scabs behind knees

[mar2505]

My cob has scabs behind his knees which he will not let me pick. Another cob owner at the yard has also got them and wondered if anyone has any experience of getting rid of these. The other owner said she has tried all sorts and nothing works so dont want to start at the beginning.

 

[Charmaine18]

Sounds like mud fever - you can use cream like Vaseline to soften them and make them easier to get off. If your cob is feathered, clipping his legs out will make things much easier too.

 

[Ladybird]

If they're behind the knees and more than one horse has got them is there a possibility they could be feather mites?

 

[ester]

Frank gets crusty/thickened skin behind his knees at this time of year (and also in the summer if he sweats lots) they arent really pickable scabs though just tough with a crease.

I trim the hair off so I can get to it, then either use sudocrem or sulphur cream. Then try and ignore them

they dont seem to bother him particularly.

 

[cob1]

It could be feather mites, my coblet gets them this time every winter. They are fairly common, and there is no way he will let me near, yours may have other signs such as stamping the feet?

Dectomax injections from the vet (2 2 weeks apart) are the best. Frontline spray from the vet can also be used.

I normally try to get him covered in his pig oil and sulphur which makes it harder for the mites to get in, although i would recommend they were clear beforehand.

I was told by my vet not to clip feathers as they are the best protection from mud fever etc in the winter, and also not to touch the scabs as they will clear when the mites do.

 

[Slinkyunicorn]

It isn't mud fever or mites.

They are called sallenders and mallenders (it depends which legs they are on) and are very common in hairy feathered cobs/heavy horses. The best thing to do is to use sudocream/zinc and castor oil etc to help soften the scabs and then you can at least remove the worst with out getting kicked!! My cob has them on her front legs - some will get them on both - I find adding aloe vera juice to her feed has helped considerably with them.

 

[cob1]

Slinky unicorn, my vet diagnosed mites. Is that correct with the stamping of the feet etc?

 

[Slinkyunicorn]

It is when they are stamping their feet - normally more common in the summer as well - and the best thing is wormer as your vet did.

Scabs behind the knees (sallenders and mallenders) are there year round and as ester says don't really bother them unless you start pulling the scabs off. It isn't so much a scab as thick dried skin which sort of flakes off. Best (and kindest) wat to remove them is to soften the old dried skin/scab with warm water and shampoo and them plaster in a cream (sudocream etc) and then after a day or two you can pull it off easily.

Hope that helps.

 

[ester]

yup agree with slinky, I forgot the right word for them. They are thick skin that then flakes, so his looked like dandruff atm. - I only found them again last night though they have been grumbling for the last few weeks. He doesnt stamp and he doesnt mind if I pick gently!

They are bad in summer as it is hot and he sweats and they are bad now because he has too much fluff and he sweats. He doesn't have/get mudfever all of his scabbinees tends to be sweat/excess hair related.

Right now I want to clip the back of his knees and the back of his hind fetlocks where he is also creasy/thick skin but he would look a little silly

another thing is do they wear boots? If so and they dont really need them take them off. Franks always come up when he has had is XC boots on.

 

[cob1]

Thanks Slinky Unicorn! I will get him covered in Sudocrem this weekend now the little mites have gone!

 

[Abbeyglenn]

Personally i wouldn't use Sudocrem as it doesn't let the skin breathe and it can create a nice warm barrier for infection to thrive. I would definately have the vet to give an injection of Deltomax and use Frontiline. To soften the scabs i would use liquid Paraffin. We have lots of cobs here and it allways seems to do the trick.

Make sure that the legs are thoroughly dry before applying any cream. We have used the green dermi gel before but its difficult to get hold of these days

 

[Ashgrove]

Try pig oil and sulphur, or pm Theresa_F for full instructions.

It worked for my horse.

 

[Theresa_F]

If you PM me, I will send you a very long PM which will tell you what to do about this. Hairy horses do need some extra care to keep their legs in good condition. It is not difficult but you need to accept that your life from now on will involve the use of sulphur in summer and pig oil and sulphur in winter - or you could buy a TB

What you have is pastern dermatitis - it is actually a disease that occurs in heavy horses - it can be started by a bacterial or fungal infection or mites which causes a hyperactive response by the horse's defence system. This is why I have started prevention on my horses as soon as I could, the younger the better.

If you want a copy of the very interesting article on this, click the link in my PM.

 

[xnaughtybutnicex]

Sounds like mallenders to me. My cob has it too, it's quite common in cobs and heavier horses. Mallenders is when the horse has scabs in the bend of the knee, sallenders is in the bend at the hock. It can lead to mud fever and infection so putting pig oil, grease ect. is a must if the fields get very muddy.