Sometimes a horse (or donkey) will end up with an infection in their hooves. This can be a result of a stretched white line, allowing debris to accumulate between the outer and inner hoof wall, leading to White Line Disease (WLD). This debris can then become a medium for fungal or bacterial growth. Alternatively, the horse's frog can harbor bacteria or yeast, leading to an infection around the frog and soft tissues at the back of the hoof called Thrush.
Prevention is the best way to avoid hoof infections. Pick your horse's hooves regularly (several times a week at a minimum). This allows oxygen to circulate, removes dirt, manure, or other debris that could harbor an infection. Make sure your horse is up to date on hoof trimming as well. This can prevent the white line from stretching and it helps ensure the hoof is balanced and that the frog is able to contact the ground, which increases circulation at the back of the hoof and contributes to a healthy, functioning hoof structure. You can also talk to your farrier/hoof trimmer about your horse, their risks for infections, and treatments they recommend. Below you will see what has worked for us.
I would be remiss if I didn't mention that a good diet is the foundation of healthy hooves. One of your best defenses against these infections is to feed your horse a low starch, low sugar diet, and to make sure the horse is getting enough copper and zinc in their diet. Our horses primarily eat free-choice hay provided around the clock. We also use and recommend California Trace minerals, fed in a cup or two of a carrier such as hay pellets or Triple Crown Senior.
During we weather, we will often see the beginnings of some thrush around our horse's frogs when we are picking out their hooves. When this happens, we take action to clean the foot and rid it of infections organisms. Stamping out the infection early is much easier than getting under control once it has started to eat away at soft tissues. WLD is similar, and the treatments that work for thrush also work well for infections in the white line.
Prevention and Treatment:
Low sugar and starch diet
Picking out hooves
Proper hoof trimming
Cleaning hooves
Topical paste
Hoof soaks
Cleaning:
Scrub Hooves - using a scrub brush and water or a mild dish soap solution.
Apple Cider Vinegar - we fill a ketchup style squirt bottle with unfiltered apple cider vinegar, they squirt that around the frog, flushing any deep spots, cracks, or crevices, focusing particularly on any cracks at the base of the frog and heel bulb. You can also use a spray bottle but make sure you get one with a filter at the end of the straw or else the sprayer will get clogged with the "mother" in the vinegar.
Cleaning Spray - Red Horse Products makes a hoof cleaning spray that does a great job at cleaning out debris and keeping thrush from taking hold in the tissues surrounding the frog.
Topical Paste and Clays:
Clay - you can find recipes online to make your own, but we have had great luck with Red Horse Product's Artimud and Field Paste. The Artimud is great for using on the sides of the frog and field paste works well for stuffing down into deep central sulcus cracks.
Paste - a simple way to coat the frog and protect it is to simple smear maximum strength Desitin over the frog and down into the central sulcus.
Medicated Paste - also known as Pete Ramey's Goo. I have used several variations of this goo, and currently use a mixture of a 4.8 oz tube of maximum strength Desitin (40% zinc oxide cream) with 1 teaspoon of copper sulfate powder. I mix it in a plastic disposable cup with a popsicle stick so everything can be thrown away once I am done (the mixture is quite sticky and thick). This mixture can be smeared on the hoof and pressed down into the frog with a popsicle stick, or you can scoop it into a small syringe with the stick and use the syringe to dispense it deep into the sulcus if needed. I recommend wearing gloves to apply it so it doesn't leave a sticky mess all over your hands (and legs, and arms, and clothes). This goo works as a treatment or a preventative.
Soaking Hooves:
50/50 Apple Cider Vinegar and Water - Soaking is a great way to start your initial treatment of hoof infections. It does take a bit of time and preparation, but we like to kick off the treatment of any infection with at least one soak. This is a simple and easy way to start, especially if you already have the vinegar on hand. It's also easy to go out and grab at your local store.
Oxine AH - we have found activated Oxine to be incredibly effective. If you choose to use oxine, be very careful with these chemicals, as they can irritate skin and eyes, so take precautions to protect yourself and your horse during treatment. Only mix as much of this solution as you need to use immediately. You can soak as often as daily for several days, but I have found that doing this once to kick things off allows me to use the vinegar spray and either hoof goo or clay to continue treating until the infection is gone. Anytime the infection reappears or stops responding to the other topical treatments, I do another Oxine soak. The following measurements are what I use if I am only treating one horse.
First, clean the horse's hooves thoroughly by picking them out and scrubbing them to remove any debris so the soak can penetrate as deeply as possible. If there is a deep central sulcus crack, you may want to stuff a bit of cotton in there to hold the crack open during soaking.
Next, fit the horse with soaking boots. You can use commercially available soaking boots made by Hoof Wraps or Tubbease - you want to use a soaking boot that closes at the top to seal in the gasses the Oxine releases. Another option is to make your own with a used IV bag (available from your vet or doctor's office), dry sacks (the medium works well for front hooves, and the large for backs), or a baby diaper covered with duct tape. These homemade versions can be sealed at the top with duct tape or vetwrap to hold in the Oxine gasses.
Combine 2 ounces of Oxine with 1/2 tsp of citric acid and wait exactly 3 minutes for the solution to activate. Then, add 1/2 gallon of water and fill the soaking boots with enough solution to soak the frog and sole. Soak 20 minutes, remove the soaking boots and rinse with water.
Alternatively, you can use the Oxine without the citric acid diluted with the water or you can activate it with vinegar instead (2 ounces Oxine and 2 ounces vinegar to 1/2 gallon water.
My favorite routine is:
Daily pick hooves
Weekly clean with vinegar spray then apply a hoof clay (particulary during wet and muddy weather)
At the first sign of infection, do a hoof soak then begin treating daily with Pete's Goo until the infection is gone
Thrush and WLD are usually pretty easy to treat as long as you catch it early and treat it aggressively. If it ever stops responding to treatment or becomes a recurring problem, get with your hoof care specialist or vet to get to the bottom of what is going on.
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