My Connemara has rain rot/fungus on her legs where her feathers are. I tried uploading a photo but couldn’t??? Essentially, they look like dark gray/black flakes close to her skin or attached to her feathers. I’ve been using MTG or mouthwash/baby oil. The tack shop said I should definitely not clip her as the fungus could spread to her skin. Another person said I should stay away from bathing her as her feathers will hold moisture/heat and just worsen the rain rot. My concern is that the products aren’t penetrating into the feathers and may not be helping. They make a fungus shampoo, wondering if I should try that? Any thoughts you’re willing to share about what has worked for you? Thanks in advance!
Horses with feathered legs can have mite infestations. Or it could be a fungal infection. Or it could be bacterial. Or a combination of all three.
Consider having the vet do a skin scraping to determine what you are dealing with. Then you will be able to treat it successfully.
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Google: Sulphur oiling of feathers.
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Agree with csaper - get a vet to determine what you are dealing with.
I routinely clip the feathers that appear on my Hackney Pony & TWH’s legs in Winter - prevents ice balling up in them as well as scratches.
They grow back quickly enough so I have to repeat clipping sometimes 2 or more times before they shed out.
TWH came to me with a nasty case of scratches on LF & LH - both have white socks - that I treated with a COTH formula of combination ABX ointment, fungicide (Lotrimin for Athlete’s Foot) & diaper rash cream mixed in equal parts.
All but the diaper cream came from the Dollar Store.
Previous owner’s vet had provided a $70 ointment they purchased w/o asking what might be in it.
Another of their horses also had scratches. 2 occurrences in a herd of 4.
They gave me a small amount of the Majik Stuff to use & when I ran out I went to COTH for ideas.
Scratches have not reoccurred, so I am thinking some bacteria in their soil that is not in mine…
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I second the feather clipping. I routinely clip the excess hair off anything that wants to get funk. It looks silly in the winter, but the legs stay healthier. I use Entederm (generic panalog) and it goes away quick.
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Agree with getting a Vet involved, to decide what horse actually has in choosing treatments. I am another one who tries to clip leg’hair short, all year around. Short hair dries MUCH faster, changing skin conditions from humid that allows nasty things to develop on legs. We have horses outside daily in snow, mud, wet grass, so horse legs need stall time to dry skin out. The short hair drying quicker, gives a longer time of being dry to the skin so skin stays protective as designed to be.
Sorry, I am not a fan of “natural hair” left on horses, this is feathering, breed type heavy feathering, super long manes and forelocks over their eyes, tails they can step on or drag to collect mud or brush. In our location, such excess hair causes problems and health issues. Better to shorten hair and avoid the issues altogether! I would think clipping legs would be an aid in faster healing of any of the possible problems named.
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Using electric clippers on this type of leg crud can be irritating to the skin and painful for the horse. The clippers would need to be sterilized afterward to prevent spreading this crud to the next horse clipped…
Clipping the hair carefully with blunt nose scissors, so as not to cut the horse if it stomps, is how I would get the hair off.
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We adopted a Clydesdale who had bad scratches on both hind feet. I clipped the feathers, washed his legs in a bacterial shampoo, then used a product called Krudzapper. They were gone in a couple of weeks and the his feathers grew back quickly without spreading the fungus any further.
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Previoulsy I have done the following to help with scratches; clip out the legs, wash with mixture of head and shoulders and betadine, dry off well, apply home made cream mix consisting of vets receipe of lotrimin, benzocaine and clotrimazole mixed up with diaper rash cream (try to go through the checkout when purchasing all these items together with a straight face!)
This works a treat for my mare and keeps it cured.
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I stopped by Dover today and picked up shampoo that supposedly works well for both fungus and bacterial infections. I’ve heard different things from Dover sales reps. I’m going to try the blunt nose scissors things and that should get me pretty close. How do I go about sterilizing clippers if I go that route? I think I may roach her mane also. Thanks!
A good rubbing alcohol soak should take care of your clipper blades.
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I still learning. The vet said it’s simply dry skin and gave me some recommendations. She also explained how to tell if it was rain rot. Thanks for all the suggestions!
Equiderma lotion will take care of it
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Go to Sally’s or any beauty supply and they sell a product for sterilizing clippers. Alcohol will dissolve the grease that lubricates the moving parts in the clipper’s head.
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