missyclare
Posted : 10/27/2012 2:03:56 AM
If its wet all the time, you need to put some "dry" into the equation. Your best bet is keeping that good hoof health. Encroaching pathology lets things get slapped sideways. Giving their feet time to dry out will give them a one up on the wetness. Can you put them in the barn overnight on shavings? I turn the water hose on their feet for a second to wash the mud off, then bring them in, Simply getting clean is 90% of the battle. When cleaning the hoof, use tools like a kitchen scrub brush with a handle, toothbrushes for tiny places and Q-Tips for deeper places, Dawn dish soap...all in the interest of getting clean. Thrush can hide down in the bottom of a crack and still party on, while you think everything is good at the surface, so clean with a 3-D thought. Then spray with straight vinegar and in on shavings for the night. Pea gravel over drainage rock is also an excellent foundation for a horse to stand on when outside. Take pics of their feet to mark any changes and to keep an eye out by looking back. Stay on top of the trim. The hooves will look like they are gaining concavity, but it will be false sole shedding out revealing existing concavity. This leaves the wall standing above the sole, ready to be self-trimmed. Staying on top of the trim will keep things neat and tidy and the hoof cleaned up from harboring anything. Vinegar is an adaptogen. It goes on acid and cleans, but dries to leave a much more alkaline residue. The baddies love a neg pH, so this simply takes the jungle away that thrush feeds on and with it, the thrush. While you are at it, if their backs have been wet for prolonged periods, spray there with vinegar as well to discourage rain rot...the heel bulbs too. There's also a dry thrush treatment that works great as well, called No Thrush. Its a powder that you poof on without adding more wetness. Great product! Its the daily care that is going to shine through in the long run. Hope this helps....