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We Are Flying Solo

April 2, 2012

Oh, Solo, Now I Have To Call Batman Too?!

Solo has been out on a pasture which has a giant mudpit by the gate from this winter.  It's a boggy area that never really dries all the way except in drought.  Unfortunately, horses also like to hang out by the gate.  Also unfortunately, due to some genetic flaw, Solo has wussy feet.

I'm sure it doesn't take you long to make the leap:  thrush.  I was not a happy camper.  My horse has NEVER EVER EVER had thrush and I work so hard at foot care.  But there was little I could do except treat the snot out of it, which I did.

At the end of last week, it was ok.  Not great, still mushy, but I kept pouring stuff on it and Robin had helped by carving out some flaps of frog that were trapping bacteria.

Sad foot is sad.
Tonight, I had decided to give Encore the night off after a tough weekend of MAJOR trail/hill/roadwork on Saturday and a dressage lesson on Sunday.  My plan was to ride Solo.  That is, until I picked up his right front foot.

He's barefoot right now, since he's not doing much, so his feet don't trap much dirt.  But as I went to scrape out the mud trapped on his frog, my hoof pick sunk in.  Deeper.  As I picked, it went even deeper and dug out white mushy stuff.  My heart sank.

I shoved the ThrushBuster neck in as far as it would go and filled it with purpleness.  I made sad eyes at BO and said, can Solo PLEASE stay up in the dry pasture tonight so I can take him to vet tomorrow?  Happily she said yes, so he will be accompanying his little brother to see the Dynamic Duo (Encore's getting some follow-up accupuncture on his poor stuck poll).

Did I mention I just had to take my blue-tongued shink to the vet on Friday?

It never ends....

10 comments:

  1. EWWWWWWWWW!!!! Poor Solo - I remember Sunny's thrushy feet days without fondness. And the folks a Freedom Hill had done a LOT to clear it up before I brought her home.

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  2. I've had really good luck with Veterycin (gel version) aka "holy water". It sticks where you spray it. Good stuff.

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  3. No Thrush powder. It's awesome! And it's a DRY formula... no more wetness on a wet problem!

    Also try a good CleanTrax soak - kills all sorts of pathogens that Thrushbuster can't even begin to touch.

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  4. Thanks for the suggestions! I'm afraid to see how far Dr. Bob will dig tomorrow, but I will do whatever it takes to make sure my buddy isn't walking around with holes in his feet!

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  5. White Lightning aka Gas Chamber Hoof is the absolute best thing for thrush. No need for a pricey vet visit. And yes follow up with No Thrush powder and you should be set. As for protecting hooves from moisture, nothing beats Keratex Hoof Gel--and that is from someone who lives in the swamp, where it rains for pretty much 6 months straight!

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  6. Pippi gets thrush bad. Always has. I am a poor college student so I use bleach that had been deluted in water. Like 1 to 5 or so. Works like a charm. Once the thrush is gone I might spray her hooves once every two or three weeks. That way the stay dry. Hopefully the vet has good news for you.

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  7. I have to go see Dr. Bob anyway, so I just want to check and make sure the infection has not gone anywhere bad. I'm hauling the trailer anyway, so it makes little difference to haul one or two. He won't charge me much to dig and maybe he can clean it up a bit so it's easier to treat all four.

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  8. I'm not really a fan of thrush buster. I worked for a year at a private farm where the lady had like 20 thoroughbreds (she saved a lot off the track and just let them "retire") and thrush was ever-present in the wet months. I felt like with thrush buster I just poured and poured and it never really helped. Koppertox worked better, but messy, but my favorite was Durasol. Highly recommend, and most people I've talked to like it a lot too. I think you can get it in liquid (which is what I used) or a pack. Turpentine seemed to help harden the feet up after and prevent thrush, too, after the infection cleared. I know you just got like 8,000 suggestions but you know, haha. Good luck with the feet!

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  9. Thanks, lyndz, we do use Durasole too, it's great stuff. I think I now own all kinds of thrush treatment sold at farm supply stores.

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