[Kirsty f]

Hi there,

We have had a pony for a week, and we have noticed today that one of her frogs is shedding and there is a bit of a smell, does any one know the best way for us to treat this. 

Any advice will be greatly received.

Thanks

Kirsty and Macey

[ellied]

Frogs do shed but if there is a smell it could be thrush.  Best plan is to get your farrier to trim back the frog to healthy base and if you can still get it I'd use a little hydrogen peroxide dribbled into the V and washed off/out with clean water.  I'm sure there are now more commercial products and hydrogen peroxide is probably hard to get as a potential ingredient of terrorist weapons.. but it was also used as hair bleach and could be got from chemists over the counter (not off the shelf) on request in small amounts.

Maybe others will have the updated product names but I'd definitely call the farrier and get the frog trimmed back so infection doesn't fester in cracks and folds.

[Kirsty f]

Hi ellied

Thank you so much for your advice, greatly appreciated.

Thanks again

Kirsty

[lachlanandmarcus]

EllieDs advice is spot on. If you can't get hyd peroxide then there are various products sold in horsey stores. Kevin Bacons hoof products include a hoof disinfectant that is well reviewed and could be bought online. However you could in the interim use a dilute (capful to jug of water) mix of Hibiscrub, or even (a lot more dilute, cap ful to bucket, Jeyes fluid)


NB hooves shed more at this time of year and in spring than at any other time and generally horses shed what they need to and keep what they need. farriers can get a little over enthusiastic with paring knives to make it all look neat sometimes so just get them to pare off any big flaps or areas which are narrow clefts and could harbour infection.

[Kirsty f]

Hi Lachlanandmarcus,

Thank you for your advice, superstars as usual

Regards

Kirsty

[mowhaugh]

Great advice above, I tend to use Bactakill for thrush as it is handy in the spray bottle and we always have it about for sheep.

[Kirsty f]

Hi Mowhaugh,

Thanks for the info, I will get some of that tomorrow,

Thanks again

Kirsty

[clydesdaleclopper]

When our big fella had persistent thrush when we first got him I tried all sorts but the thing that really worked was the herbal soap and balm from Pioneer http://www.pioneerpersonalcare.com/Antifungal--Hoof-Products%282648749%29.htm Their stuff is excellent.

[Kirsty f]

Hi ClydesdaleClopper,

Thank you for that link,I will look into that.

Best wishes
Kirsty x

[Kirsty f]

Hi all,

Farrier has been this morning to our little Gem,  all is good. 

Thank you all for your help

Regards

Kirsty and Macey

[Rosemary]

If Gem's not shod and you're not planning to shoe her, might be worth looking into a foot trimmer rather than a farrier. I found them to be a bit more "natural" although my experience is not extensive.

[Daisys Mum]

My Farrier does my barefoot trimming and is pretty scathing of a lot of barefoot trimmers. When our little sec A came back from her loan home where she had been trimmed by a foot trimmer her feet were terrible and completely the wrong shape, he had left her with really long toes and low heels! Now after a couple of trims by my farrier she is looking and moving so much better. Not saying they are all bad but as we know there are bad foot trimmers and bad farriers out there you just have to find one that you can trust to get it right.

[lachlanandmarcus]

My Farrier does my barefoot trimming and is pretty scathing of a lot of barefoot trimmers. When our little sec A came back from her loan home where she had been trimmed by a foot trimmer her feet were terrible and completely the wrong shape, he had left her with really long toes and low heels! Now after a couple of trims by my farrier she is looking and moving so much better. Not saying they are all bad but as we know there are bad foot trimmers and bad farriers out there you just have to find one that you can trust to get it right.

That's def true about good and bad on both sides, I had to move the other way to sort out my horse and Pony's problems (horse carrier left with incredibly long hinds which was v bad for his arthritic joints and made him drag, pony trimmed for a field rather than for work and over trimmed soles and frogs making her prone to lameness and with sore toes. All sorted now by the trimmer within a few months. If you are happy where you are stick with what suits, but if you do ever need to look for a trimmer look for a local UKNHCP  trimmers as they have good training and oversight and try to work with vets and farriers.

[Kirsty f]

Thanks for your replies,  we did look to get a barefoot trimmer as both our ponies are barefoot, but struggled to find one, asked our vet, they weren't even sure.  So went to a farrier and she has done an amazing job,  they look so much better, she was very gentle with our little Gem to so we're happy. 

thanks again

Kirsty

[shygirl]

stick with a real farrier - they are experts in things like laminitis etc. there are many barefoot trimmers that are horrendous but they also don't learn physiology the way  a farrier has.