Help!! Thrush maybe???

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HorseyGurl22

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I was picking out my horses feet this morning. When I picked out one of my miniature horses hoof there was this white kind of crumbly stuff in it on all of her feet. It also had an odor to it.

Is this something I can treat myself (I heard there's stuff you can buy at feed and supply stores) or does a vet need to be called back out. They do need their hooves trimed so I will be making a farrier appointment, could he treat this problem?

Second problem. I had a vet that was recommened to me come over to look at my horses the other day. My one mini (same as above
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) has been coughing and breathing rather hard. My friend said it was probably heaves (her horse has it). So vet came out and looked at her said she was a little heavey, but you really can't do anything to treat her. I asked about what to do if she has a really bad attack where she truely can't breath(my friend warned me about this, her vet gave her something, can't remember, in case her horse does have an attack)

Well, this vet I had out said that they don't really get attacks, that shouldn't be a problem and again there's nothing you can really do to treat it.

So now I'm not sure who to believe. Does anyone else have a horse with heaves? Do they get attacks? If so how do you treat them? What has your vet said about it?
 
The white crumbly smell stuff in the hooves does indeed sound like Thrush. You need to pick it all out with a hoof pick. One easy home remedy for it is to spray the inside of the hoof with a bleach and water combination. I believe a Nolvasan solution will also work as it's a fungicide. I'd do it for several days, once a day.

Your farrier will be helpful with being able to dig even deeper into the hoof wall than you probably will. And he will probably recommend other remedies.

Regarding the "Heaves".......I wouldn't hesitate asked a second vet's opinion.

MA
 
Many people today refer to heaves as COPD. Try doing a forum search and see all the threads you come up with. It is treatable in its simpler forms but in some cases the animal will become unservicable.
 
White and crumbly is normal sloughing. Thrush is black gooey and foul smelling. Once you have smelled thrush you will NEVER forget it. Actually most horses feet don't smell really great no matter how you fuss over them. After all they do walk in their poop
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Best thing to do it to keep the feet as dry and clean as possible along with good trimming practice and your horse should never develop thrush.

Heaves can be managed and treated. If your vet won't listen to you, then if it were me I'd find one who would.
 
White and crumbly is normal sloughing.
There's quit a bit of crumbly white stuff and the oder is quite strong She also has her son as a pasture mate and his hooves are clean with no crumbling. Does it still sound as though it's just normal sloughing?
 
Sounds normal to me as well, Triggy is right, thrush is black, gooey and smells TERRIBLE.

The smell you are smelling is probley just hoof smell, some horses have stinkey feet more so the others, kinda like people
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Horses with deeper groves in there feet around the frog tend to have more white stuff and smell more Ive noticed.

If you are really concerend it wont hurt to mix up a 50/50 water, bleach combo and spray the horses hooves once a day for a week.

I would also get a second vets opinion on your mare.
 
I have a big mare with heaves, and she is on Ventipulmin for it for the rest of her life. She has never had an attack of any kind. You can treat the symptoms of heaves, but you can never rid a horse of it. It is a life-long problem, unfortunately.
 
Her hooves really smell awful. I have some Thrush Buster, do you think it would hurt her to use it anyway just incase it is thrush? From what I've read in my books it sounds like thrush, but now on this list and another I'm getting mixed reactions.
 
I had a vet out to do my minis and my new minis hooves and the new mini had the same thing - white / well she said it was thrush and to just use a suringe full of bleech in each hoof - she did not mention about mixing half and half.
 
I don't know what you have there but Thrushbuster is wonderful stuff. Use it daily for about a week or so. Clean the hoofs out really good then apply it. I use it on my horses for maintence about twice a week wether they need it or not. My feet stink horrible too so I think I need some too.
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I don't care for your vet's advice. I'd give him the old heave-ho and get a new one.

Heaves is manageable but not cureable like what has been said. There are a number of things now to help a horse with the heaves.

It can be caused by any number of things but it's common that if a horse has been locked up in a poorly ventilated filthy dirty stall that reiked of urine and poop that surely could have caused it.

You can begin by wetting down his hay and grain and not encourageing any exercise.

Hope you get him to another vet.
 
Thank you all for the advise. I think I'm going to ask around for a vet to get a second opinion on my Tinker Toy.
 

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