Most horse owners, at one point or another, have had to deal with thrush. In wet climates (*cough* Vancouver *cough*) it may have even been recommended that you treat your horses hooves with something like Coppertox to help keep the hoof dry and prevent thrush.
Symptoms of thrush can include:
- Bad smelling hoof
- Black pus in the frog area
- Frog appears to be decaying
- Lameness and/or increased sensitivity of the frog.
There are many options for treatment out there – most of which can be purchased at your local tack store, or if the thrush is persistent, talk to your veterinarian for other options. If you’re on a budget, you can try using sugardine which you can make in your own home. Sugardine is simply a mixture of Betadine and white table sugar to form a paste. Some people may suggest using bleach or hydrogen peroxide – DO NOT USE THESE! These are caustic chemicals and can burn healthy tissue and actually retard healing.
In terms of prevention, if you’re in a wet climate there’s not much you can do. The thrush bacteria is anaerobic so prevention is essentially keeping your horses hooves dry. As mentioned above, Coppertox can help as it serves to dry out the hoof. When applying Coppertox, be careful not to get it on yourself as it stains, and make sure you only put it on the bottom of the hoof as it can irritate the hair and skin and cause sensitivity.
Here's a video I found on youtube from thehorse.com:
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