Hoof thrush....is it normal???

Thrush is an infection usually with bacteria and fungus living in symbiosis where they help one another digest and live off hoof matter. 

Thrush is so common now that it is not seen as much as a problem unless the horse becomes lame.  Is this the right attitude to take towards a potentially life threatening disease?  ABSOLUTELY NOT!!!

Thrush is caused by improper environmental stimulus for health and its prevalence is a reminder that the domestic horse is faced with unhealthy and stressful environmental stimuli.

We need to better understand the causes and treatment of thrush and most of all; how to prevent it…...

Thrush used to be thought of as due to neglect and poor management.  Horses used to have more value as a working animal and as soundness and performance go hand in hand, it stands to reason that minor diseases which were known to have influence on performance were treated quickly and prevented whenever possible.  I am not saying that treatment of the horse was always superior in times gone by but I am saying that the changing use of the horse has altered its environment and this is sometimes to the detriment of the horse’s health and welfare. 

So why is thrush more common now?  Feeding fashions whereby you put the health of the horse in the hands of the feeding companies, is partly to blame for thrush.  Thrush is caused in part by unhealthy metabolism, unhealthy immune system and digestive system.  Modern feeding methods use potentially allergenic and/or harmful ingredients (wheat feed, alfalfa, soya for example) which may contain toxins such as chemical fertilizers, round-up and other nasties.  Also feed companies usually use synthetic vitamins and minerals which can cause gut irritation as well as pelleting agents, mould inhibitors, preservatives, high amount of sugars and all sort of things which they do not necessarily put on the bag and can contribute towards faulty metabolism etc!  So it is easy to see how opportunistic bacteria can take hold on unhealthy cells and horn tissue.

So the environment in terms of what the horse eats can be improper for health…what else?  Remember, environment is everything the horse senses via touch, feel, smell, taste, sight, sound and extra sensory perception.  So stress and resulting emotional imbalance can contribute to thrush as well as what the horse stands on for example.  Too wet, too dirty or otherwise improper environment can also cause or exacerbate thrush.

But why?  If the tissues and structures of the foot and hoof are unhealthy, they struggle to perform.  The protein bonds can break down and the hoof becomes weak.  This puts pressures on the internal structures to perform as all components are needed to work in unison for health.  Also if the internal foot is unhealthy it cannot grow an external hoof and as the hoof is the vehicle for stimulus to create the right environment for health of the inner foot, then the hoof cannot do its job properly and the structures begin to fail and the vicious cycle continues….

Did you know that the hooves are covered in bacteria and opportunistic fungal spores and sometimes they live in the hoof just waiting for the right conditions to begin to multiply? In a healthy foot in dynamic equilibrium, these opportunistic bacteria and fungus do no harm.  In an unhealthy foot/hoof, opportunistic bacteria and fungi may grow and cause infection which becomes visible to the eye, (thrush) as a result of improper environment (diet, stress, workload, shoes, trim, going underfoot, climate changes, management changes, etc).  It may begin as a small amount of smelly, creamy black or cheesy coloured and textured substance growing in the collateral grooves of the frog or central sulcis.  Sometimes it starts at the golden (white) line too or in tiny cracks in the hoof wall at the ground surface.  If the environment is right, they multiply, digesting horn and frog and literally eat their way into the tissues of the foot.  To make matters worse, they often create pockets where they make their own preferred environment (moist, poor oxygen, warm) and these often go un-noticed until they are exposed by a hoof care provider or if the diseased tissue falls off on its own.

So what, things get a bit smelly for a while?  Yes they do but what if the frog becomes so eaten away and small that it cannot do its job properly?  What if the hoof wall breaks and it cannot do its job properly?  A loss of mass means that there is insufficient hoof print to deliver correct stimulus or pressure for both the delivery of stimulus for health to the internal foot and the delivery of energy BACK to the ground for correct movement.  The result?  Ultimately if the horse is asked to perform beyond the capability of the hoof, it fails and that often results in lameness and poor performance due to trauma on the sensitive structures.

So a simple bit of thrush can lead to abscessing, quittor (infection of the lateral cartilages), lameness, and issues with the bony structures and soft tissues as a result of the lameness…so resulting in more lameness.  At best it means a few quid on products and some management changes but at worst it could mean huge vet bills and a horse with long term rehabilitation ahead….or worse.

So what do we do to prevent or treat thrush?  The current popular belief system towards the medical and veterinary profession whereby treatment of symptoms are the focus of the disease presented rather than the prevention, has led to a backward step in medical and veterinary science.  More attention should be paid towards a holistic view with regards the cause, prevention and treatment.  Thrush is no exception and should be treated holistically for best results;

Thrush treatment protocol:

1)      Call in a DAEP for whole horse hoof care advice and services.  The foot will require proper trim methods too and possibly shoe removal.  If necessary, call the vet.

2)      Gradually remove harmful feeds and introduce feeds designed to heal the gut and immune system.  I always recommend Thunderbrook feeds (known as Equine Pure Essentials) and hay, preferably organic. 

3)      Make management changes to limit physical, mental and emotional stress including appropriate bedding, turnout, etc.

4)      Using guidelines and tools by your DAEP and your horses spectrum rating; apply correct stimulus via correct movement.

5)      If necessary address imbalance and hydrate with homeopathic remedies such as Hydropathics HYDRATE AND DETOXIFY . 

6)      Do not treat the foot with caustic or necrotizing agents…these make the infection worse as they kill not only all present surface bacteria/fungus but also a thin layer of healthy cells which allows fungal spores in surrounding tissues a prefect next meal and the cycle of infection begins.

7)      For minor infection, clean the foot with pioneer herbal hoof soap and let dry on a clean surface.  Then spray with Silvetrasol.  Once dry apply field paste to the entire surface of the hoof and frog as this prevents dirt and harmful substances from coating the hoof.  Small cracks can be filled with arti-mud and larger holes or cavities packed with hoof stuff at this point.  Continue daily until all sight and smell of thrush has gone.

8)      For inner wall infections and abscesses, I recommend a clean trax treatment.  I also have a pair of clean trax boots for client use.  This treats the fungal spores lying dormant within the hoof wall and penetrates into hard to reach cracks and cavities. The continue with 7) above.

9)      For more serious infections and/or where the inner foot (internal arch apparatus) is compromised due to improper environmental stimulus, I always recommend wrapping in perfect hoof wear (PHW) following clean traxing and spraying with silvetraosl.  This encourages correct stimulus to the internal foot thus encouraging correct growth whilst helping deal with the infection.

10)   To prevent infection ensure the foot is at its most healthiest it can be or that it has a healthy spectrum rating.  The horse is a product of its environment so make sure this is correct for your horse.  Feed a holistic feed and organic hay where possible.  Spray healthy hooves twice weekly followed by an application of field paste and keep regular hoof care appointments (every 4-6 weeks).  If you shoe your horse, consider going barefoot some of the time (at least 3 months a year) or all of the time and use a DAEP.  Don’t forget to contact your DAEP for whole horse hoof care advice.

All of these products we keep in stock and most are also sold on our on-line shop and on Ebay too.

A note on seedy toe and abscesses….for serious infections where the inner wall is compromised, vets sometimes want to perform resections, where the hoof wall is cut away in order to expose the infection, treat it and then shoe the horse to stabilise the hoof capsule.  Please, if you find yourself in this position, speak to a DAEP or call the Institute of Applied Equine Podiatry for advice first.  A resection may be an unnecessary and costly procedure in more ways than one for your horse and usually there is a more successful alternative which promotes health and performance of your horse.

But remember, PREVENTION IS ALWAYS BETTER THAN CURE!  Far better to employ the services of a DAEP who will help you to care for your horse’s hooves responsibly and proactively whilst always striving for high performance!  Even better…join up today for the on-line AEP course and you never know…it may lead to you learning to trim your own horses or even a profession in AEP!

So…..do you still think thrush is normal now?