

I'm posting this in the hopes that I can help somebody else with thrush issues. If I didn't know this then I'm betting that there are a lot of other people who don't know it either. I encourage everyone reading this to pick up their horses' hooves and look at those heels and frogs. If they look anything like Coriander's then TREAT THEM NOW! Your horse will thank you.

I just stumbled on this post by an endurance rider that confirms my new understanding of thrush: Thrush does not always smell and it is not always obvious.

12 comments:

  1. Very good post with lots of useful information - thanks!

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  2. Very good to know! That's one thing--there is always something new to learn when it comes to horses. Thanks for sharing :)

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  3. I did the SAME thing with my horse's feet-thought he was fine, even though he had those deep cracks. It took a new farrier to clue me in. Thrush is much trickier than I originally thought!

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  4. Poor Coriander, I think if this info helps another horse it might make his suffering worth it.

    Thrush really is a tricky bastard, I don't think it's talked about enough to really clue people in about it either.

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  5. oh I've not heard of this product..I may have to try it out!

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  6. I've just gone back and added a link to their site so it's easier to find.

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  7. Thanks for the information and this and the pics. It helps a lot.

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  8. Oh good, glad I could help. Don't be surprised if the whole frog falls off. I just had to go back Saturday and shave some more of the diseased stuff off. Good tissue is growing in now!

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  9. I just ordered this stuff and can't wait to try it out. I like that ease of putting it on and not having my horse have to stand still for 45 in a soaking bag...but we'll see if it's just as good! I'm hopeful :)

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  10. It's super easy to use. If your horse has really bad thrush (like mine) I would still do a soak once a week. I soak Coriander's feet weekly with oxine and citric acid in addition to the No Thrush.

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  11. Probably about 3-4 weeks. We're at the two month point right now and it looks like his frog growth has really started picking up steam now. I'm planning on posting updates soon.

    If her feet look like his did you'll need to apply it everyday for at least two weeks and then probably every few days for a few more weeks. Fortunately No Thrush doesn't cost much. Keep an eye on that crack for improvement and be prepared for the frog that's left to start wasting away.

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