Scratches treatment

[akhunterrider]

I searched the forums and did not come up with anything extremely recent.

Horse: 11 year old gelding with 3 socks. Right hind is the worst, the other two white legs have some scabs. He lives in a dry lot. We have no mud currently because it’s very dry.

I have been washing his legs several times a week with Elite Equine medicated shampoo, then applying Sore no more the sauce and Absorbine Silver honey spray.

His legs had improved, but were not cured. This has been on going since the end of July. Last weekend we rode 3 days in a row in damp sand. His legs were very pink, irritated and puffy by Sunday.

I have found some homemade scratches remedies on COTH in my searches, but I wanted to see if there was any formula more up to date that people have tried. Most of the recipes I saw contained Desitin (or another brand of diaper cream), but the ingredients beyond that varied some.

Any help is very much appreciated. Thank you!

[HeartsDesireEventing]

I’ve been treating what I think is trying to be scratches on my newly-acquired horse. Vet recommended washing with the regular green Palmolive, and I’ve also found that adding some Betadine to the wash seems to help. I’ve been putting antibiotic cream (Neosporin, or the E3 antibiotic/anitfungal) on the scabs/former scabs, and then Desitin on the rest of the leg, and it’s definitely been looking better, although we did just have a tropical storm come through yesterday, so I guess I’ll find out when I get home from work how badly that set us back with actual mud in the field instead of just wet grass.

[PaddockWood]

My new guy has irritation and occasional scabs and I’ve seen him scratching his pastern and fetlock a couple times so hard he draws blood.

He’s out in dewy grass in the am otherwise no mud.

What I’ve been doing in slathering on Desitin and keeping it covered until healed and it all goes away. Then just watching the area.

In the past I have made up a concoction of athlete’s foot cream (whatever that drug is), Vagicil (miconazole) and a tube of triple antibiotic and it helped too. They say these skin problems are usually bacterial or fungal.

But you’ve got to keep that triple combo covered w Desitin to help the skin heal and protect. Just like a baby’s bottom. Keep it covered with it until it clears up that is key.

I don’t see how washing it would help. Seems that would irritate it.

[Simkie]

“Scratches” is such a catch all term, and that’s reflected in the concoctions that include a little bit of everything–like an antibiotic, steroid, and antifungal. If what you’re facing is super stubborn, you might want a scraping so you can identify exactly what you’re dealing with and target therapy appropriately.

For general funk, I mix up a spray bottle of dilute chlorhexidine, spray to soaking once a day, and slather with zinc oxide before turnout in the am.

This is also the time of year that I find horses borderline on copper/zinc pop with scratches. Increasing their supplementation can help.

[theresak]

Biggest long-term impact was feeding extra copper, zinc, and Vitamin E year-round. I have an extremely susceptible horse that would also get cellulitis and changing the diet and just leaving his legs alone or spot treating scabs for a few days made the biggest impact.

Then the best scratches cream is whatever works and if it doesn’t dramatically improve in 7 days, you need to switch. I would alternate between two concoctions:

• Furacin (or fura free) with 30 cc of injectable dex mixed into it
• Equal parts 40% zinc oxide ointment, triple antibiotic ointment, hydrocortisone ointment, and clotrimazole anti-fungal ointment

I did not clip, shampoo, or disturb the scabs except those that would come off applying ointment daily.

[Fiesta01]

I had good luck with betadine scrub, towel dry extremely well, then furacin gel smeared all over.

[PaddockWood]

Yes, diet exactly like you are saying. That’s what has me perplexed w my guy because his diet has been tight and perfect in the year and half I’ve had him.

[BroncoMo]

I’ve had luck with topically treating with vitamin E. I have 2 horrible cases going on right now that I have no doubt are nutrition related; I was deployed and my additional supplements fell off the radar. I was treating with vitamin E oil and making headway… until a big rain storm and subsequent mud. Now I’m back to fighting it and not making progress.

So, all that to say, might be worth trying vitamin E oil for a short amount of time. If that doesn’t work, switch to a heavy hitter of choice. Personally I think I’m going to try alternating concoctions Theresak mentions above.

[Simkie]

@PaddockWood

Yes, diet exactly like you are saying. That’s what has me perplexed w my guy because his diet has been tight and perfect in the year and half I’ve had him.

I’ve had a couple that just need more for some reason. Dunno why. But bumping their copper and zinc once coat growing season begins in earnest (shortly after the solstice) seems to take care of it.

[BroncoMo]

I can attest to this. Diet provides what should be enough, but the horses clearly benefited from more copper/zinc. Hair coat, hoof quality, skin quality, etc. I hate that I have the situation going on that I do, because I know how we got here and how to have prevented it…

[PaddockWood]

OK, I’ll bump both. Yes, it had gone away for heck, maybe a year. When I got him he was a HOT mess. Wirey coat, FEC 2100, little back muscle so it all made sense. And then just a month ago there it was back again. And I have never seen a horse itch themselves till they bleed - only down at his fetlock and pastern and only on the same foot that had the original scabby/sore issue when I got him. He is PSSM2 and does itch his body when we begin exercise.

KIS Trace provides 285 mg copper and 850 mg zinc. How much would you bump? I have both minerals stand alone from Horse Tech.

Thanks!

[Simkie]

I double up usually a few weeks after the solstice, going from a half scoop of poly copper/poly zinc to a full scoop of each.

The itchiness is interesting. Are you somewhere where habronema is a thing? It might be worth trying some ivermectin topically to see if that changes anything.

[Zevida]

Here’s a long thread I started last year that has lots of suggestions!

Chronic Scratches - ideas and suggestions welcome!

I have read a lot of the threads already with a lot of good suggestions many of which I’ve tried. Chestnut 11 y/o gelding with white hind feet with pink skin who lives in a stall/paddock combo and we have been fighting scratches year round for the last year. We are in California - it is dry almost the entire year and he gets no grass turn-out. He’s on alfalfa hay cubes, Tribute Kalm Ultra grain, and SmartCombo supplement (which includes zinc and copper). At various points I have tried: Stoppe…

For my horse it ended up being photosensitivity. A steroid spray resolved the acute issue and then keeping him in fly wraps to keep the sun off have prevented them from coming back. We also never clip his white legs as the hair offers more protection (counter intuitive to typical recommendations). Knock on wood we’ve gone almost a year with no relapse.

[Halternatively]

I’ve had great luck with calmoseptine - it’s a pink diaper rash cream you get from the pharmacist but without a prescription. Last I checked, Target carried it. It’s much thicker than Desitin (It’s also the best diaper cream, ever!)

Mix a full tube in a container with anti fungal like athletes foot cream and a triple antibiotic.

Before applying, wash legs with baby shampoo and dry thoroughly. Then apply the mixture. Good luck!

[PaddockWood]

No, I’m in Ohio. I will apply ivermectin. Great idea.

[Equibrit]

SIMPLE solution.
https://www.petcarerx.com/chlorhexidine-solution/10299

“Whether you’re a canine owner or an equestrian, it’s a good idea to have Chlorhexidine Solution in the house. Chlorhexidine Solution is a topical aqueous cleaning solution for application to superficial cuts, abrasions, or insect stings. It fights bacteria, fungi, ringworm, and yeast that cause infections. Plus, it’s easy to use and apply.”

[akhunterrider]

Thank you everyone for your replies. My lovely horse decided that he was going to shear a huge chunk of hair off his right hind this week. He seems to have taken a scab or two with it. I smeared it with desitin last night since it’s what I had on me and I’ll be back out at the barn tomorrow morning to check on it.

[Ghazzu]

Gentocin spray. (generics available)
It’s betamethasone and gentamicin. Labeled for treatment of superficial pyoderma in dogs.
I like it because it isn’t a greasy cream, so dirt and bedding doesn’t get stuck to it.

[akhunterrider]

I went to my local dollar general last Friday and made a concoction of diaper cream (zinc oxide), generic monistat, triple antibiotic ointment and hydrocortisone cream. I slathered it on the scabs, as well as the area where he sheared off the hair that was over top of some of the scabs. I applied it Saturday morning. I haven’t been to the barn since (thanks back to school illness), so we will see how it is looking today.