Is there any chance that long term use of SMZs is contributing? Just a wild stab but since antibiotic use can cause things like yeast infections in humans, it made me wonder if it can change the environment of the horse to encourage thrush?
Another wild stab: do you ride him? does he get any “forced” exercise? what would happen if you rode/hand walked/longed/long lined/ponied him in a dry sand arena, frequently, for a few weeks? Maybe his long term thrush is beyond that being a helpful practice, but it seems to be helping my post-stall rest guy whose feet were getting icky. Long-term, deep thrush is beyond icky.
sounds like your trim is not aggressive enough to get the hooves fully functioning. Can you post photos of the affected feet? If the frogs are not being utilized properly the hooves will not be ‘self-cleaning’ with each step. Unless your trimmer corrects this, you will be fighting an ongoing battle.
I don’t mind at all. 
I’m so glad you shared your story and am so happy to hear your guy is sweating again! A properly sweating horse is a beautiful thing.
Last year I felt like I’d reached the end of the internet reading every article and study on anhidrosis I could find and I’ve heard a lot on diet and anhidrosis… from it being caused by diets high in alfalfa, beet pulp, and grain. Your article sounds like one I read recently by Geoff Tucker “Doc T”, maybe?
I totally hear what you’re saying about taking away rather than adding and going back to basics. :yes: That option is always on my mind and my preference. The supplements my guy is on now were gradually added to address a lot of other issues he was experiencing at the time, in addition to the anhidrosis. I really feel like him thermoregulating again is a result of most of his issues improving greatly or completely resolving… so while I would like to eventually simplify, this is what’s working for now and with everything he’s been through to get to this point, my vet and I don’t feel that we should test things with a total return to basics just yet.
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Catching up to what everyone’s have been saying…
You all have been awesome, and I so appreciate all the thoughts and suggestions!
I am going to be using Tomorrow (ordered and on it’s way!) and will do some oxine soaks too, but nobody here carries it, so I had to order it too. Living in a rural area does have it’s drawbacks sometimes!
@S1969 I’ve thought about that too, but haven’t heard anything to support it. I don’t like long term antibiotics, but it is helping control his liver issues, so he’s staying on the SMZs for now. And the thrush was already there and much worse before the start of SMZs. Horses never give us one problem at a time… it must be everything all at once so treating one might complicate another! :eek:
@betsyk No, there has been no forced exercise. He was in a very bad place for several months with cardiovascular and respiratory concerns. Both have cleared up and I’ve been given the okay to start exercising him again and am going to start with hand walking in boots and plan to work up to long lining and riding. He’s been a pasture puff for about 3 years and before that only ridden a few miles a day or every few days. Both of us need to get in riding shape again! I don’t have access to an arena (another drawback of rural living!), but more movement will be a good thing for sure!
@Marla 100 His heels have been brought back as far as they can for now and walls are trimmed short to the white line to help prevent wall separation. What we really want is a less aggressive trim with normal wall length. You can see photos from July in this thread: https://www.chronofhorse.com/forum/forum/discussion-forums/horse-care/9853283-what-do-these-hooves-tell-you-solar-view I’ll upload some more recent photos in a bit… more eyeballs on his hooves is always appreciated!
When there’s deep-seated thrush, the trim may not be able to be as aggressive as it would be on a more healthy foot. It’s a balancing act between how much weight the sore - sometimes VERY sore - rear of the foot can take, and how much weight you need to start putting back there to start healing the foot.
That’s why both have to be worked on at the same time - working on 1, or the other won’t fix these. Continued thrush will not allow the heels to take the weight they need to expand. Not bringing heels back (however much that means in a given trim) because the heels are sore won’t allow the heels to take they weight they need to expand.
It sounds like the feet are headed in the right direction as they have been making progress in de-contracting. I do think if you get the most aggressive with the thrush treatment and continue that Tomorrow for as long as there’s any crevice to stick the stuff into, that will do the most to allowing the trim to do its job.
Yes! I actually think looking back now, that maybe leaving more heel from the beginning and hitting the thrush harder would have been better… but who knows for sure?! Definitely doing more for the thrush would have been a good thing.
While it might not have been the very best approach he has never walked away from a trim less comfortable and the de-contraction is a sure sign things have improved. Having seen the changes myself in his hooves and in his movement, I can say his hooves are SO much better than they were!
It sounds like the approach has been about as good as it could be
