The cause of ringworm....brushing boots??

[Horsey_Gal]

Hi,
My tb mare had really bad ringworm for about 8 months. We had two different equine vets out to try and clear it. It literally spread all over her! The only cause of it I could think that would be possible would be that I kept her brushing boots on 24/7 and what with the build up of rain/mud in them it caused the ringworm as she was living out at the time? Would this be possible? As non of the my others have ever had it and no humans or cattle have been near them apart from myself and i've never had it.

 

[Sarah_Jane]

She would have had to come into contact with the ringworm somewhere. It is could not have been caused by the boots unless thay themselves had been used on a horse with ringworm.

 

[Horsey_Gal]

The boots were brand new so had not been worn by any other horse. The vet said it may have been possible that she could of caught it from the boots being on 24/7 but i just wanted to know your thoughts on the matter!

 

[Sarah_Jane]

To my mind can't be the boots.

 

[Horsey_Gal]

I thought it was quite odd myself but then when i took the boots off, that's where the ringworm started where her boots had been! It certainly taught me a lesson!

 

[vicijp]

never mind the ringworm, what on earth possesed you to leave a pair of boots on for 8 months?

 

[Horsey_Gal]

No, i didn't leave the boots on for 8 months!! I said it took 8 months for the ringworm to fully clear up.

 

[Fairynuff]

ring worm has to be passed on by someone or something carrying the spores-it can live for a long time on wood, tack , grooming kits etc but on brand new brushing boots.......!!!!!!!! I think you can take the boots off the suspect list

. Mairi.

 

[the watcher]

If the boots were the major factor it would be more likely the the problem was not ringworm but a fungal growth related to mud fever or rain scald.

 

[vicijp]

You said the boots were left on 24/7, which would indicate that you never took them off.
Leaving boots on all day is a wonder all of its own.
When you say that the horse had ringworm for 8 months do you mean ringworm, or a secondary bacterial infection casued by the ringworm?
I have known secondary infections from ringworm take 3 months to clear up.
What time of year did your horse first get ringworm? Most common tiome of year is spring and autumn, although will be different this year due to the weather.
Do you think it is likely that your horse got ringworm, took a whuile to get over a secondary infection and then got ringworm again? Did you ever run any bloods to check on his immune system?
Ringworm spores can live for up to 10 yrs, and are very hard to totally eradicate. They will only become apparent/actiuve when a horse is feeling low beforehand.

 

[Nudibranch]

Is it possible leaving the boots on all the time compromised the health of the skin/hair underneath them, allowing ringworm spores to take hold when otherwise they may not have been able to?

 

[glenruby]

Yes sootnadmog - that is very possible though as the others have said he horse must have been in contact wih fomites or other horses etc that had ringworm. Most ringwrom varieties are species specific and transfer from cattle to horses is relatively rare.
We had 2 horses last year who had developmental injuries and could not endure normal exercise until their legs had strnegthened up so we took them to a rehab centre every day for 10 days to swim. One of the 2 horses picked up ringworm - he always had a poor coat despite high oil supplements and plenty of good feed and grooming and was ush more suscepible to skin infections. The other horse never picked it up. They were travelled loose in a lorry together going to and from the centre and were stabled across from each other in a covered barn at home. Lucky we had them in isolation for three weeks around their rehab or it could have spread rapidly.
As it was the beggers passed it onto me!! The patch started under my watch strap - so yes, warm moist areas that may not be cleaned easily and where the skin may be compromised are very susceptible.
The dermaticide thAT WE had for the horses cleared it up in approx 2wks but I found a fantastic cream called Lotromin ultra that stopped the redness and infection in 2-3days and completely removed any trace in 10days.