Rainscald

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sonjafoers

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My mare has rainscald at the moment and her back is very, very sore. She suffers from this & mud fever and I know from past experiences I need to remove the scabs, however it is so painful for her that I am struggling to do it at the moment.

I have done a search on here and read all sorts of strange remedies, but I thought that it wouldn't clear unless the scabs were removed as the bacteria lives in the little crusty scabs. Athletes foot powder, aloe vera gel etc sound good but how do I get this to the skin under the scabs

I do use creams to soften the scabs but I am not sure how creams would work to clear the condition if they didn't get onto the skin under the scabs. Am I right?

Can anyone advise a way to soften & remove the scabs which will cause the least pain to my mare? I know clingfilm works on the legs but i can't use it for her back.

Thank you
 
Have you looked in to Ruggle It? It's a shampoo and oil. The oil will soften the skin and also produce a barrier. I;ve used it on 2 ponies for rainscald and it has proved very effective. You use the shampoo and the oil and it gradually builds up in the coat forming a protective barrier. It's all natural

http://www.karenruggles.co.uk/ruggleit_pages/ruggleit_products.htm

It cleared it up when used but no idea about the in and outs - though I always thought you shouldn't remove scabs and you treat and they will come off on there own.
 
Thanks guesstimation, I haven't heard of that before. I did look at Fungatrol but as this is oilier it might soften the scabs.
 
Go to the chemist and buy a large bottle of 'Nizeral' shampoo - it is for humans and contains Ketaconisol. This will kill the fungus that starts off the rainscald/mudfever it will also loosen the scabs which will start to come off easily.

Dilute with warm water and lather up well right into the base of the coat. I use an old face cloth as being slightly rough it helps agreeable scabs to come off. Leave for 10 mins and then scrape off excess water and allow to dry. Don't rinse off. Repeat every few days until all scabs have gone. Make sure that you wash beyond the area to kill off any developing spores. Recent veterinary research has revealed that rain scald and mudfever are fungal.

Please don't forcibly pick off the scabs - it is really painful for the horse and also causes skin breaks that allow bacterial infection in.

Feeding a supplement that contains Copper & Zinc helps to strengthen the skin from within.
 
Rainscald is caused by a bacteria, not a fungus. Loads of info on Google. The following might help because it's clear and sensible.

"The bacterium Dermatophilus congolensis causes both mud rash and rain scald. This organism lives in the environment as spores, until they are activated by wet weather. This is why we see the disease associated with heavy rainfall. Moreover, with prolonged wetting, the outer layers of the skin become much softer, and are more susceptible to external trauma. The skin is then less able to act as a barrier to infection, enabling the bacteria to live and multiply within it. Nobody really knows why certain horses are more susceptible to mud fever than others. It may be that certain individuals are not as good at fighting the disease, and therefore show much more severe signs than others. Susceptibility may also have genetic factors. In addition, the disease is obviously made worse the wetter and muddier a horse gets.

Rain scald often appears on a horse’s back and neck, and follows the pattern of a horse’s coat as the rain runs off it. When the scabs are removed, there is often a large amount of pus sitting under the scab.

Treatment: These diseases are made so much worse by rain and mud, so to treat them successfully the horse must be removed to a clean dry area. Loose crusts and scabs should be removed and the hair in the affected areas clipped. Where scabs are too well attached to be removed, they should be soaked in dilute Hibiscrub. All the scabs, crusts and hairs should be removed from the stable to prevent re-infection. The lesions should then be cleaned on a once or twice daily basis with Hibiscrub, or similar solution. If the infection is deep in the skin, the horse may need a vet to prescribe antibiotic cream. In these cases, wash the lesions, and thoroughly dry them, then apply the antibiotic cream. The horse must be kept on dry bedding throughout treatment. In severe, or extensive cases it is often necessary to put horses on antibiotics in order to really get on top of the infection. These can be administered either by injection, or using powders by mouth (a mint-flavoured version is available for fussy eaters)"

Hope that helps. If your horse finds it too painful for you to gently pick the scabs away, just persevere with keeping her clean and DRY and soaking the affected area with dilute Hibiscrub. The scabs will start to soften and you can just tease them away, maybe while she's distracted with eg food. You can also make up a bit of Hibiscrub in warm water, work it well into her coat and leave it there. Only dilute though, never neat. If it's severe, you shouldn't be riding her - the movement of the saddle and the heat under it will make clearing it up even harder. Remember to disinfect your grooming kit and numnahs/rugs. Once she's clear of it, you can prevent it returning by scrupulous attention to keeping her clean and DRY at all times. Watch her skin like a hawk and pounce on any early signs returning.
 
Box of Frogs - recent research is now showing that rainscald is FUNGAL and becomes infected (bacterial) when scabs are forcibly removed either by human or by the horse itching!

While there is much info on rainscald on the internet it is all from past knowledge not new knowledge that is now becoming available. Extensive research is done in the southern Hemisphere where rainscald and mud fever is very previlent. High humidity and rainfall especially in winter months means that many horses suffer from it.

Vets in New Zealand prescribe anti fungal washes to kill the spores.

Clipping and moving to dry environment is not necessary - Have had them with extensive rain scald, washed with Nizeral and returned to the paddock - don't have stables. Scabs are not removed because they are not normal scabs but serum that has oozed through the skin - if you have ever suffered from a fungal infection in your hair - which I have - you will know that is very tender and itchy but the skin is not broken unless you force off the scab. Removing scabs forcibly pulls out hair by its roots and breaks the skin allowing bacteria to enter. Leave the scabs alone and they will fall off by themselves. Regular washing with Nizeral will continue to disolve the scabs and kill the fungus, humanely.

Prevention is better than cure - feeding Copper & zinc strengthens the skin. Mine have not had rain scald now for several years since I've supplemented with these minerals, they live out 24/7 are not rugged and have been standing out in rain that is as heavy as a nonstop shower - over 300 mm 12" of rain in August alone.

While reading on the internet give you a lot of theory - practical experience and knowledge beats it hands down.
 
Thank you Box of Frogs, I have been using sebolytic shampoo ( malaseb ) but I will switch to dilute hibiscrub instead as the sebolytic doesn't seem to be doing anything.

Her back is very hot where the patches are and some of the scabs are very thick and I can't remove them, in fact she doesn't want me near her back at all. I will do as you suggest and just use the hibiscrub and eventually tease them away.

She had the same problem last year and I have been very careful to keep her dry this year, but I have been away for a few days and returned to find the rainscald so now she is off work for a while whilst I sort it out, poor girl.

Do you think regular washing in fungatrol, maybe once or twice a week, would work as a preventative measure? I feed a balancer so I think she should be getting everything she needs to fight it from the inside, but I need to do more to keep her skin bacteria free.

Also do you not recommend any cream or gel to soften them?
 
Thanks Evelyn, I am going to speak to my vet as totally confused now! I will mention what you have said & ask about the Nizeral. It's such a minefield.

I can't use camrosa hunteress, it seemed to irritate her when I tried it on her mud fevery legs last winter.
 
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