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Post by elizabeth_h on May 12, 2011 17:50:49 GMT -5
Ansel seems to have the most sensitive skin ever seen on a horse. Almost immediately when I got him he got some rain rot and a fungus on his legs, which I am still battling (his hinds are still very big). Now today when I saw him he had little scabs all over his back, rump and belly. This has appeared within the last 36 hours, and he has been inside since Sunday due to the horrid state of the paddocks. i.e., no standing around wet or rolling in mud all day. He's been dry the whole time. I am going to give him a betadine bath daily for a week, since that seems to be the standard treatment.
I am baffled by this seemingly extreme sensitivity to skin issues. It just seems unusual in an otherwise healthy horse. Is he just going through a big adjustment from track life? Has anyone encountered this before? I am a little worried because he is scheduled to live out 24/7 starting June 1.
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Post by BoyleHeightsKid on May 13, 2011 5:44:56 GMT -5
Maybe he had a breakout of hives... I know that the couple of times Boy had hives he would have little scabs where the lumps were after they went down.
Maybe Ansel needs something to boost his immune system?
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Post by niaru on May 13, 2011 8:12:01 GMT -5
When our school horses had skin problems they were given a Zinc supplement. Maybe ask your vet about supplements or immune system boosters?
Charm gets the "crud" on the front of her hind cannon bones on a regular basis. I keep it under control with Muck-Itch. I spray it on, leave it for 24 hours, rinse off / scrub, and repeat. It is usually gone within 3-4 days.
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Post by jenarby on May 13, 2011 11:22:58 GMT -5
I second the muck itch too. You can spray it all over his back and after doing it a few days the scabs will wipe off.
Maybe he has an allergy to something in the soil there?
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Post by elizabeth_h on May 13, 2011 13:03:52 GMT -5
I gave him an all-over, thorough betadine shampoo this morning with a jelly scrubber and while rinsing I saw what looked like sand still in his coat, which is odd because the paddocks at this place are not really sandy. So I rinsed again and it was still there. Rinsed a third time, still there. So I pulled him into the sunlight and saw that it was some kind of crud or dead skin coming off in flakes the size of pinheads. EWW! I let him dry completely in the sun while calling the vet. I took a sample of the crud and a few scabs and dropped those off (luckily the vet lives one street over from my barn). So he'll take a look and let me know what it is and how to treat it, and most importantly, whether it is something contagious! I will ask about his immune system when I talk to the vet. He is perky and seems fine, other than dropping a lot of his muscle since not being in training. The vet just saw him 2 days ago.
I was wondering about allergies too. He is not at all itchy, but that would not necessarily rule out allergies I suppose. Currently he is getting all the timothy he can eat (did not like our alfalfa), beet pulp, and a little alfalfa cubes. I know he was eating all three of those at the track. He is bedded on sawdust, but has previously rolled outside in the mud as well as indoors in the arena (don't know what the footing is comprised of there, but it is dusty). I had been grooming him but not bathing (other than his legs) because until this week it has been cold and rainy here and he is clipped.
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Post by elizabeth_h on May 13, 2011 13:57:31 GMT -5
Just talked to the vet. It is just dead skin coming off and clogging the hair follicles, like a dandruff. I have no idea why it happened, but I suspect he was bathed a LOT at the track (he was spotlessly white) and perhaps that messed up the normal state of his skin, and I am seeing the after effects. I try not to bathe until it is really needed because I know too-frequent bathing can cause skin issues. So, he will get another bath in a week and in the meantime just thorough grooming. Whew!
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Post by abowls on May 13, 2011 15:44:18 GMT -5
Nate had a lot of these problems at his previous barn. He would break out in hives all of the time and then it would turn to scabby skin that peeled off exactly as you described. I think he was allergic to something there (gnats maybe?). TriHist mostly took care of it but it's a PITA to get b/c it is prescription so that wasn't ideal. If he continued to have these problems after I moved him I was going to try Spirulina wafers. I have no personal experience with them but they were recommended to me by my former boss (a DQ) and I was desperate enough to try them if the issues remained. Fortunately since moving to Einstein's he's been absolutely fine. Maybe Ansel's just allergic to something there?
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Post by elizabeth_h on May 13, 2011 16:56:36 GMT -5
Could be an allergy. He is moving by June 1 so hopefully that will be a good thing. He'll be living out 24/7 so hopefully he thrives in that arrangement. I did a little research and it sounds like a dandruff shampoo might help this as well, so I think I will give him a bath with that and see how he responds.
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Post by elizabeth_h on May 14, 2011 10:34:53 GMT -5
Much worse today. Bumps galore, and now patches of hair coming off and revealing red oozing skin. Definitely not just dandruff. He should not have been worse after a betadine bath, which should have helped if the problem is bacterial or fungal in nature. I am investigating possible allergens as the root cause. In the meantime we gave him some dex to see if that helps, and I have contacted his previous owner to inquire about hay allergies. Poor Ansel.
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Post by jenarby on May 15, 2011 11:47:32 GMT -5
Don't forget about allergies to the sawdust!
Our mill cuts different types of wood and some of our horses will respond to it with hives. They may change from Poplar one week to something else the next. The dex should help him feel a lot better. He was likely bedded on straw at the track so this may be something new for him.
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Post by elizabeth_h on May 15, 2011 17:22:25 GMT -5
Jen, I did wonder about the sawdust and the first thing I planned to change if he showed no improvement was his bedding. But, the crud has finally revealed itself to be rain rot. It sort of subsided into a patch on his back and a smaller line on his rump. I gave him another betadine bath today, pulled off all the scabs I could find (poor guy) and treated the 2 sore areas with antibiotic ointment. I think it will take several more rounds of this treatment to really resolve the problem, but he was much better today already.
I just have no idea how this got such a hold on him! He does not stand around wet in the rain. He did get wet one afternoon last week, and I think the girl that brought him in just gave him a cursory mud rinse, left him went, and threw a blanket on him because he was cold. Then the next day he went out in a rain sheet, so was warm and damp...maybe that combo was enough to set it off. Sheesh!
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Post by BoyleHeightsKid on May 16, 2011 5:49:12 GMT -5
Even if it is an allergy something to boost his immune system should help. Hopefully the vet will have some answers for you. Jingles for poor Ansel!
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Post by TeachU2Ride on May 31, 2011 10:20:57 GMT -5
Warmth and damp is rain rot's favorite environment.  They don't have to be standing in the rain to get it... in fact, just the opposite. A hard or prolonged rain usually washes away a lot of dirt and sweat. It's the brief shower that usually adds *just* enough moisture to help the crud take off and flourish. Betadine is great for a lot of things, but it is a known irritant to (and impedes healing of) raw skin. My vets have always recommended Nolvasan baths for skin conditions... and not every day, since it has a residual effect. Then, of course, keeping the horse dry and clean is key. If you can body clip, you can make it much less likely that it'll flare up again. Removing as much fur as possible helps keep the skin cleaner and drier. |
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Post by elizabeth_h on May 31, 2011 16:17:36 GMT -5
Teach, that's exactly what my vet told me. I have been keeping him inside while he heals, and when I bathe him I take him outside to graze until he is completely dry. Some of the scabs are on very tight, so I have been using oil to soften them and make it less painful for him, and then I clean the area. Poor guy has lost most of his coat  but he finally seems to be on the mend. It hit his legs last, so that's where most of the scabs are at this point. I sure hope to never go through this again! |
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Post by johnnysauntie on Jul 13, 2011 8:58:14 GMT -5
Jag is the king of funk, gunk and scratches. Derby also has the hind leg crud.
I've been able to get Derby's hind legs resolved simply with a good scrub with Eqyss Microteck Shampoo, and then keeping them very well groomed (currying with a jelly scrubber.)
Re: the bumps and red oozing sores - are they also painful? Jag had that too, and the vet said it was a fungus. He got it during the rainy spring, before he shed out. Sunlight and shedding are what he needed, the vet said. In the meantime, I scrubbed w/Microteck and dabbed the bumps with a silver sulfadiazine cream and it cleared up.
Now that Jag is retired, and I only groom him weekly, when he has a breakout, I use the Microteck shampoo, and Keratex Mud Shield powder. I actually have used Mud Shield on him prior to his retirement. I would puff it onto clean, dry legs (or any other areas with gunk) and curry it (gently with a jelly scrubber) into the hair and surrounding area. A few days of grooming and powder resolved the problems. And the white powder would be much better on your grey than my bay!
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They don't have to be standing in the rain to get it... in fact, just the opposite. A hard or prolonged rain usually washes away a lot of dirt and sweat. It's the brief shower that usually adds *just* enough moisture to help the crud take off and flourish.
but he finally seems to be on the mend. It hit his legs last, so that's where most of the scabs are at this point. I sure hope to never go through this again!
