I shared in my article with Lola that thrush is a common issue in moist climates. This issue occurs in all hooved animals. The goats at Celestial Farms have not been immune.
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During the spring and summer of 2017 north Florida received a high amount of rain. This caused the farm to remain muddy for several months. Although we did our best to provide dry areas almost every animal suffered from thrush at some point.
What are the signs of thrush:
- Foul smelling black discharge
- Early signs may look like yeast
- Pain when applying pressure
- Limping
Steps to avoid thrush:
- Provide clean dry stable area
- Thoroughly clean hoof
- Thoroughly clean the split between the hoof
- Regularly trim hooves
By maintaining good clean trimmed hooves, it helps to avoid pockets where mud and moisture can remain stuck. When you are maintaining hooves using a solution of water and Epsom salt can help clean and dry out the hoof during wet times.
Depending on the severity of the thrush we would use an herbal blend or an essential oil blend. The herbal blend is the healing mist spray. This spray includes colloidal silver, witch hazel, and herbal tinctures of calendula (Calendula officinalis, and yarrow (Achillea millefolium).
The essential oil blend we had success with was aloe vera (Aloe barbadensis) and lemongrass essential oil (Cymbopogon citratus) at a .5% dilution. If you are not using this blend in one day you must add a preservative. You do have to be cautious with lemongrass because it has been shown to be a skin sensitizer. To learn more about lemongrass essential oil please review my article.
If your animal is suffering from a recurrent infection of thrush you might want to change or modify their diet. For goats, sheep and horses ensuring they have access to good quality hay and nutrient rich feed can help ensure they have a strong immune system.
If you have any questions about animal aromatherapy please comment below.
