Pony with bad thrush?

Question

evening ladies and gents,

I have a pony I've to take care of with awful thrush in her two front feet. She's a pony that doesn't get worked often and is really skittish, so i'm going to have to fight her to soak her feet in a pale of warm water, but to scrub her feet, what would i use? Most people have told me diluted bleach, but because the thrush has already eaten a lot of her frog away i don't want to damage any good hoof tissue. I was thinking betadine, but...

Also, we don't have a very big barn, so i can't move her to a dry area for the bacteria to die off, but if i put a cotton pad on her hoof's pad, then a diaper, and wrap it in vet wrap, will that keep it dry? and will ichthammol kill thrush like it does with abscesses? I've heard of thrush buster, but i'm not to sure how good it is.

If it's not obvious, i've never personally dealt with thrush before haha. you're advice is greatly appreciated. :]

xxLiv

Answer 1

thrush buster, koppertox, trush X are all great ways to kill thrush and a lot easier than foot soaks. the bleach will also work, but you don't need to scrub her feet. just clean out the dirt and mud then apply some kind of thrush treament. scrubbing is going to irritate the already sore tissue. another way to kill thrush is with turpintine (paint thinner). just apply it directly to the foot like any other type of thrush treatment. be careful not to get it on the horses skin though. the best thing to do would be to treat her feet and leave them open to air, and place her in a clean, DRY stall or lot. moisture is the enemy! the diaper wrap would hold moisture agains the frog and provide a breeding ground for more thrush. ichthammol is not for thrush and would not be effective here. go out and buy a commercial thrush treatment and follow the directions on the bottle. they really do work, trust me!