Best OTC treatments for skin conditions

[OzarksRider]

One of my horses has thickened, scaly skin on the back of one elbow and on one haunch. Both are on the side where he lies, so I think this is caused by pressure on the skin. There is no hair loss, redness, scab, or oozing, so I don’t think there’s an infection. When I first saw the area on his haunch, I thought it might be rain rot because the hair looked tufted. I thought maybe calluses from the pressure of lying on it, because the skin is thickened. I also wonder if it might be psoriasis, because the areas are scaly, flakey, and itchy. I’ve tried washing with Malaseb shampoo, betadine rinses, erythromycin/gentamicin spray, MTG, and various other things, but nothing has helped. I’ve also tried coating the areas with Gold Bond Friction Defense, and this seems to help a little, but it doesn’t cure the problem. I first noticed this over five years ago, so it’s not an urgent problem and it doesn’t seem to bother the horse, although he does enjoy a good scratch there.

So, before I call the vet, do any COTHers have any idea what this might be? Do horses get calluses on their skin? Could it be psoriasis triggered by pressure? Any suggestions for over the counter products I might try?

[OverandOnward]

Is it possible to post photos? It’s almost impossible to guess just from a word description. People tend to each see such spots through their own filters and experiences.

I am not sure that a) calluses can really be ‘treated’ or b) that calluses should be treated. Calluses are doing a useful job in relieving what is otherwise an uncomfortable spot during daily life. So the good news is that doing nothing about a callus is probably the best option.

If there is really a condition to treat, in addition to all of the suggestions that you are about to get, I will add to power-rinse & even soap (a bit) all grooming tools every time they are used. Just rinsing will help remove crud from a brush or curry that is otherwise re-applying an irritant the next time it is used. The rinse (with or without soap) can be done very quickly and informally with the hose (and a tiny bit of soap swished around) - that’s enough to take care of most crud. Not doing this with whatever is used for grooming kind of undoes all other attempts to treat the condition.

[OzarksRider]

Photos wouldn’t help visualize this, because the area is covered with hair. The hair appears rough and a little tufted, sort of like rain rot. But this is definitely not rain rot. If you part the hairs, the skin appears flaky, like dandruff. And the skin is thickened and not as supple as normal skin. It has characteristics of callus, dandruff, and psoriasis but to my uneducated eye it doesn’t look exactly like any of these. It’s only in the places that take the most weight when he’s lying down, but it isn’t a pressure sore. The area behind his elbow looks a lot like the callus my dog gets on her elbow. So my best guess is callus, but do horses get calluses on their haunches from lying down? And do calluses create dandruff? Whatever it is, I’m not real worried about it; I just would like to know what it is.