Scabby greasy blaze. :(

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FionaM12

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When I first got Mollie, she had little greasy scabs on her blaze and nose. They cleared up quite quickly, I assumed she'd been a bit sunburnt before she came.

Every summer since, she gets a few of the same small, dark greasy scabs. They're unsightly and obviously itch as she rubs her face against her haynet or indeed anything she can get purchase on, but they vanish quite quickly. She gets similar greasy scabs on her white socks which I guess are mild mud fever. They respond well to medicated talc applied with a nailbrush. :)

Tonight I put a bit of the medicated talc on her blaze and wondered, can horses get mud fever on their faces? She has a wide blaze and a pink nose.

I protect her from the sun with a fly mask (with a home-added flap over her nose :D), sun screen and by bringing her in when the sun's at its strongest. There's no shade in her field. :(
 
yes they can ;)- well if you think of mud fever as a low grade (usually!) skin bacterial infection. Frank does sometimes at random times of year sometimes when he has sweated, sometimes not, sometimes with flies, sometimes when changing coat... tbh he gets a bit scabby all over at time.

Sudocreme+ sulphur powder works really well for him.

He does wear a full mask in the day but that is to stop his nose burning :).
 
ester said:
IME no but then I have a special ginger ;) his white legs are actually the least scabby bit of him!
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:( Aww poor scabby ginger. It's only Moll's white bits which suffer, and oddly in summer not in the terrible wet winters when everyone elses' on the yard are getting mudfever. :confused:
 
do you have any pics? photosensitivity usually looks quite different. - more flakey and sore than what I usually see on F. (fwiw his legs are def worse in summer, its why he never wears boots as it sweat just makes them scabby- much better if clip off feathers ;) )

Some plants can cause it, like st johns wort and it can also be an indication of liver damage.
 
ester said:
do you have any pics? photosensitivity usually looks quite different. - more flakey and sore than what I usually see on F. (fwiw his legs are def worse in summer, its why he never wears boots as it sweat just makes them scabby- much better if clip off feathers ;) )

Some plants can cause it, like st johns wort and it can also be an indication of liver damage.
Click to expand...

Most of scabs came off tonight when I scrubbed them lightly with a nailbrush and medicated talc. What's left is slightly pinker but healthy-looking skin where the scabs were. Nothing which would be likely to show in a photo.

If the scabs come back I'll photograph them!

My biggest fear when you mention the liver is the ragwort we have on the land, as explained in the ragwort thread. :(

http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=624353
 
My TB gets scabby greasy bits on the backs of his ears and on his white face markings in summer.
My bosses horses get it too, it seems to be caused by sweat and dirt build up and not rinsing sweat off the face after being ridden (at least that's what we have found).
We use diluted betadine to wash the scabby bits off and then ensure that the face is rinsed properly after work.
Works well for us :)
 
I have one mare that would get scabby on white socks and blaze, only in the summer and very strangely, only when grazed in one particular field. We realised it was photosensitivity but had to work out what the trigger was, It proved to be a combination of the sun and giant hogweed. I'm not convinced she was eating it, but that the contact on her skin was enough, as with buttercups. However I have heard of alfalfa being the trigger so I think, whilst sun is the main factor, finding the trigger is vital, and it seems can vary from horse to horse.
 
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