Thrush - Signs and remedies

Hi, I'm Danvers, I'm the Hoof Health Consultant for SmartPak, and I'm going to talk to you a little bit about thrush today. Thrush is a bacterial infection of the hoof. It's a naturally occurring thing. You see it quite often, because, basically, we have a breeding ground for bacteria. This is dead tissue so there's no vascularity no blood supply here to fight off that infection, and it's usually a dark area and an un-oxygenated area. It's kind of like a little petri dish for growing bacteria. Thrush is going to occur primarily in the area of the frog, along the lateral sulcus, or sulci, and in the central sulcus. Usually, it will appear as a black, oily residue. As all the books will tell you, it has a distinct odor - you'll recognize it. You want to clean out that area, get that black, oily residue out, and basically, cleaning and picking that out is the best thing you can do. Keeping that area clean is more important than putting on a topical. Your hoof care provider or farrier will very often clean out these tags at the back of the frog to help clear that area so it doesn't pack and trap fecal matter, urine, moisture, dirt, all manner of ick that wants to collect in there. That's what we do when we're working with our hoof pick daily. Those are your primary areas of concern - along the lines of the frog and in the central area of the frog. When you can't be there, SmartPaks can. SmartPaks are the only way to be sure your horse gets the right supplements, in the right amounts, everyday. Say goodbye to missed doses and borrowed scoops, and say hello to a happier, healthier horse. There are a number of products on the market for treating thrush, and I think it's very important to be careful that you are using a product that is intended for this purpose. You don't want to go out and just create all kinds of home remedies or buy into the home remedy game. It's important to use something that's mild and use it regularly. And that's the key, is constant maintenance and attention is much better than trying to repair it after it's happened. Thrush is going to occur in a horse's foot, it's a natural part of the process. We see thrush in horses that are out in an open environment, we see thrush occurring in horses that are stall kept. It's just part and parcel of horse keeping that you're going to deal with thrush. It's not necessarily an indication that you've fallen down and neglected your job. It can, however, be influenced by not just by picking the feet out, cleaning the feet, but also by activity and exercise. A good healthy foot that is getting lots of exercise and activity is less likely to develop thrush, as is a hoof that is well maintained. A hoof that's regularly maintained, is balanced, you get even circulation and vascularity, which helps to fight that thrush. I hope this was helpful in helping you identify the areas of concern for dealing with thrush. Stay with us, we'll keep working here at SmartPak on your hoof health issues.