[Salila]

My best friend, Jacy, has a horse who is nearing on 14 or 15 years old. I ask her all the time if she's been out riding now that she's home for the summer from college, but she always seems to have something keeping her from riding.

This time, her gelding has hoof problems on his front feet. It doesn't seem to bother him and if it is what I think it is, which would be White Line Disease (or seedy toe) then they are going to have some issues. Anyways, I was wondering if any of you might know what it is.

Her dad does all the hoof trimming, though he isn't a farrier, and in my opinion, shouldn't be allowed anywhere near a horses hooves, but anyways.

Taz (the horse) only has this in his front hooves. Jacy described it to me as that when she picks up his hooves, where the white line area is, its black and looks "like someone took a nail and traced the white line all the way around the hoof." Her dad thinks its some kind of fungus, and so has been 'treating' it by pouring some diluted bleach on it to kill whatever it is that is causing the problems.

So. What could it be?

 

[ButterfliEterna]

I posted one similar to this the other day.

Google pictures of "White Line Disease in Horses" and the [best] result is this:

http://www.stoddardsadvancedshoeing.com/images/site_pics_839_g82m.jpg


Your friend could always call a vet for a consultation? Bleach for feet sounds about as appealing as spraying your horse with dish-soap solution for flies to me..

 

[westonsma]

Black, flaky and peeling, maybe? Sounds more like thrush to me.

Read this. Your friend's dad should IMMEDIATELY STOP USING BLEACH. Bleach will kill the healthy tissues on the horse's feet and actually slow healing. Apply Sugardine. Cheap and easy to make. Take a look, and forward the info.

Even if it's not thrush, and is some other kind of fungus, this Sugardine treatment will not hurt the horse, but will also kill other kinds of fungus as well, so even if it isn't thrush, advise them to use the paste.

http://www.horsekeeping.com/hoof_care_and_lameness/treating_thrush.htm

 

[barrelracer892]

This sounds like thrush to me also. One of my horses is prone to it. I usually just use iodine. I put it in a spray bottle and sprayed it all over the bottom of his hooves and in his frog once a day for a month (although I think two weeks would be fine, but I wanted to make sure it was long gone!) If you use bleach, I would not use it for long. Only a week and I would use one part bleach to four parts water. Iodine would be much safer though. It also doesn't smell as bad. I've also been trying this stuff called Hoof Heal. It says it's supposed to help with thrush, but I haven't used it for that yet. Just for a conditioner. But you never know, it might work.

 

[Salila]

Well, we've decided it probably isn't thrush, exactly, because more often than not, thrush is centered in, or at least mainly affects, the frog, but this is only in the white line area and no where else.

Thanks for all the tips so far!