My mare has what I think is rain rot on her eyelids/just above her eyes. She has a stall with run attached, but likes to stand outside, even if it’s raining… so I have no way of keeping her dry 24/7. She has a vet appointment the week after next, but is there anything I can do in the meantime? I hesitate to do something like medicated shampoo given the location and I don’t want anything to get in her eyes! Ideas?
We had one get some weird stuff on his face from sweating under a fly mask. It actually cleared up by using alcohol wipes. They don’t seem to drip…
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Please be careful using non ophthalmic formulations near the eye.
If you are on Facebook, Horse Vet Corner has a file wrt Rain Rot, I believe.
My GoTo for any sort of wound or crud is Biozide gel. Povidone iodine in gel form.
No dripping & no reaction from any horse I’ve used it on.
I just loaned my jar to a friend whose pony is showing same symptoms as OP’s horse.
Efficacy probably compromised as the jar is years past the Use Before date, but iodine does not expire, so may still be useful.
Betadine is safe near and in the eyes. **
Vetericyn is safe in the eyes too, so their anti microbial formula may be a good choice.
** However Chlorhexidine is not safe near the eyes, so don’t use it as a substitute for betadine.
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Take a stack of gauze 4x4s. Dampen them. Add a few drops of betadine or chlorohexidine scrub. Squeeze out any excess water. Gently scrub the affected skin. No need to rinse.
My horse develops a similar thing every winter!
The only way I’ve found to treat/ prevent it is to make sure her face is always regularly clipped. This seems to allow enough air to get down to her skin, so it prevents the gunk from developing.
The first time it happened the vet gave me a prescription antibiotic to use (it was a very thick gel - so it was easy to not get it in her eyes).
