Thrush

Question
QUESTION: So my mustang has thrush and my stable owner said I could use clorox rather then buying some treatment so do you know if that is true or not???

ANSWER: Breea,

Clorox is an old fashioned "cure" for thrush that is not really effective.  A lot depends upon how severe the infection, which is what thrush is, has become.  I would have to say that there are a number of pretty good thrush treatments out there that are far better than Clorox.  Bleach will kill the fungus but it will also damage the tissues of the frog and can burn the skin if gotten on other than the bottom of the hoof.  Thrush is one of those things that horses shouldn't get.  Sounds like you haven't been conscientious about keeping your horse's feet clean.  If the horse is in a stall the stall needs to be clean and the bedding should also be clean and dry.  This is an everyday thing.  Thrush is sort of like athelete's foot in humans and needs to be treated in much the same way.  Keep the feet clean and dry.  If the horse is in a wet environment and has poor drainage in the area it's turned out in then thrush is much harder to combat and needs to be addressed diligently with thorough cleaning of the animal's environment as well as the feet.   Get some proper thrush treatment and keep your horse's feet clean.  If the thrush is severe, to the point of lameness, then you need to get a farrier and possibly a vet involved.  Once you get it cleared up it won't recur if you are good about keeping the horse and it's environment clean.

Lyn

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: hes stall is cleaned everyday and I just got him.I just order some thrush stuff off of horse.com and I clean hes feet ever time I groom him so it maybe from his past owners.the didnt take very good care of him.Actually he was was neglected by them.Thank you for your info:)

Answer
Breea,

Thank you for responding and letting me know more about your situation.  Yes, undoubtedly he came in with it.  If you haven't had his feet trimmed recently then that probably needs to be done.  The farrier can trim away as much of the thrush as is feasible without making him lame so that you can clean it and take care of it better.  I don't know if you can groom him everyday but his feet will need to be cleaned and treated everyday until the thrush clears up.  I would hazard a guess at 2 weeks.  Some stubborn cases can take longer but I don't know what you are dealing with here.  

Glad to hear that you got him out of a bad situation.  He deserves so much better and you are providing it.  Mustangs are very smart, much smarter than domestic horses, so whatever you have to do for him he'll figure out that you are helping him and appreciate it.  They also have pretty good immune systems so he should heal up well.  

Good luck with him.  Love him to death and he'll return it multifold.  

Lyn