When most of us think of thrush treatments for horses, we immediately think of messy, smelly green goop that seems to end up more on us and the ground than on our horse’s feet. Those nasty smelling traditional products that often contain toxic chemicals and metals are not the only way to tackle thrush infections. I have found several ways to combat thrush naturally that are just as effective, if not more so, as well as being much less expensive and more pleasant than those traditional methods and I would like to share them with you.
What Is Thrush?
Contrary to popular belief, thrush in horses is not a fungal infection, but actually caused by a bacteria called fusobacterium necrophorum. It is an anaerobic bacteria that flourishes in moist, oxygen deprived environments such as underneath layers of mud and debris that get trapped in the crevices of your horse‘s hoof. This bacteria is common to the animal gastrointestinal tract and therefore is naturally found in most soils. Characteristics of a thrush infection are usually a very smelly, blackish colored, oily material produced by the bacteria and deposited along the collateral grooves, central sulcus of the frog, junction of the frog and sole, and in more severe cases can also be found in the white line.
Thrush infections commonly occur in conjunction with fungal and yeast infections. It may be necessary to modify your plan of attack to make sure you cover all three common types of hoof infections in order to be effective in your treatment.
Doctor Charles Drew Medical Blog 