Page 235 - The Veterinary Care of the Horse

Clinical signs

• An unpleasant odour.
VetBooks.ir • Black discharge in the frog clefts.

• There may be tenderness when the area is probed with a hoof pick if the horn has been

eroded and sensitive tissue exposed.

• Lameness. Recent infections rarely cause lameness but well-established infection with
erosion of the horn and infection of the underlying tissues can cause severe lameness.

Treatment

• The foot is thoroughly cleaned and inspected.
• Any predisposing factors should be identified and removed if possible. Corrective

trimming is often necessary.

• The horse should be stabled with clean, dry bedding.
• The frog is trimmed to remove any loose pieces of horn which could conceal pockets of

dirt or infection. All diseased tissue is removed together with areas of the frog that have
been undermined by bacterial infection.

• Where infection has entered the sensitive tissues of the foot it may need tubbing with

Epsom salts or warm saline and protecting with a dry bandage. Occasionally antibiotics
are necessary in these cases. The tetanus vaccination status of the horse should be
checked.

• If the sensitive tissues are not involved, trimming and topical treatment of the frog is all

that is required, together with improved hygiene. The feet should be picked out twice
daily.

Treatment

Topical treatments include:

• A weak iodine solution
• A mixture containing phenol, iodine and 10% formalin

• Antibiotic spray

• Copper sulphate solution

• Many commercially available hoof disinfectants are now available for treating thrush