Help me KILL THE SCRATCHES!!!

[Xanthoria]

OK, horsie has had scratches for over 2 months on one hind leg. At one point it got swollen when I was away for a week, but since then aggressive treatment means it is down to a quarter sized spot that is not sore, but that WILL NOT go away, and expands if I don’t treat daily.

Treatments tried:

• MTG - no help, and I smelled like hell-bacon.
• Corona ointment - no help, and impossible to remove
• $20 scratches spray containing copper sulphate - no help
• A week of SMZs BID - no help
• No Thrush Dry Formla powder - says on the bottle it cures scratches. It doesn't.
• Athlete's foot spray - nope
• Silver sulfadine ointment - no help, and was $$$
• Mixing neosporin and clotrimazole and applying to chlorhexadine washed, then DRIED, clipped leg - after a month this got us here.... but it's not cured.
• Called vet and she said "oh it's getting there! Try coconut oil - I swear it works!"

Next to try:

• Gold Bond Powder? It's only zinc oxide and menthol...
• Desitin? It's only zinc oxide...
• Steroid cream PLUS neosporin PLUS clotrimazole
• Wrap leg with Biozide gel under a diaper?

Come on people, this ick cannot be so hard to cure?!

Worth noting horse is in a muddy pasture and no access to a stall. I know. I KNOW!

[Simkie]

Supplemental copper and zinc.

Added to my horse’s feed when I was in this spot, and a week later? BOOM. No scratches.

Poly copper and poly zinc from uckele or horsetech. I fed a half scoop of each daily.

[specifiedcupcake]

^^^^ this. Add a couple of drops of eucalyptus oil to the zinc cream and it will help (works on thrush too but I just make a spray for that).

Also, once they clear up I would refrain from washing legs so much- leave the coat oils in and they do a bang up job protecting the skin. My horses have been living in this nasty mess the past 3 weeks and no scratches. When they really look like pigs, I put them in stalls, let the mud dry and then tackle with a soft curry and damp cloth.

[eclipse]

I sprayed Lysterine on some stubborn scratches (it’s an anti bacterial) and voila , cleaned them right up… make sure you use the non minty classic Lysterine (the brown coloured one)

http://www.listerine.ca/products/classic-clean/original-classic-clean

[Lori_T]

Hilton Herbs Mud Defender.
Lotion works pretty well by itself. For chronic or really stubborn cases, include the supplement.
Everyone I know who uses it LOVES it.

[Lori_T]

Hilton Herbs Mud Defender.
Lotion works pretty well by itself. For chronic or really stubborn cases, include the supplement.
Everyone I know who uses it LOVES it.

[JB]

Yes, no doubt there is a deficiency in copper and zinc, or Vit A, or all of those. Cu and Zn go together - easy to be deficient due to high iron forages, and then added iron in SO much of what is fed.

Vit A is easily deficient if the diet doesn’t have enough grass, or GREEN hay, especially nice green alfalfa.

In the meantime, to get rid of what’s there:

• 1 tube cortisone cream - this is a topical steroid for the swelling
• 1 tube neosporin ointment - antibiotic/antifungal
• 1 tube Desitin (40% zinc oxide, not 10%) - yes, “just” zinc oxide (mostly), but it’s main purpose is to keep all moisture off the skin. The extras in the Desitin help soothe things even more.

Some add a tube of ivermectin or Safeguard/Pancur as well.

generics are fine and good, and lots cheaper. Mix together, slather on 1-2 times a day. Wipe off - do not wash/rinse. Just wipe.

Keep applying at least daily once the scab(s) falls off, and until a good covering of hair has grown back.

By that time, the added nutrients should help prevent it from coming back.

[Xanthoria]

He’s already on 360 mg Zn and 230mg Cu a day, and per FeedXL his Iron to Copper to Zinc to Manganese ratio is pretty good at 6.7 : 1 : 3.1 : 3.5…

And I very rarely wash him - only in summer if he’s very sweaty does he get rinsed.

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[JB]

I’ve not had a problem washing these legs once things are un-scabbed and have good hair regrowth. But until they are FULLY healed, and maybe forever for a given horse, the legs should be thoroughly dried after. That might be a good working with a towel in the Summer, but possibly a blow dryer in the Winter.

[Xanthoria]

Have not been using blow dryer but have been drying with one towel, then wrapping leg with fresh/dry towelling rag, then fleece polo until dry. Washing both towels between uses too. Works pretty great, btu will hair dry if needed… going to re-clip leg today too…

[gypsymare]

Chlorhexidine. Hibiclens or generic. I prefer the CVS generic as it is clear and suds up nicely. I don’t thoroughly rinse it to purposely leave some residue working.

It’s the active ingredient in many scratches and thrush remedies. It can be found near wound care.

[Xanthoria]

See OP - already used chlorhexedine (specifically Hibiclens) for 2 months

[Cheap_Trick]

In a happy accident, I cured my gelding’s scratches when all else failed. While applying Absorbine Hooflex Thrush Remedy (cloroxylenol and alcloxa) to his hoof, accidentally squirted a bunch on his scratches area. It stung him like crazy, but the next day, there was significant improvement, and after a week of daily treatment (much to my gelding’s dismay), the scratches were gone. It’s cheap and worth a try!

Edited to say: JB pointed out t hat it’s not wise to use something that stings or burns - the horse could strike out dangerously. Wise advice.

[JB]

In my case, I too had used all the vet-prescribed treatments- Hibiclens, an immune stimulant whose name I don’t remember, and a gooey ointment whose name I don’t remember.

I would not ever use a product that is known to burn and sting! It could get you kicked into the next county on the spot, or a spastic horse who is uncontrollable, or a slow burn that you don’t see until the next day. There are too many topicals that won’t sting to ever use something that does.

[mfleming13]

My gelding had really nasty scratches this summer. Tried so many things, the equiderma skin lotion is what worked the best for me. It’s a blue lotion, and is sort of the same consistency as MTG (doesn’t smell as bad though) and it had the scratches cleared up in a week.

Good luck to you!

[Cheap_Trick]

JB - Thinking about it, you’re right. It was years ago with my first horse, who was luckily a very good boy. He let me know the first time (the accidental treatment) by a quick pull of his leg. The following days were just a slight wiggle. Even though it worked, I wouldn’t do it again. I guess because it was my only experience with scratches that I shared. Will edit post.

[Kyrabee]

It might be a hypersensitivity or photosensitivity reaction.

I would add a steroid of some kind. My friend had her horse’s (white) legs start peeling in August. She would wash and wrap and wash and wrap. Even multiple courses of oral antibiotics and FINALLY about February or March get it cleared up only to it reappear in August. Mind you, this is desert and no mud to be found in August. She went through 2 years of this. She had him at the vet for something else and one of the partner’s in the clinic walked by and said, oh, that isn’t scratches but a photosensitivity reaction. Vet suggested taking him off alfalfa because I guess it a much more common reaction to legumes. He mixed her up a concoction of dexamethasone in DMSO gel. He was clear in 2 weeks and stayed that way if he didn’t get too much alfalfa. He could tolerate only small amounts. After we had moved barns, my mare started with the same kind of lesions on her white legs. I used her magic potion and they cleared up quite quickly. I also limited her alfalfa.

It might be time to biopsy if it won’t clear up.

Susan

[RTF]

I have a boarders horse that had horrific scratches. We did everything, it would be 90 percent healed…and then We could not get over the final ten percent. We used two different vets and probably ten different products. We added supplements as well. Finally did a white lightening treatment and it killed whatever it was. There is a gel as well as a liquid that you mix and bag around the leg. I did both. The bad thing is, this horse will most likely always have issues with it. She was purchased with scars on her pastern area, scars that I thought were a fence injury. Now I believe they are scars from former scratches. We watch the mare year round and treat any scabs or hot spots with a product called aroma heel. It’s made overseas. I use it on any spot and it’s about managing the issue, not curing her of it. It was so bad I almost did not buy a horse with four white legs. I think it’s like a cold sore virus that flares up in certain conditions. I also think a new product kicks in at the start, and then it’s resistant to it. That’s why it’s so hard to heal. White Lightening is also used for thrush and hood issues. Look it up. Good luck!

[luvmyhackney]

I’ve had good luck with tea Tree Oil mixed with almond oil sprayed on scratches ( I use this on my own ouchies, it doesn’t hurt), then cover with Destin in the past. Otherwise, I just use Equiderma if any horse comes in with them. Gotta keep the leg as dry and clean as possible though.

[clipper]

Try wrapping the legs with sauerkraut. You may have a stinky horse but this worked for a TB who just couldn’t seem to get them gone. It may be more difficult with a horse that lives out but you can put the sauerkraut on with saran wrap. Change to fresh bandages/sauerkraut daily. Cheap too.