white cheesy substance in frog

Question
Hi.

Yesterday I was picking my horses hooves and i noticed that the front frogs were kind of tattered and cracked looking, as I picked around on them more I discovered a large pocket of a white cheese-like substance that smelled horrible,  this substance is in both of the front frogs. the barn owner is confident that it's just thrush, but everything that I've read about thrush says it's black and slimey, not white and cheesey so I'm concerned.  I called and talked to my vet, but without looking at it he said to treat it as thrush and call back if it gets worse... just a little concerned is all.

thank you for your help

Answer
HELLO KELLY...
THANK YOU for your question...I have been out-of-state
working, so I'm a day late answering you!!

From what you describe,your horse has "canker" not thrush.
Canker is a "vegetative growth" of the frog and can also be around the "bulbs" or soft tissue at the rear of the frog.
The frog is usually ragged and even oily in appearance. It will ALWAYS have a terrible smell(unlike & different from thrush). Warm Bloods,Drafts, and other large horses are MORE suseptable to the problem.

I have good luck using a furacin salve/oitment and either covered with bandaging material or if your horse is shod,
your farrier can put a pad with a removeable center for
re-medicating every other day...or a hospital plate where you can remove it and place your medicine and then re-cover it. The treatment varies with each horse, I've had some I've cured in 2 weeks and some have been 21 to 30 days.
I also like to use with great success, methiolate from your Vet, after the "cheesy-fluid" is gone to help dry and continue to keep the organinism from coming back.

Clean stalls and areas where ammonia is high is always a
problem and helps to "feed" the organism. I have also had good results in using penicillin; say 5cc and irrigating the spots before putting a furacin dressing on...it works real well !!

Without seeing it, I am speculating alittle, but I feel from what you are telling me...my advice should work well for you.
Again...Thank you for your time and write back if I can be of more help to you !!

Joepaul  Meyers,C.J.F.