Any idea what this is? (Pics)

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mollymurphy

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I know this should probably be in vets, but i'm at a loss as to what this is, so need lots of people to see!

Moll has had this on the inside of both hind legs for a while now and it will NOT go away! She's been treated for both mud fever and mites/lice over the winter (Front Line), but neither made this disappear. Her legs were also fully clipped. It seems to be a bit itchy. It never bleeds or weeps. We've started picking the scabs off, but it hasn't made much difference.

Sorry about the picture quality - they were taken on my sister's rubbish mobile. You cant really see the scabbiness of it in the pics, but it is VERY scabby (white/yellowy scabs).

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Anybody have any ideas?

Many thanks!

Lou. x
 
Hi there

it looks to me like your horse might be suffering from a rash. If his legs have been cliped then he has nothing to protect him from flys, heat, the sun and plants brushing up against his legs. The best advice i can give you is clean his legs with some hibi scrub and warm water and turn him out in boot to cover his legs, clean his legs every time you take the boots off or after you work him so to remove the sweat. Failing that get a vet out.

hope this helps, any other probs pm me.
 
Greasy heel? No, i've never heard of that...or the pig oil and sulphur! What is it?
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We did try turning her out in boots, but because she's naturally a hairy monkey with lots of feather, the boots rubbed and scuffed the hair when left on for prolonged periods, so we took them off. She's had it since before she was clipped - we just clipped to see if it made a difference. We've hibi-scrubbed a lot. We asked the farrier for his opinion the other day - he said it looks fungal, so to try something like Daktarin for Athlete's Foot! Should we?

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Greasy Heel. Pig Oil & sulpher should do the trick. Ask Theresa_F for details - she knows the quantities that should be used and where to get it from.
 
Hmmm...'tis all new to me! She's only ever been fed Happy Hoof & Baileys Low Cal feed balancer though. And a warm bran mash in the winter. And she's never been out of work. It probably has other causes though?
And her legs aren't swollen. Do they normally always swell? Can't say i've sniffed it up close, but i certainly haven't noticed a "foul smelling discharge"!!

I always have the exceptions to the rule!

So is the pig oil and sulphur available from saddlery shops, or only from a vet?

Thank you all for your help!
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My ol boy used to get a reaction from sun thru wet grass on to his legs (photosensitisation) same reason horses' noses get burnt. Also, St Johns Wort can case this so I have heard.
 
I used to have a horse with alot of feather, and his legs would go like that if i kept washing them all the time, and were worse if they were clipped then washed! It looks like some sort of dermatitis to me, if i was you stop washing them all the time it is the constant wetting which does it, and if you keep using hibi scrub you will prob alter balance of skin! You would prob be better putting wound powder on and keeping them dry.
 
If the scabs are sort of white in colour and thick then it is greasy heel as my horse gets this all the time. I have always used Equine America's Fungatrol Cream as it keeps it at bay really well. It is the only thing I have found to work and if I put it on twice a day nice and thick, it will be gone again in 3-4 days no problem. The cream is available at most tack shops and does not cost the earth.
 
Pastern Leukocytoclastic Vasculitis

Google it and it will tell you all about it. I have just typed a huge reply to you and it disappeared........<grrr>

But again;

You need a course of steroids to stop it to begin with. Ask your vet out to do that, but if you think he may be laminitis prone, it would be worth considering a reduced dose over a week or so, rather than a one zap hit.
Wash the scabs with mild shampoo with iodine added, keeping the water hand hot, until all the scabs and crusty stuff have gone. I use a pan scrubber/sponge, and if you keep it in a circular motion with a light pressure, they come off without too much pain for the horse. It is much sorer for them than mud fever, so be kind! Once clean I used to use Dermobion (sob) but if you go to your pharmacy and ask them for HIBITANE cream, that will keep the disease at bay once the legs are clean.
My horse prone to it has it here in France, even tho' there is no mud/water to stand in....it is just the moisture in the grass (we've had a really wet summer) and the heat and sunlight which triggers it.
It is a bluddy nightmare........good luck! Feel free to ask more if you want to!
 
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