Thrush is a much bigger deal than most people think. If your horse is getting visible thrush 3-4 times a year, your horse has a heel crack. It’s warm and moist in there and thrush bacteria will seek it out. EVEN IN SUMMER. The bacteria will always go there, and then all it takes is a little moisture to activate it. And remember – Thrush is an “infection.”
“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
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
Most people don’t think much about thrush until their horse’s foot is black, smelly, and the frog is mushy. Yet they wonder why the horse gets thrush 3-4 times per year. The Truth: thrush is a bigger deal than most think. Here is a brief video that gives full details about warning signs, facts, and shows exactly how the thrush bacteria breeds inside the foot. Here is a cliff Note: Look for Heel Cracks…. Heel cracks are bad!
Confused about what is going on with your horse’s feet? So often the problem is thrush, but most of us only recognize thrush when we see and smell the black goo. But thrush is SOOO much more that that! This video will give you all the knowledge you need about thrush and how it invades the foot. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZxFRqFwF9ew
