Thrush in Horses
Information & Treatment

Image from thehorse.com

Thrush is a bacterial infection that involves the central and lateral sulci of the frog. The horses foot has some natural self cleaning mechanisms which can be hindered by conformation, such as upright or contracted feet with deep sulci, lameness, lack of exercise  and wet environmental conditions.  The bacteria which can cause thrush are in the manure and soil where your horse lives and can get lodged into the areas around the frog, and in the right conditions, start an infection. The signs of thrush include a foul odor, black discharge and possibly lameness.

Thrush treatment can involve veterinary and farrier services to remove the affected tissue, and then application of a product to resolve the bacterial infection.  More severe cases can require systemic antibiotics.

Prevention involves routine cleaning of your horses feet, recognizing conformational problems that can predispose to thrush, routine farrier care and keeping your horses stalls and paddocks clean and dry.

I have a horse that is predisposed to thrushy feet, some of it due to conformation. 

Treating and controlling  it means having him on regular visits from the farrier. The sulci are very deep places.  You have to make sure they are cleaned entirely, using a hoof pick. I have one with the brush on the other side, and sometimes use a wire brush. It is important to use a method that gets the treatment down into the sulci where the bacteria are. I use a syringe and a syringe tip to "inject" the betadine  where it has to go.  It has been recommended to soak a small piece of cotton in betadine and place it into the sulci.