Thrush in horse hooves

 

Thrush in horse hooves is a pretty gross bacterial infection of the hoof, most commonly seen in the sulci (or grooves) and frog area. There is a distinct odor to thrush; once you smell it, you can never forget it.  Luckily, thrush treatment should take 3 days or less. 

 

The bacterium causing this hoof infection is Fusobacterium necrophorum, and it occurs naturally in the environment—especially in wet, muddy, or unsanitary conditions, such as an unclean stall—and grows best with low oxygen. Horses with deep clefts, narrow feet, or contracted heels are more at risk of developing thrush.

 

Table of Contents

Hoof infection basics

Causes of thrush in horse hooves

Signs of thrush

Treatment options and homemade remedies

Prevention tips

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This hoof shows patches of black in the sole area and around the grooves that could be a bacterial infection.

 

Thrush in horses – the basics

 

• Thrush is a bacterial infection that eats your horse’s hoof. This bacteria is anaerobic, meaning it thrives without oxygen, which is perfect for living in the nooks and crannies of your horse’s foot. You may have heard of Fusobacterium necorphorum, the primary microbe that creates the infection.

 

• There is also new evidence that fungi also take part in this invasion of your horse’s foot.

 

• You usually see and smell this infection near the frog. The deep grooves along the frog’s sides are the collateral sulci, and the middle of the frog has a groove called the central sulcus. Boy howdy, do these microbes love to live in these places.

 

• As a horrible gift to your nose, these bacteria create a foul-smelling discharge resembling dark goop. Your nose often notices this black discharge before your eyes.

 

Your horse’s hoof care team – you, the farrier, and the veterinarian

 

• Any hoof issue can quickly go sideways and morph into something else. The special skill of many horses is that hoof ailments look the same. A horse with an abscess, stone bruise, or even the beginnings of an abscess can all present the same way – ouchy and slightly unsound. Thrush can create those scenarios, too!

 

• Your vet and farrier are the perfect team for helping your horse’s feet feel much better. Your vet can diagnose, relieve pain, take X-rays, and develop a treatment plan. Your farrier helps execute that plan and, often, assists with reducing pain via corrective trimming and shoeing.

 

• Your call should be to both of them when you notice something wrong with your horse’s hooves.

 

What causes this hoof infection – something in the stall or pasture?

 

• The direct cause of thrush is the bacteria and any fungal buddies that come along for the ride. But how do they get there?

 

• Fusobacterium necorphorum generally lives everywhere, even in the cleanest stalls and pristine pastures and turnout paddocks. Add moisture to the mix, and it’s a paradise for pathogens.

 

This cracked hoof probably has white line disease, where the bacteria and fungus creep in between the layers of the hoof wall. 

 

What factors contribute to a thrush infection?

 

Your horse’s conformation

• A horse’s anatomy influences the likelihood of developing this hoof infection. Narrow hooves, contracted heels, and deep grooves all increase the risk of trust in horse hooves.

 

Moisture and mud

• Even the most sterile of environments can lead to this infection. But when there’s mud, manure, dirty shavings, and general dirty chaos about, thrush has a significant chance of showing up in the foot.

 

Lack of hoof care

• No amount of luck can replace good hoof care. The simple act of picking hooves does a few things. First, you are cleaning the hoof, which allows air access to the grooves. You also visually inspect the hoof; your nose will pick up on any foul smell. When you catch foot problems early, your vet bills are fewer, and your horse is healthier.

 

• Your farrier should also be visiting regularly for trimming and shoeing if needed. Often, their farrier tools can reveal a deeper affected area that allows the hoof pick to do its job better.

 

Not enough movement

• As a horse moves, their hoof should act like a natural cleaner. The hoof flexes and contracts with movement, and movement promotes good mental health and good circulation in the hoof. The digital cushion inside the hoof provides a mechanical pump for blood to go up the leg, which is cool and wild.  

 

An unbalanced diet

• A horse’s forage-based diet is a great place to start when crafting a complete nutrition plan. Horse hooves need vitamins, minerals, amino acids to build protein, water, and biotin to support hoof health. Any nutritional gaps show up in lackluster feet, a dull coat, and underperformance.

 

Read this for more great info about horse hoof anatomy. 

 

Severe cases can lead to tetanus

 

• When thrush gets out of hand, the bacteria take over and may start to infect the sensitive structures of the hoof. Lameness occurs as that sensitive tissue is damaged.

 

• Advanced cases can extend to the sole and white line, and when thrush affects the sensitive areas, you may also see the frog start to disintegrate, and the grooves may start deepening into the heels.

 

• Tissues may die and hinder the application of medications. Your vet and farrier may need to debride the area. Cutting away the dead tissue makes daily cleaning more effective and reveals healthy tissue.

 

X-rays are important to highlight any pockets of infection that have invaded the hoof.  This horse is in the clear!

 

Tetanus is a possibility, too.

 

• When thrush damages the sole of the hoof, another bacteria in the environment called Clostridium tetani has an entry point. The endotoxins made by this particular bacteria cause tetanus, sometimes called lockjaw. It’s a horrible disease, and most horses perish from it.

 

• Luckily, an affordable vaccine for tetanus is part of your horse’s regular vaccination schedule. Advanced cases of thrush may do best with a booster, too.

 

Canker vs thrush

 

• Canker in the horse hoof is another type of infection that triggers keratin to grow out of control. It’s suspected that a virus or bacteria triggers this abundance of keratin growth in a bad way. Lameness is a possibility here, and treatment is complicated and involves resection of the hoof to remove the excessive tissue.

 

• Like thrush, canker was associated with dirty and muddy conditions, but it’s seen in dry and clean environmental conditions, too.

 

• And unlike thrush, which tends to “eat” the hoof, canker creates too much.

 

Signs of thrush in horse hooves

 

• Look out for the following:

 

• • • Black goop in the grooves
    • A bad smell
    • Tenderness in the frog area
    • The grooves are getting deeper and extending up the back of the foot
    • Lameness
    • The sole is flaky and may crumble away to reveal more black goop

 

You can barely see the black stuff in the grooves. This is thrush! I smelled it before I saw it.

 

Thrush treatment in horses 

 

• Most over-the-counter topical applications are affordable and easy to use. Make sure the hoof is clean and dry before you apply!

 

• Begin by cleaning away the blackened, diseased tissue. You should have your farrier or vet help you with this. Get your vet out for advanced cases or instances when you can’t clear it up in two or three days. That’s right – your over-the-counter thrush medication should eliminate the infection in a few days.  

 

Clean the hoof before you treat

 

• Think of thrush like a wound; no amount of topcial medications and bandaids will help if you don’t clean the wound first. It will stay infected.

 

• The best place to start is the wash rack. Put your spray nozzle on the jet setting, and rinse out the bottom of the hoof for about a minute.

 

• Aim the water into the grooves and along the edges.  

 

Clean the thrush out! Then, add your treatment of choice.

 

• Treat the hoof bottom with mild betadine or iodine disinfectant solution with a good scrub.

 

 

• Rinse and repeat this cleaning and iodine a few times. Then, let the hoof dry before applying medications. Ideally, your horse chills in the wash rack, so the clean hoof doesn’t have to step on anything.  

 

• After the hoof has dried, apply your topical treatment. A mild case should clear up quickly.

 

Pro tip – if your horse’s grooves are deep, put your rinse solution into a syringe with a curved tip. You can then pop the tip into the groove and flush the area.

 

What is the best treatment from the tack store?

 

• It’s an experiment to see what topical meds work best for the microbes in the hoof.

 

• If you pick up some colored thrush meds at the tack store, they can be messy. The easiest way to apply them is with a spray bottle or ketchup bottle. The tiny nozzle contains most drips, and you can better control the application.

 

• Kopertox and Thrush Buster seem to deliver outstanding results.

 

• A perfect option available from your vet or some feed stores is a tube of antibiotic ointment typically used for mastitis in cows.

 

 

A ketchup bottle is a great place for thrush meds. Pointy applicators make application easy.

 

Please don’t use bleach, formalin, or hydrogen peroxide

 

• The hoof is a living tissue that is damaged and wounded by thrush. Bleach doesn’t belong in a wound.

 

• Research also tells us that bleach, hydrogen peroxide, and alcohol lengthen the healing time and can cause significant pain.

 

Are there any natural and homemade thrush treatments? Try iodine, ACV, or tea tree oil.

 

• Some vets will recommend apple cider vinegar for cleaning thrush-y hooves. You can also use a 1:1 ratio of ACV as a soak for 20 minutes or so.  Read more about the many uses for ACV at the barn. 

 

• Tea tree oil is another option, but be warned that it can be quite harsh, and some horses may react.

 

• You could use the iodine and water mix as a leave-on treatment.

 

This article has great tips for at home remedies, from a vet.

 

Boots or wraps can help keep more moisture and mystery earth goo from infecting the hoof.

 

Skip the purple gentian violet compounds, too?

 

• Canada released a call to action about gentian violet in early 2019. The official report states, “All manufacturers have voluntarily stopped marketing these products, their product licenses have been canceled, and any products that were on the Canadian market have been recalled.” There’s a link between gentian violet and cancer. You can read the whole thing here!

 

• The state of CA has also released a report containing details about studies done (not enough data on people) and other helpful things. There are a couple of cases where humans developed leukemia after contact with gentian violet. Still, there is no clear evidence of causation and little actual data (see page 11 of this report).

 

• It’s still readily available in most areas; just use caution. Gloves are a great idea when dealing with thrush in horse hooves!

 

Hoof soaks are another option

 

• Mixing up some CleanTrax hoof soak, or using the ACV recipe, and letting your horse marinate for 30 minutes will do wonders for thrush and white line disease.

 

• In between soaks, you could use a hoof boot to block the majority of mud and shavings from partying on the hoof.

 

Keep your horse moving to prevent thrush in horse hooves

 

• Only good things happen when horses move. Let your horse have as much turnout as possible to keep them moving and healthy. This also helps that digital cushion pump blood.

 

• A walking horse that flexes and contracts the hoof anatomy helps to prevent thrush via a self-cleaning action.

 

Preventing thrush infections in horse hooves

 

• It’s not always easy to prevent a thrush infection, but you can do some straightforward things.

 

• Address your horse’s diet. Supplements for keratin growth and hoof health are readily available if your horse needs a boost.
• Keep your horse at a healthy weight. Overweight horses carry more and may develop hoof and joint problems.
• Exercise! Turnout! Fun in the paddock!
• Make picking your horse’s feet an Olympic event. Train for the gold medal.
• Call your vet if those feet are not thrush-free after a few days.

 

Read more about white line disease here, another infection of the horse’s foot.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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