Wet spring, false sole and lots of sloughing and thus nooks and crannies has led to a bit of thrush in both my boys' feet. I had been using Thrush-x but it didn't seem to be doing the trick (plus the smell makes me nauseous). My new trimmer was out yesterday and she pared away a lot of it to treat easier and she sold me a jar of her own concoction. Anyone ever use bentonite clay mixed with activated bamboo charcoal?
I smeared some on last night and will give it a go, but I had never heard of this method, though it makes sense logically to me. Just curious if anyone else has tried it with or without success.
I don't know about this, as I've never heard of it.
I have been using Thrush Buster if my boy gets it, and it only took me two applications to get rid of it when he did. His pasture (not mine) is really wet in a lot of areas during wetter times of year because his owner has no way to rotate her horses through pastures and they get Thrush from time to time, just never severely because we keep a check on it. He already has pretty deep grooves in his feet (the farrier says they're healthy, just the way he's built), so it's hard to keep everything out of there!
I've heard of the clay, but not the charcoal. In fact, I've heard a LOT of good things about the clay, but I've yet to try it.
I've had really good results using No Thrush. It's actually a powder and does remarkably well getting into the nooks and crannies, even in wet environments.
This is what I did, per recommendation from my farrier (My horse had thrush in all four feet) I started with a few days of stuff called "Tomorrow" it's a white liquid. I then switched to the "No Thrush" powder and to get it into the nooks and crannies, I would put the powder on his foot, then mash it in with the brush end of a hoof pic. I just kept at it and now my boy has been thrush free since!
Ditto this. The Tomorrow will stop a bad case of thrush in it's tracks, and I think it is easier on the horse (I have used Thrush Buster and have gotten it into a cut and it stings... have to think it stings thrushy feet too). I use the No Thrush powder more as a preventative (I brush it into all the nooks and crannies with the hoof brush on my pick).
If this clay/charcoal mix doesn't work out I'll check out the No Thrush powder, I have heard good things about it.
I feel so embarrassed I haven't been able to get a handle on this infection! I used to live in an area with 3x the moisture as I deal with now and treated thrush every year in every horse and never had a problem. Now I'm in a significantly drier area and it just WON'T clear up with my old arsenal of tools.
I haven't read the whole thread but don't beat yourself up!
My horse is on pasture 24/7. In the winter that means he's standing in wet/possibly muddy conditions all.day.long. It used to really worry me. But he never got thrush in the winter. You know when he does get it? In the summer when everything is bone dry. Last summer it was even more awful than usual because I was having farrier issues. I didn't get a handle on that thrush for 6 months.
I have the No Thrush powder but haven't used it yet because quite honestly it doesn't seem like it would work. I started out using diluted bleach on my vet's advice, then a horsey friend mentioned using Vetericyn. I gave it a shot and it's now my go to thrush medicine. It works really well, really quickly for me.
Bentonite clay is the base for Sore-No-More's clay poultice. I love that stuff!
Something else to consider, if the farrier's mix doesn't work, is Banixx spray. It is expensive but all you have to do is dampen the soles, collateral grooves, and sulci if it's cracked open.
If the sulci is cracked open there is thrush in there but that thrush does not have an odor to it.
Whatever you use, keep at it every day until the thrush disappears. It is a big PITA but you have to stick with it
So far so good. It seems to be working better than the chemical treatment I had been using. But I am almost through the jar and think I might need more to clear up the stuff trying to take hold in the central sulci. My trimmer sells it for $10/jar and it's a little jar. I might have to give making it myself a try if I can find a good recipe.
Don't wait around. If you can't get a jar from your trimmer, buy a bottle of Banixx until you can get some.
Or for now, a mix of equal parts clotrimazol (human foot fungus cream), Triple antibiotic ointment, and diaper rash paste will help. You can push it down in the central sulci the same as you do the trimmers mix.
Thrush in the central sulci takes forever to get rid of. The last thin you want is to have to stop treating it with something - even for a few days
I ran out of the clay/coal mixture so I switched to some durasole for a few days.
Then last night hubby and I were chatting about ceramic glaze mixtures and he mentioned that he has a 50 pound bag of bentonite that he only uses 1% in his glazes. I got the ok to use some. So I think I'm going to mix some up. I'm not sure on the activated charcoal bit, but it seems many folks use straight bentonite. Maybe mix in a natural antiseptic like tea tree?
Anyway, the thrush is almost all gone. The lateral grooves are healed up, just a little more left in the central sulcus. Cruiser had a bit in the white line, too and I think it's getting better, but I can't completely tell.
Well, I did quite a bit of reading the technical differences between different types of clays, adsorption vs absorption, drawing vs CEC and I made myself a poultice. Put it on mid day yesterday. Checked the hooves this morning at feeding before work, and the central sulci infection is pretty much gone! I am stoked!
In my research I also got sidetracked (no big surprise) and found a lot of info on essential oils for use in horses. I got a crazy idea and I would like to test market it. Hoof poultices with the added benefit of essential oils. Do you think it would sell?
If you are marketing it let me know. I have a stubborn case of thrush in Trixie I can't get rid of. Her heels are pretty high which isn't helping but I don't want to just wack them off. So its an ongoing battle.
Not trying to hijack your post, but I've also got a mare with a bad case of thrush. This is my first experience with thrush, so I've been doing a lot of reading.
I've decided to try the Tomorrow or Today (whichever I can get at our local Rural King or TSC) and No Thrush.
Here's my plan:
Scrub the foot with soapy water (Dawn dishwashing liquid)
Soak it in ACV and Water for 20-30 minutes
Pat the hoof dry and
Apply the Tomorrow
Apply the No Thrush
...
My question is this...Can I use the Tomorrow and NO Thrush at the same time or should I use the Tomorrow for x amount of treatments and then switch to the No Thrush?
...
My question is this...Can I use the Tomorrow and NO Thrush at the same time or should I use the Tomorrow for x amount of treatments and then switch to the No Thrush?
I would apply one or the other, not both since the No Thrush is a powder. I actually prefer the No Thrush to any type of paste. I feel like the air can get to it better, and believe it or not, I've found the powder to stick in the nooks and crannies better than a paste.
BUT to answer your question- I would use the paste first and once you are done with that treatment then switch over. Whatever route you go- just be consistent!
I've already bought some No Thrush...I don't mind paying for it as long as it works. I've also read several posts recommending the Tomorrow so I thought I'd try that as well. I just want the thrush gone.
What is in No Thrush? I worry about it being a powder, if it is clay based, it is very dangerous to handle in powder form...silica in the lungs does a LOT of damage.
I currently have my product out to a few local folks for testing. Hoping to market it in a year or so.
What is in No Thrush? I worry about it being a powder, if it is clay based, it is very dangerous to handle in powder form...silica in the lungs does a LOT of damage.
"(NO THRUSH Proprietary, Patent Pending Ingredients list): All Natural proprietary mix of multiple clays and silicates, salts of copper, iron, oregano powder, and diatomaceous earth."
I'm shocked they are selling that in powder form. If you are using it, PLEASE be extremely careful not to inhale any. I use silicate clays in mine as well, and wear a respirator when mixing it (as is described on the packaging).
It should simply read: "Wear a mask!"
But both DH and I work in ceramics and mix a lot of powdered minerals and in that industry it is well known you wear a mask or a respirator. I wouldn't expect everyone to know silicates act like a cheese grater on your lungs.
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