Rain scald on ears and top of neck...

[CastleMouse]

How common is it?

I've never come across rainscald on the top of the neck and ears before, but I recently noticed it on Ali

I was picking the scabs off to clean the area and he's quite a good boy about it, but eventually he gets annoyed.

Any tips?

 

[teddyt]

Liquid paraffin is great for softening the scabs so they just fall away. Leave it on over night. Sometimes needs to be left a couple of days if scabs are really hard.

 

[Box_Of_Frogs]

Sensitive neds can develop this anywhere where the skin is constantly damp, ie anywhere not covered by the rug! In cases that seem impossible to explain, the horse may have a favourite place to stand when it rains and just one bit of his head may regularly poke out into the weather or have rain run down. If your ned has a full neck or high neck rug, he may stand under a tree and the drips may run down his neck all the time. Could you train him to have an opened brolly securely tied to a fieldsafe headcollar lol??? Saw a Monty Roberts demo on tv where a spooky ned ended up with his rider waving an opened umbrella round his head as they trotted round the arena so there could be hope!!!

 

[kellyeaton]

my mare has it on her belly at the moment dont pick the scabs off if the come off whilst washing with hi scrub thats fine apply aloe vera gelly to the affected area and feed burdock and nettle this will help with the healing process!

 

[Box_Of_Frogs]

Scabs do need to come off bb coz the bacteria "hide" in the scabs. But you have to soften them as Tt says and, if very sore, just do a few at a time x

 

[PapaFrita]

PF got rainscald in the middle of summer out here (she wasn't in my care). She was turned out without a rug and clearly the humidity of Buenos Aires got to her. I was in complete denial "My horse can't possibly have rainscald"

The low-tech Argie solution to rainscald is a weak solution of bleach and water (1:4) which worked a treat, but my jeans were a mess!! I'd use hibiscrub once you've got the scabs off. PF's scabs looked like dirt (part of my denial!!)

 

[kellyeaton]

yes i know they have to come off but they have to be softened first i ment not just pull at them sorry should of exsplained my self better!

 

[eoe]

My mare had this a couple of years ago and after consultation with my vet I was advised to try and keep it dry and just put wound powder on it, it healed up within a week and the hair grew back quickly.