When providing hoof care on a regular schedule, many farriers see horses every 6 to 8 weeks and the nature of the footcare business is to provide a solution that works best for a horse within that interval. Yet, bacterial- and fungal-induced diseases such as thrush often thwart those best intentions.

A remedy traditionally has been a mixture of copper sulfate and water to form a paste, packing the compound into the infected area of the hoof. The solution, according to those who utilize the compound, has worked in their practices and provided a cost-effective treatment to the thrush cases they see regularly. Conversely, other professionals deem the practice unsafe for both horse and farrier, and also cite environmental concerns.

Health Implications

Using a cheap and powerful remedy can be appealing for farriers; however, it is important to remember the negative implications the fungicide can impose, in…