by Heath Kizzier | Apr 26, 2021 | News, No Thrush, NT-Dry - AKA No Thrush, Pro Tips, Rain Rot, Scratches AKA Mud Fever, Testimonials, Thrush
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by Heath Kizzier | Nov 26, 2018 | Heel Cracks, No Thrush, NT-Dry - AKA No Thrush, Pro Tips, Testimonials, Thrush
I guarantee the story below will make you Barrel Racers, Ropers, Jumpers and Eventers take a closer look at your horse’s feet. We are once again in the midst of thrush season. This is not a sales pitch, it’s a true story. It can make a difference to so many of you. The attached video is included to give you the visuals.
Long story short – if your horse has a heel crack, there is a problem.
Thrush is a MUCH bigger deal than most think.
** Early this Spring I was manning a No Thrush booth at a big barrel Race. I was chatting with a pretty young woman about how and why heel cracks are such a problem. She was clearly a big hitter in the racing world, as all the little girls nearby were goggling and pointing in rapt attention. The woman and I finished up our chat and she said she would take a look at her horse’s feet when she headed back to the barn.
A few hours go by and she stops back by the booth. “Wow,” she said, “I checked my horse’s feet and both hinds have big cracks between the heels [the sulcus area between the bulbs]. Honestly,” she added, “I’ve never noticed them before. I just thought the cracks were normal. A lot of my horses have them.”
I asked her to show me.
At the barn we picked up the front feet. They both looked great. No cracks, no problems. I asked her to push on the bottom of the heel bulbs and they were nice and firm.
We picked up the back feet and there they were. Narrow but deep cracks in between the heel bulbs. There was no visible thrush whatsoever – none of the black goo in the clefts that most people associate with thrush. In fact, she didn’t see any of the black goo so thrush was the furthest thing from her mind.
I asked her to push on the bulbs. They were soft, almost squishy. Finally, I slipped the hoof pick inside the crack and it came out black and smelly and gross.
The young woman put her hands over her mouth and her eyes went wide. In a horrified monotone she said, “I am the best horse mom on this planet. How could I have not seen this?”
She then turned even whiter, a realization hitting her, “This horse is my rock star. He’s my main horse. But for the last six weeks we have been horrible! We are nowhere near the money. Are you saying THRUSH could be the problem?”
I nodded, “Think about it. Your horse has infected heels. That means they are soft and sore. When you start your run, you are expecting him to plant that sore, infected heel into the sand and make a hard turn. He won’t do it. He can’t. Instead he will only plant his toe, which is not good enough to hold the torque of the turn. His feet will slip out of the sand. I’m guessing he is taking his turns too wide?” I asked. She gritted her teeth, blew out a frustrated sigh, nodding.
We dusted her horse’s feet twice that day, twice the next day, and once on the morning of the 3rd race. She and the horse came in third – in the money for the first time in ages.
Obviously No Thrush powder didn’t “regrow” the heel crack in 3 days. But it did absorb and eliminate the damp thrush breeding ground that had infected his heels (without damaging the live tissue because it is not caustic.) Ultimately, the heels firmed up and he was able to plant his feet properly into the sand.
Important Note. No Thrush powder is going to get rid of the sulcus thrush fairly quickly. BUT please don’t stop there. That heel crack is made by thrush. It should not exist. If you just stop treating as soon as things are firm, bacteria will head right back in there, keeping you forever in the “Thrush Cycle.” So keep dusting until that crack regrows. Take a look at the video or the photos at the No Thrush website. It is supposed to be a “Dimple” not a “Crack.” This regrowth will typically take 20-50 days, depending on the severity of the crack.
Once you get back to the dimple, you will want to dust once a week for prevention. Thrush is not curable. A thrushy horse will always be susceptible.
Another note: If you have been using caustic store-bought products, or things like bleach or peroxide to combat thrush, these products will kill live tissue as well as the bacteria. Please, please do not use these inside an open sulcus crack – and Definitely do not “soak” with anything caustic. If you do it can take many months for the deep tissue to recover and begin to grow back into the proper dimple.
Here is an example: You would not willingly put your cut hand in a bucket of 10% bleach water every day. It will sting like mad, it will damage the tissue at the edge of your cut, and the result will be a jagged, ugly scar that looks like nubby proud flesh. Not good.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZxFRqFwF9ew&t=10s
by Heath Kizzier | Nov 4, 2015 | No Thrush, NT-Dry - AKA No Thrush, Pro Tips, Rain Rot, Scratches AKA Mud Fever
“TWO” Valuable NO THRUSH Pro Tips this month. (Scratches and a new topic: Clipping-Nicks). Obviously thrush is on a roll right now, but if you have been stopping in here, you you already know what to do about that. Meanwhile, we are getting a lot of calls this year about Scratches (AKA mud fever).
If your horse has white legs be sure to keep a good eye for drainage and scabbing starting to emerge between the fetlock and the coronet band. (White-legged horses are more prone to this problem, but it can occur on other colors as well.)
It is best if you find scratches before it gets out of control, so run your hand down the fetlocks every few days and feel for bumps. Mudfever/scratches can hide underneath the thick winter coat.
To use your NO THRUSH, just dust 1-2 times per day and “gently” rub into the hairline. Do not wash, and do not remove scabs. If you catch early, the scabs will fall off on their own in 3-5 days. To be safe, keep dusting every few days until the hair has regrown.
TIP 2: NEW TOPIC: For those of you who clip the coats of your athlete horses during the winter, you know that it is very easy to nick legs and faces. These nicks can get infected and cause swelling and additional longer-term problems such as lymphangitis. So we recommend dusting the legs with NO THRUSH after every clipping to protect the nicks and quickly staunch bleeding. (Yes, NO THRUSH is a coagulant.)
No need to waste: Just use lightly on legs that are not obviously nicked, but dust more thoroughly when you see blood spotting. Use in this same manner for nicks elsewhere on the face/body. (If using on the face, cover the eyes with your hand.)
This simple after-clipping habit will help protect against future avoidable problems. Have a great week. www.NoThrushShop.com
by Heath Kizzier | Jul 16, 2015 | No Thrush, NT-Dry - AKA No Thrush, Pro Tips, Thrush
No Thrush – PRO TIP – July 2015… “**Shedding Frog**” We received a private message from a woman whose horse was shedding its frog. The answer is valuable, so we thought we’d share to all….
While frog shedding is normal, if you have never experienced it, it can look scary. In fact, sometimes the entire V of the frog will shed at once, which really looks daunting.
Usually thrush is the procuring cause of the shedding.
Here is why: Thrush wants to invade and live deep inside the heel tissue, and of course you can’t see it or smell it because it is so deep. [This is why we preach so hard about eliminating the heel cracks and deep collateral grooves. These are bacteria access points.] — Anyway, when the thrush has run it course deep inside, this action can undermine the frog.
However, when active thrush is present, the frog tissue will literally hang on for dear-life. The body does not want to allow it to shed because it is the only protection for the soft, tender, and vulnerable tissue underneath. ….
So here is the No Thrush “tip.” —- If you see the frog begin to shed [ perhaps an edge, or even a big section looks to be dislodging and “flappy” under your hoof pick] get aggressive with your No Thrush dustings. Once per day is best. The powder will draw out the deep bacteria and breeding ground and take care of the “thrush” problem. If the thrush was severe, and the frog has been undermined, the rest of the frog may fully shed away. This is a good sign. This is the body’s way of breathing a sigh of relief. It no longer needs to fight the thrush, so the body allows the necrotic/dead tissue to fall away.
But you are not quite done…. Keep using your NT every few days. This will help firm up that new tender tissue and allow it to regrow properly. No Thrush is not caustic, so it will not inhibit natural grow…. As the new frog continues to grow you can slowly back off. The A-to-Z timing will be based on the speed of your horse’s natural growth rate. [usually 20-50 days] No Thrush is not “making” the tissue grow, it is “allowing” it to grow. Meanwhile the powder is protecting the new/tender tissue from being invaded by a whole new round of thrush.
Hope you found this helpful. Learn more about those heel cracks at www.nothrushshop.com