Thrush is a pretty nasty bacterial disease that deteriorates the horse’s bottom part of the foot. In the worst cases, thrush can become present in multiple areas of the foot, and result in a fungal infection. Thrush is extremely painful for a horse, so it is very important that you take all the preventative steps possible to ensure your horse never gets it.
How to prevent horse from getting thrush?
Clean. Clean. Clean! The absolute best way to avoid your horse from getting thrush is to regularly clean its feet. You should clean your horse’s feet just about every day. This means thoroughly washing them and picking out pieces of dirt that may have gotten stuck inside.
Replaces your horse’s shoes regularly. If your horse wears shoes, you should replace them about every 6 weeks. When you are replacing your horse’s shoes, make sure to do a very extensive clean before putting on the new shoes.
Treating thrush in horses with apple cider vinegar
If your horse does have thrush, the best way to treat it is with some apple cider vinegar. Below are the steps you should take if you discover your horse has thrush:
- Using a horse pick, thoroughly clean the bottom part of your horse’s foot. You should look for small cervices, and make sure you remove all the dirt that is stuck in your horse’s foot.
- With a hose and brush, clean off your horse’s foot with water. This should get rid of any remaining dirt that is on the foot.
- Dipping foot in apple cider vinegar: Make a solution of 25% apple cider vinegar and 75% water and pour it into a bucket. Then dip your horse’s foot in the bucket. You should leave it in there for a couple minutes. If you don’t have any apple cider vinegar, you can use Lysol disinfectant.
- After drying off your horse’s foot, using a syringe, inject some apple cider vinegar directly into the crevices of the foot. You should try to inject the apple cider as deep as you can into the horse’s foot.
How does apple cider vinegar treat thrush?
Since apple cider vinegar is very acidic, it actively fights against fungus and bacteria that attaches to your horse’s foot. You can actually use apple cider vinegar as a preventive measure, because it prevents your horse from getting thrush in the first place by killing the dangerous bacteria. We recommend applying apple cider vinegar twice a week to your horse’s feet if you think your horse is at risk for thrush.
Conclusion
Following these simple steps, you should be able to treat thrush in your horse with apple cider vinegar. Remember, the best way to treat thrush is by prevention. This means you should regularly pick and clean your horse’s feet, so they don’t develop thrush in the first place.
