Smell coming from feet

[AllAboutTheBay]

It’s not thrush. The smell is more sweet smelling than putrid. I smell it quite often when cleaning out his feet. My pony is barefoot and has very healthy hooves. I’ve asked people about it, but no one seems to know what I’m talking about. A friend suggested it might be caused by bacteria in the soil. Currently the pony is in a dry lot for winter, but I smell it when he’s on pasture as well. Sometimes I will puts a thrush preventive on his feet in wet weather, but don’t use anything else on his feet that could cause it.

My farrier was out on Tuesday and I asked him about the sweet smell. He didn’t know and couldn’t smell anything. (He also said the feet were good and healthy with no thrush)

I’m not concerned, more so curious as to what may cause it or if anyone else has experienced something like it. My googling has turned up nothing.

[candyappy]

Some people are really sensitive to smells and it might just be you smelling something that isn’t there at all.

If his feet are healthy and you trust your farrier I would just let it go.

If he is boarded and has access to a stall / shelter, have you checked to see if the stall cleaners treat the wet spot with anything? Could be he is standing where they put deodorizer and you may smell something like that.

[Scribbler]

If his feet are healthy I wouldn’t worry.

Horses like people have a range of body odors based on their unique personal body chemistry and diets.

I find the body odor of different horses can be quite different, especially ones that sweat alot compared to ones that don’t.

And there’s a wide range in what fresh manure smells like too!

Maybe you need to go sniff some other horses with healthy feet. See if any smell similar?

[buck22]

Are you sure its his feet you’re smelling?

I have a gelding that is prone to yeast infections. I can only really smell a waft of the sweet smell of the infection when I’m picking his feet.

Same gelding gets a soupy breakfast of TSC. He likes tipping his bucket over and then standing in the molasses smelling water. His feet and legs do smell sweetly for a few hours after eating.

[Scribbler]

Yes, actually yeast growth do smell sweetish ( sometimes on people too). A slightly dirty sweet smell not a fresh clean sweet smell.

I say growth rather than infection because I feel like people especially if they have skin folds can grow stuff that isn’t actually causing a problem.

There are a range of yeast and fungi that naturally inhabit the hoof and its only when they get out of whack that you get thrush or another problem.

You might want to monitor his pasterns for skin crud or rash type things. But he may well be perfectly fine.

[AllAboutTheBay]

@candyappy

Some people are really sensitive to smells and it might just be you smelling something that isn’t there at all.

If his feet are healthy and you trust your farrier I would just let it go.

I did think it might just be my nose. As I said before, I’m not concerned about the smell, just curious.

[AllAboutTheBay]

@Scribbler

Yes, actually yeast growth do smell sweetish ( sometimes on people too). A slightly dirty sweet smell not a fresh clean sweet smell.

I say growth rather than infection because I feel like people especially if they have skin folds can grow stuff that isn’t actually causing a problem.

There are a range of yeast and fungi that naturally inhabit the hoof and its only when they get out of whack that you get thrush or another problem.

You might want to monitor his pasterns for skin crud or rash type things. But he may well be perfectly fine.

This makes sense and could explain it! Thanks!