thrush

Great Thrush Preventatives – Fix The Diet!

by Linda Winfield Cowles

Try Custom Mineral Balancing — or California Trace

When I saw clients struggling to clear up stubborn thrush, soaking frogs for days on end, I knew there had to be another answer.

Pete Ramey suggested mineral supplementation after taking a Dr. Kellon nutrition class http://www.drkellon.com/  offered classes to help people learn more about equine nutrition and mineral balancing.

A good friend of mine took the same classes, then started testing the hay she fed at her boarding operation and offering custom balanced minerals as an option. Thrush began resolving itself in those horses.

I talked as many clients as I could into balancing minerals to their horses diets, but when clients board at stables or purchase hay in small quantities, custom minerals become too expensive.

That’s when my friend and fellow PHCP trimmer Sally Hugg announced her new product, California Trace. Sally began using standard hay tests to come up with a generic supplement for her clients who purchased hay in small quantities or boarded. As word got around about it, more people asked to purchase it, and California Trace was born. See http://www.californiatrace.com/about.html  for more information. Essentially, CA Trace is minerals custom blended to balance the hays grown in California, and the western US.

Tuesday
03
December 2013
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Tis the Season For Thrush!

by Linda Winfield Cowles

Below are a few pages of pictures of healthy winter frogs from wet living conditions, like the frog on the right.healthy Frog

Many people believe that thrush starts with wet conditions, and while moisture amplifies the symptoms of a thrush infection, frogs can be very healthy in a super wet living environment.

If your horses frogs are shredded, greasy looking, full of holes and foul smelling, this is a hard time of the year to fix them. BUT it can be done!

Healthy California Fall Frogs
Global Healthy Fall Frogs

BEST FROG PROTECTION?

Number one is trimming the infected frog back to remove all lose flaps and open up cavities.

Next? Look at diet.

The frog above is the product of a low carb diet and balanced minerals, specifically adding zinc and copper to balance out the iron that is abundant in this horses diet.

Next? If a frog has thrush, I recommend a simple cleaning with a stiff brush and Dawn dish washing detergent to remove the film that protects the bacterial components of thrush.

Topical Treatments

I have a lot of treatments that have worked over the years… what works depends on the horse and what works for the care provider. See my Thrush pages in the Articles list to the left for a lot of older information.

Want to try something new? Here are two new treatments that have been working on chronically thrushy frogs:

Tuesday
03
December 2013
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Is Your Horse Tender-footed In The Fall & Spring?

by Linda Winfield Cowles

Several of my clients horses become tender in the fall & spring, while several others become sore and exhibit signs of laminitis when their diet hasn’t changed. If this is the case with your horse, this may be due to the seasonal rise in ACTH hormones, and this tenderness may be an early symptom of Equine Cushing’s. and if you suspect this, contact your vet for a checkup.

Many people think that a heavy hair coat is the first sign of Cushing’s, but other symptoms like tenderness often precede it. Early detection is a factor in successfully controlling the development and symptoms. If your horse is 13 or older (even younger horses can have Cushing’s), I recommend becoming familiar with the symptoms and a talk with your vet if you have suspicions. For great information, go to http://www.ecirhorse.com/

Tuesday
03
December 2013
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