Bald, sore patch on poor pony's back - is it ringworm..?

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diddy

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Evening all,

When I took off my pony's rug this afternoon, he had sore patch on his back about 2-3 inches across, just behind where the saddle would sit. It had a flap of skin over it but this has subsequently dropped off, yuk! The sore bit isn't bleeding & it didn't seem to bother him when I poked it, poor bloke, but I'm sure it can't be too nice for him.

There's no sign of any damage to his rug & I'm pretty sure there was nothing there yesterday. I groomed & rode him so I'm sure I would have noticed a sore patch or a lump or something. Could he have rolled on something in the field maybe? I've been looking online to see what it might be. Does anyone have any ideas..?

And what should I do with him in the meantime? It was cold tonight so I had to put his rug back on - I put some antiseptic on the wound & taped a dressing over it but I'm sure it'll come off in the night & his rug's really icky on the inside. I can take the rug off during the day but don't want the wound to get infected under the rug at night. Any ideas about what I should do..?

I'm sure I should know what it is & what to do about it but am feeling a bit useless :(

Thank you very much for any ideas or suggestions!

D. x
 
Has the rug slipped back and caught on his withers? Can cause horribe injuries in a surprisingly short amount of time. Ringworm etc would generally present as hair loss.
 
Eta (sorry can't on phone) if its open and weepy but generally clean take off all the dressings, lotions and the rug (its a mild week forecast ) - wash it regualarly in a very mild diltuted antiseptic and leave it to dry in fresh air, should clean up in no time.
 
two things come to mind.

1) 'rainscald' (can be caused by horse getting hot and sweaty either under rug or when ridden and then having rug put on and bacteria festering under the coat.)
2) saddle rubbing due to winter coat altering fit.

Either way I would clean thoroughly. I would first clip the area so that you can see what you are treating and that there arent any other leisions. Then clean it, First with hibi-scrub solution, then dry it and put some wound powder / purple spray on it. after this it should only be neccsary to bathe it in salt water and then re-apply wound powder daily until it heals.

I would use a thin, clean summer sheet under rugs which can be washed on a regular basis and avoid over-rugging to help prevent this hapening again.
 
Hi again. Thanks so much for the advice. Have stocked up on hibiscrub & purple spray etc. Never thought of putting a summer sheet underneath - genius! No obvious rug issue that I can see. It's only a rain sheet so can't believe he's overheated. And wound is in the middle of his back do don't think it's a rubbing issue either...

Thanks for all your comments - very reassuring!

D.x
 
diddy said:
Hi again. Thanks so much for the advice. Have stocked up on hibiscrub & purple spray etc. Never thought of putting a summer sheet underneath - genius! No obvious rug issue that I can see. It's only a rain sheet so can't believe he's overheated. And wound is in the middle of his back do don't think it's a rubbing issue either...

Thanks for all your comments - very reassuring!

D.x
Click to expand...

Has he sweated up when ridden? Sometimes this is enough to cause this sort of problem especially if a rug is put on straight after. Always a good idea to sponge off after a ride and if particulaly hairy give him a towel dry... maybe use a fleece as a breathable layer... :)
 
diddy said:
Hi again. Thanks so much for the advice. Have stocked up on hibiscrub & purple spray etc. Never thought of putting a summer sheet underneath - genius! No obvious rug issue that I can see. It's only a rain sheet so can't believe he's overheated. And wound is in the middle of his back do don't think it's a rubbing issue either...

Thanks for all your comments - very reassuring!

D.x
Click to expand...

If it's rainscald do not use purple spray keeping it covered will only cause the bacteria to grow. I've learnt the hard way with covering rain scald. Hibiscrub or better still if its only a small patch then wash with nizoral shampoo.
 
Hi again,

Thanks again for all your comments. CB Fan - that's interesting. He has been getting a bit sweatier of late, & I've noticed his riser pad has been a bit more scurfy than usual. I'll take more care drying him off in case. Anyhow, good news it seems to be clearing up well!

D.x
 
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