Did a FEC last fall and found nothing. Still wormed for tape/bots. There are no flies yet, but she will get a little sweet itch in the summer. I can’t wash her actual butt every day because corona. Anything else I could to for my mares itchy butt tail rubbing? Or is her tail going to be another casualty of this situation?
If it is from sweet itch you need to treat for that.
If it is pin worms treat for that.
Mares will sometimes itch when their udders are dirty. Wash under there with warm water. They will also rub their tails when they are in heat. Hard to do much about that.
5 Likes
My horse itched his tail into oblivion when he was trying to relieve the tightness in his hamstrings. That only took 6 months to figure out, but now that I have, I massage regularly, have changed up his work, and there is no tail rubbing anymore.
Are her girlie parts dirty? Under her tail, between her legs, the udder?
I have a mare who collects crud around where her caslicks sutures were tied, but also deep between her hind legs. I really have to dig to clean there. Thankfully, she’s always grateful!
1 Like
I had the same thing. Adopted a horse with a tight patch of muscle in front of her SI on the left side - also tight hams and still tight to this day.
She rubbed herself raw and no matter what I did - keeping her clean, deworming etc and she would not stop.
Once the patch in front of her SI was released (the amazing Vicki Wilson applied liniment, plastic wrap and hot towels) do you know that mare has not rubbed ONCE - that was 2 1/2 years ago. Not once.
4 Likes
She is in blazing heat as of this morning. First saw her rubbing yesterday. I think that might be the thing.
1 Like
You might try washing the tail, both hair and bone, remove any flaky skin while wet. When dry, comb out the tangles, then oil the tail bone itself. I use mineral oil on the skin. It is a bit messy for a day or so until the excess drips off. Then keep the bone oiled every week to ten days. For us, this pretty much removes any itching of the tail. The dry skin can really get thick, itchy over winter.
I only use plain mineral oil because there have been no skin reactions. Baby oil can contain scent, acetone, and we have had bad reactions using baby oil, so it is OFF my list of usable products. My horses do seem to enjoy the rubbing in of mineral oil, relaxing, closing their eyes. I also find if you wash or hose off a sweaty horse often, clean under the tail and getting hair and bone wet, that tailbone skin does not seem to get as dry, flakey or itchy. So that is an alternative to the oiling.
PaddockWood, can you tell me more about Vicki? Can you provide a phone number? Thank you!!!
My mare rubs herself bald whenever she is in season. Very frustrating- her tail grows back every winter and by July she looks as if I shaved her dock. Nothing helps- I keep her clean and moisturised around her udder, between her back legs, under her dock and her vagina but every 3 weeks there she goes again!
1 Like
I use Absorbine fungus spray on my gelding and it works! Use daily
My gelding LOOOOOOOOVES to have his butt scratched in the summer (starting now) when I think the flies bite at his tail doc and the back of his sheath. He aims my grooming at his butt and spreads his legs, so I interpret this to mean his sheath (which does get bitten). His eyes relax when I scratch his sheath, and I did remove a tick from there a few weeks ago, He’s quite sensitive to things biting his hairless areas, including his sheath and navel.
Something my vet told me was to shampoo with a flea shampoo to kill mites, and then to follow up with dandruff shampoo to eliminate the flaky skin the mites feed on. That, and spraying the tail with Listerine (original yellow) did the trick for my old guy, who would rub his tail raw, and his mane.
learned lots of things from the responses. thanks.
