*Pictures* help needed, rainscald, ringworm or something else?

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fools_ gold

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Help needed please....

I bought three youngsters recently and they weren't in great condition, they had lived with a herd and been left to get on with things.
I have wormed them and given them some good grub and they are starting to look better.
Their coats/ skin were never great, a bit flakey a few bald patches but nothing to give me major concerns. However little belles this week has developed really sore bald patches around her eyes and a little around her muzzle. Zephyr has two bald patches on his face which looked like he had knocked the hair off doing something silly, but he has some dry patches round his muzzle too. Luna seems fine.

There is an album on my profile with some images of Belle, it was really hard to get her still enough to get good images, but I think they should be ok. I couldn't figure out how to get the pictures into this post - I've done it before but I'm tired and not functioning on all cylinders so can't figure it out.

So I'm thinking it's Rainscald, or Ringworm - or is it something else? Having never had a horse with a skin problem before I'm not too sure. Would really appreciate everyones help in trying to figure out what it is. Will obviously get the vet out if needs be, but not much point if I can treat it myself.
Thanks in advance!
 
Trying to add picture, hope this works...

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Sometimes it is an allergy to barley - contained in most conditioning mixes......if you are giving the horse that - then swap to something that does not contain barley and use linseed / veg oil to add condition - as well as a jolly good worming (which I expect that you have done anyway.....)
 
Skinny Minnie came to me last December in a poor state and had identical hair loss round her eyes, as well as some sore spots tracking up her muzzle. I too thought lice as she had other smaller bare areas on her body, but by the time I had ordered and had delivered the powder new hair was starting to grow. A few weeks later, with no treatment at all, her coat had grown back.

I still have no idea what it was though.
 
That's ringworm. It will eventually go away as it's self limiting but it can take weeks and can spread to any other animals in contact with it (you included) in the mean time. Best to contact your vet re treatment or go to your feed /farmers supplies store and get an over the counter treatment.
 
dressedkez said:
Sometimes it is an allergy to barley - contained in most conditioning mixes......if you are giving the horse that - then swap to something that does not contain barley and use linseed / veg oil to add condition - as well as a jolly good worming (which I expect that you have done anyway.....)
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ah that's interesting, they are getting a build up and conditioning mix think it's Dodson and Horrel. Will cut that out and see if it helps.
Also ordered some dried nettles and burdock root which I read is good for general skin health.
 
anniebags said:
That's ringworm. It will eventually go away as it's self limiting but it can take weeks and can spread to any other animals in contact with it (you included) in the mean time. Best to contact your vet re treatment or go to your feed /farmers supplies store and get an over the counter treatment.
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Do you think? I was worried it might be. The trouble is I bought them unhandled and I am only just gaining their trust, so don't want to mess with them too much. If you leave it does it do long term damage? They don't seem too bothered by it what ever it is!
 
Ringworm is cured by sunlight. (Good luck with that :o)

If its lice coopers spot on, 10 mls on the withers in one spot. Easy enough to do without unpsetting them.

I would say it is definitely not rain scald.

I would more likely be thinking ringworm and letting it run it's course without catching it myself. Spot on would rule out lice.
 
FfionWinnie said:
Ringworm is cured by sunlight. (Good luck with that :o)

If its lice coopers spot on, 10 mls on the withers in one spot. Easy enough to do without unpsetting them.

I would say it is definitely not rain scald.

I would more likely be thinking ringworm and letting it run it's course without catching it myself. Spot on would rule out lice.
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Checked for lice this morning, and couldn't see any signs!
Think it must be ringworm which is what I feared!
Unfortunately I think I am just going to have to let it run it's course which I am loathed to do, can't stand to see her looking like that, but they just aren't at a stage with their handling where I will be able to treat them effectively.
Luckily I have kept them away from my other two horses and I have been quite careful not to use the same buckets etc as a standard precaution anyway. I have been using an anti-bac hand wash between handling the two lots of horses as well so fingers crossed there has been no contamination.
I had bought them some dried nettles and burdock root which I read somewhere on horse and hound is good for skin health, so hopefully that will help a little. Does anyone know of anything I can feed them which might help further?
 
Also I read Tea Tree oil is anti-fungal, do you think if a try and put a few drops on them that will help?
I know I wont be able to bath them, or pic out particular areas to put treatment on, but I might be able to sneak a few drops on them.
 
You may get something from the vet to put in the feed. Cattle get it and apparently some breeds like Aberdeen Angus are more prone, I had an AAx cow who got it but no other cows did (all a different breed to the affected one), I didn't treat it and it went away fairly quickly.

I did have an itchy pony that neither the vet or I could find lice on and he got a couple of treatments of coopers spot on at the vets advice and stopped itching. He was itching this time last year.
 
I think lice are really itchy so if it was that you'd see them rubbing often, it they aren't doing that it may well not be lice. Ringworm can cross onto people (indirectly so from brushes, headcollars, feedbuckets etc.) so keep an eye on yourself. In people I think they use Canisten antifungel cream (sure it's not licenced for horses but you might be able to sneak some of that on without making a big deal of it if they will let you stroke their faces?)
 
Another vote for it being ringworm. If you leave it, it will clear up on its own but will take a few weeks. Just take care to wash your hands as soon as you have handled her to minimise chances of catching it yourself. If she will let you handle her enough you could try athletes foot cream as its anti-fungal.

Good luck with her, she looks lovely :)
 
Ringworm itches like hell especially when aggravated by heat (I know because I've had it). The fastest method I've used to get rid of it was athletes foot powder with nail varnish layer to starve it of air. Obv I wouldn't recommend nail varnish on your horse, but the hair and grease in the coat should hold the powder close to the skin for longer. I applied daily and it was gone in three days. Ringworm will just keep spreading round your herd (you included) if you don't manage it. Hopefully you'll be sorted soon though!
 
kellybee said:
Ringworm itches like hell especially when aggravated by heat (I know because I've had it). The fastest method I've used to get rid of it was athletes foot powder with nail varnish layer to starve it of air. Obv I wouldn't recommend nail varnish on your horse, but the hair and grease in the coat should hold the powder close to the skin for longer. I applied daily and it was gone in three days. Ringworm will just keep spreading round your herd (you included) if you don't manage it. Hopefully you'll be sorted soon though!
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Just had a look and hubby has some anti-fungal foot powder (his feet are horrible), that could work?
I could definitely get some of that onto Belle without her worrying, I think. Might as well try and put some on the other two as well, not sure if they'll love it, but worth a go.
 
fools_ gold said:
Just had a look and hubby has some anti-fungal foot powder (his feet are horrible), that could work?
I could definitely get some of that onto Belle without her worrying, I think. Might as well try and put some on the other two as well, not sure if they'll love it, but worth a go.
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Yes that could work as it has the anti-fungal bit in :D Good luck
 
I got ringworm from head to foot last year And I didn't even have contact with the horse that had it :/. I tried everything. But neem cream worked very very well. I Dnt know if it will work the same for horses
 
The Nizoral shampoo is good for humans with ringworm. A couple of years ago I rescued a kitten from the streets, and for my kindness it gave me ringworm.

It itches like hell. Being broke I couldn't afford the doctor (we have to pay in NZ) so showered daily with the Nizoral shampoo. Hot spots I dabbed the Nizoral on it neat.

Nizoral contains Ketaconisol which is seriously antifungal - it worked and all the patches went. Eventually when I told doctor he was most impressed and said he would keep that info to hand when he got others in with ringworm.

Re-looking at the pictures you can actually see the ring of tiny white raised skin patches in a good sixpence size circle below her eye.
 
Same story as with my 2yr old. He was also unhandled so not a particularly nice intro to people! He seems to have forgiven me ;) Friend also had the exact same with her young TB (also round his eyes and muzzle) who's lived rough, with cattle, before she got him

It looks like ring worm and has the right background (young horse in poor condition etc).

It's not particularly itchy on hairy skin but can sore on less hairy, softer skin like the face (they rarely notice it on the body, and it itchys like buggery in humans!).

It will clear up by itself IF the horse is other wise healthy. It is very contagious though!

It loves dark, warm moist conditions so rugging is a Bad Idea. It also hates light so keeping them outside as much as possible will help.

They fight it off better if they are healthy and well feed so a good supplement and plenty of good hay will really help them.

You can get granules to put in their feed but it's rarely effective and only helps them fight it off themselves, not cure.

You can get a wash from the vets (Ivamerol) which is perfect for the brushes and headcollars to soak in but not great for putting of scardy cat unhandled babies (Roo thought I was trying to make him dissolve :rolleys: )

Best thing is Clomitrizol cream as it's a cheap and very effective anti-fungal (better than athletics foot cream and cheaper than branded canestan (which is also clomitrizol). You can buy it from the chemists (if you can keep a straight face when asking for industrial amounts of thrush cream ;)) or online for a couple of quid.

Rub it in daily into any bald patchs (making sure you wear gloves!) and flake off any dry skin or scabby bits.

If it DOESN'T start to improve within a week, it's unlikely to be ringworm
 
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please don't use pure tea tree oil-it really isn't very nice stuff used neat.

rarely, if left untreated it can go systemic.


it can be a bugger to get rid of on a yard-can lurk for a while on various surfaces. good luck!
 
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