Scabby yearling.....any ideas what it could be?

[starbar]

I have a traditional cob yearling. Over winter she was VERY hairy with a soft baby coat and resembled a yak. Because it went warm quite quickly she sweated up quite a lot and shedded at a rapid rate. I kept on top of this and she has had a few baths with medicated shampoo and has been brushed if not daily then every other day. About half her winter coat has come out now and her summer coat is healthy and shiny where it has come through.
There is a BUT though. She has gone quite scabby over her back and the top of her hindquarters. It looks a bit like rainscald but it isn't as it hasn't rained here for ages and they aren't particularly wet underneath. They are sore if I pick them off. If I do pick them the hair comes off with them however, if I leave them alone they flake away with a rubber curry comb and do not take the hair with them. She has been a bit itchy but then there has been a huge amount of hair to shed. It isn't lice but I have doused her a couple of times with Coopers Fly repellant just in case it was somehow bug related. I also don't think it is sweet itch as she isn't really rubbing her mane or tail and she isn't going bald.
I was going to give it another week to see how she goes as it isn't really bothering her and I was going to see if it was somehow related to the huge amount of moulting that she has done. Then if it is no better a visit from the vet might be in order. In the meantime I was wondering if anyone on here had any experience of the same and what it might be?

 

[ameeyal]

I dont think you need to worry, i have very hairy minis, every spring as im trying to brush their winter coats out they have these scabs along their backs, i normal scrub at them with a plastic curry comb, once they are gone they dont come back, i put it down to rain/dampness sitting on their back in the thick coat all winter, this year it hasnt been to bad as we havent had much rain.

 

[Box_Of_Frogs]

That's classic rainscald symptoms and I wouldn't mind betting that it IS rainscald. Sadly, you don't need rain to get rainscald. Lots of sweating in baby haor that holds the moisture will create the right environment for the bacteria that cause rainscald.

 

[Tnavas]

Agree with Box_Of_Frogs - I wouldn't be surprised if it was rainscald -

Wash him with Nizerol - you can buy it fram the chemist. Dilute with hand hot water and work well into the coat right down to the skin. Leave 10mins then scrape off excess. No need to rinse.

Avoid picking off the scabs as it makes them very sore and leads to a bacterial infection.

Repeat the washing every few days till all the scabs have gone.

 

[Murphy88]

Rainscald is a bacterial infection! Same organism as mud fever. Best thing to do is wash the area with hibiscrub but then dry it totally - dryness is the key to controlling the bacteria. Ideally you could clip the area if it is still long coat, but can understand if you don't want to ruin his summer coat, so just try your best to get rid of any matted/scabby bits that are there.

It is contagious so also wash brushes/rugs etc and don't share with other horses!

 

[Tnavas]

Rainscald is a bacterial infection! Same organism as mud fever. Best thing to do is wash the area with hibiscrub but then dry it totally - dryness is the key to controlling the bacteria. Ideally you could clip the area if it is still long coat, but can understand if you don't want to ruin his summer coat, so just try your best to get rid of any matted/scabby bits that are there.

It is contagious so also wash brushes/rugs etc and don't share with other horses!

Mud Fever, Greasy Heel & Rain Scald all start as a fungal infection which is why they respond so well to Nizeral. The bacterial infection comes in when the scabs have been forcibly removed.

Today I will be taking photos of a friends horses who we noticed had mud fever yesterday evening. I am going armed with a camera and Nizerol and will then post the photos in a few days.

Generally find that if only the Nizeral is used it clears up within days.