Mallenders behind Cobs knees- advice

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ticker

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Hello after some advice from those with hairy ones, Our cob has mallenders behind her knees that although treated with sudocreme and pig oil seem to flare up and 'burst' with the weather change. It was recently very windy round here and her skin dried up quite a bit, over night she went from being sound and happy to hopping lame, dishing her front leg to avoid bending it. We got the vet out who was given her a mite injection which will be followed up in 3 weeks in case there are any mites. However apart from sudocreming daily what would you do to try and stop them from getting bad ? Her legs are fully clipped out and always have been due to thickening of her pasterns from previous mite scars they get greasy quickly so easier to maintain this way. Any sensible advice will be welcomed with open arms ! She is being brought back into work 2 weeks since they burst open and were really sore as she is sound once again and they are healing with daily application of sudocreme and the occasional hot water with salt in to clean. Will add she had an infection in one so has just finished a course of antibiotics, vet seemed to think this will be a constant thing with her but if managed properly shouldn't cause her to be lame.
 
ticker said:
http://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/mallenders

:) hope this helps, ETS- appears I have spelt it the 'less common way' sorry if that causes confusion !
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Ohhhh is that what that is! I have that too behind one knee nothing weepy just loads of scurfy skin flakes, he has had a mite injection which lasted literally weeks and we tried lime sulpher hampoo which seemed to have stopped him itching so far and its been a couple of months but I constantly seem to be grooming this gross skin flakes out from behind one knee, vet wasnt bothered by it. I hate it though I was even thinking of clipping to see if that helps!
 
hnmisty said:
Thanks :) (should have been less lazy and googled myself lol). I was on the right lines with my guess then :)
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Don't worry about it, im sat at home bored :)

Coldfeet! said:
Ohhhh is that what that is! I have that too behind one knee nothing weepy just loads of scurfy skin flakes, he has had a mite injection which lasted literally weeks and we tried lime sulpher hampoo which seemed to have stopped him itching so far and its been a couple of months but I constantly seem to be grooming this gross skin flakes out from behind one knee, vet wasnt bothered by it. I hate it though I was even thinking of clipping to see if that helps!
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Yes she had the mite injection the other day and is having a follow up one in a few weeks to kill off eggs should there be any. The skin like your boy starts of scurfy I suppose like dandruff in humans ! but with the cold strong winds we had recently they took a bit of a battering , therefore when she has been biting at them they have 'burst' and bled all down her legs. We tend to leave the scabs alone (not that she would let me brush at them :P ) and apply sudocreme. Limer sulphur ? ah we have not tried that yet !
 
The dectomax should help the horse. I have had success with regular washing using the human psoriasis shampoo Selsun (Boots, £4.40 ish a bottle) it was very good at shifting the lumps of thickened skin in the heels.

Frontline is useful as is Lime Plus Wash (vet prescribed). I have used Dermasol on the open areas followed by E45 or Boots Dermacare cream, both of these perform better than sudocream on my cob. Another poster recently advised me to try Avon Skin So Soft.

I am finding it a pain in the rear trying to keep the sores at bay.
 
AdorableAlice said:
The dectomax should help the horse. I have had success with regular washing using the human psoriasis shampoo Selsun (Boots, £4.40 ish a bottle) it was very good at shifting the lumps of thickened skin in the heels.

Frontline is useful as is Lime Plus Wash (vet prescribed). I have used Dermasol on the open areas followed by E45 or Boots Dermacare cream, both of these perform better than sudocream on my cob. Another poster recently advised me to try Avon Skin So Soft.

I am finding it a pain in the rear trying to keep the sores at bay.
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Thank you , I have written all this down so a shopping spree is on the cards, the way things are going I am willing to buy and try to find the best thing. I know how you are feeling, we are constantly battling them to keep them pain free for her.
 
I was wondering if that Dentinox cradle cap shampoo might work too, Its for removing scaly skin off a babbies head so might be useful in clearing up the scurf.
 
I just put Sudeocrem on my boys a few times a week and make sure he's trimmed well. I've also used MSM ointment in the past and its worked very well , better than Sudocrem.
 
blitznbobs said:
Mallenders is a totally unrelated condition to mites. It is a bit like psoriasis in humans. T Gel works well if used regularly
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Thanks , the vet gave her a mite jab in case on top of mallenders she had mites and this was causing it to completely flare up shall look into T Gel I think we have some hiding in the house.
 
I have been hitting it by feeding a good supplement and applying botanica cream. I don't like ( and it got noticeably worse) smothering it with anything that doesn't allow the skin to breathe. I also try to keep the inclusion of toxins to a minimum.

I noticed that diet had an effect too. He is now on as clean a diet as I can get it. Alfalfa - non molassed. None of my horses have cereals.
 
My sister had really nasty eczema (if I'm on the right lines here!) the Dr advised adding oil to her feed (!). She also found homeopathy helped and turmeric!
Just a thought? Might help!
 
I found a little linseed has helped my mare's skin in general. She was an itchy scurfy beast in addition to her scabby knees.
 
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T Gel shampoo is good for malanders, and soothing scurfy manes and tails. Diet helps too, oil or macronised linseed to give a glossy coat lessens the scurf but its one of those things that feathered horses are prone too, so checking the legs with your fingers and brushing the backs of knees if needed, several times a week prevents it becoming a problem.
If the skin is broken, then use a medicated cream until the skin heals, it may be trial and error to find what one works best.
If there's a lot of scabby fakes to brush out, but the skin is intact, massage some oil into the feather and leave for a short while to warm up. Then the flakes slide out easily without hurting and the horse is less likely to snatch and slam down the leg.
 
Crazy Friesian said:
I have been hitting it by feeding a good supplement and applying botanica cream. I don't like ( and it got noticeably worse) smothering it with anything that doesn't allow the skin to breathe. I also try to keep the inclusion of toxins to a minimum.

I noticed that diet had an effect too. He is now on as clean a diet as I can get it. Alfalfa - non molassed. None of my horses have cereals.
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i agree with this poster. Friesians especially are swines for it. all three of mine that i have had have had it. I too have got rid of all cereal based foods, using alfa a and alfabeet and i boil linseed and add that to the mix. My vet has suggested trying manuka honey, which i am just trying now. Good luck.
 
Aloe Vera products are good for it too. My friend's cob has this problem, shes been using the Aloe Vera wash and one or two of the creams. Its worked wonders and its all gone. Sorry can't remember the names of the products she used but if you get in touch with someone who sells it Im sure they will be able to help.
 
That sounds nasty, Ticker! Our cob also gets this and I have tried everything I knew about (though not everything already suggested) and spent a fortune on various creams and lotions. We had same experience as you twice (except he never went lame with it) and once used camrosa ointment (messy and expensive, but did work) and once to the vet to be sedated and it given a good wash.

It works best for us if we can keep the amount of 'crust' under control. I do this by gently rubbing over the crusty bit until it falls away. Over a few days, I can get it back to 'good' skin. Unfortunately it does build up again, but keep on top of it by rubbing the crusts away. Since doing this (for the last year) the skin has never broken and therefore no wasted money on creams. I have found that the more we do so far as washing or applying creams, the more crusts are produced. I have just resigned myself to the fact it's just his skin and we'll never get rid of it.

Whatever you try, good luck in keeping it under control as it can be horrible - for owner and horse :(
 
our coloured cob suffers really badly with mallenders. We keep her legs clipped and apply emulsifying cream every few days. This works far better for our mare than anything else we've tried.
 
My cob mare has had this for 2-3 years. She had endless treatment, lab reports, etc. etc. In the end my vet suggested I go back to basics, and this is what I have done and which works - for her:

I don't clip her legs out, just keep the feather at about 1-2 inches long

When her legs are Ok, I just spray with Johnsons Baby Oil each day, and comb through VERY GENTLY for any scabs

When she has mallenders and/or sallenders, I was her legs very thoroughly with Polytar (coal tar) shampoo, which is available from most chemists

I leave the soapy solution on for about 5 minutes. Then I rinse her legs very thoroughly with lukewarm water

I let the legs dry naturally

When they are totally dry I massage
 
.....sorry, clicked Send.

As above, when the legs are dry I rub massive quantities of Johnsons Baby oil or similar VERY Very gently onto the area, massaging it right into the skin.

I repeat the oil part each day for 4-5 days.

Then I comb or tease out, again very gently, all the mucky scabs etc

This is all time-consuming, but it does work, and it keeps her from going lame. If you look at any old fashioned books on horsemanship you'll see that carthorses were very prone to it.
 
I have had good success with battles hoof to heel. Seems to soften and soothe the crusty scabs. Is easier to apply than sudocreme as doesn't seem to stick to her feathers. Keep applying even when scabs under control to prevent breaking out.
 
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