Poor Lucky just can’t get ahead of anything! He’s developed nasty skin crud now - over his chest, under his neck, poll/face, upper front legs, girth area, and also has canon keratosis. It is raw in some places but mostly just a buildup of dark grey stuff all clumped together. He doesn’t seem particularly itchy but doesn’t like being touched. I know it’s likely due to his already poor immune system as well as a lack of grooming (his owners never groom their horses unless someone is coming out and they’re afraid of being reported -_-). Any suggestions on what it could be and how to treat it? I can try to get some pictures this evening.
Is it scratches? You know, the fungal skin stuff.
Sounds like Lucky needs a nutritional boost by, maybe, upgrading the quality of his feed and hay. Possibly a good
vitamin/mineral daily dose also. What’s his current diet and how much?
Equiderma is good for skin crud. Lack of grooming wouldn’t cause this, IMO. How long has this been going on?
EquiDerma Lotion seems to cure everything but the common cold. Put it on dry skin 3-4 days in a row and i’ve always been amazed at the results.
and as an aside…never name an animal Lucky…it never turns out that way!
I also recommend Equiderma Lotion
Oh yes, the owners have figured out the hard way about naming him Lucky! ERU, Heaves, crappy feet, etc.
The cruds have been going on for about two, maybe three weeks. Owners haven’t noticed (no surprise there).
He is getting a good diet now - 10 hours turnout on nice pasture, 8lbs of soaked hay, two feedings of 2lbs alfalfa pellets and 2lbs beet pulp, multi vitamin and mineral, 2tbs salt, 2oz electrolytes (he sweats a LOT), 1/2 cup omega horseshine.
if there are any supplements you’d suggest, I’m all ears! His immune system is awful, poor guy.
He needs a good bath and then I’ll see about the Equiderma. I know the owners have the wound and skin ointment - would that work?
Are you using fly spray? One of mine had a reaction like oozy hives that cleared up in a few days after not using the spray. Later, I was able to use the spray on her as long as I was careful to wet her hair and spray lightly – basically, follow the directions on the fly spray. I think I had put it on too heavily and it irritated her skin.
Yes, the flies are awful! They use pymethrin concentrate that they dilute and use. It’s worked the best. We’ve been using it for months and haven’t had any issues.
Wash affected areas daily with chlorhexidine scrub (the same stuff vets use to scrub wounds and joints before injecting). I think chlorhexidine is the active ingredient in Equiderma, but cheaper to buy by the gallon at farm/medical supply stores. I get it for about $25 locally. https://www.farmvet.com/Nolvasan-Generic-Chlorhexidine-Scrub A gallon jug lasts,me a year or two with 6 or more horses on the farm. A small handful is plenty for lower leg, or a big glug in an 8qt bucket filled with sudsy water for full body bath.
Chlorhex is very effective against many bacteria and fungal skin disease. Don’t scrub harshly, I usually use a sponge or just my hands to work lather into the scabs. Let sit for several minutes before rinsing-- it works by length of contact, not abrasiveness. I’m currently using it to clear up a case of rainrot; 80% of the scabs are gone after day 3, new hair is growing back. Will continue daily washing until all scabs are gone.
I use it preventatively once or twice a week on white sock horses with a history of scratches prone to flaring up in unavoidable damp conditions.
I’ve been pretty amazed with the effectiveness of Equiderma lotion, too! Anything I’ve put it on has poof disappeared in 1 or 2 applications.
It’s not just the chlorohexidine in it that makes it effective, because I use chlorohexidine scrub and/or solution on just about everything but the kitchen sink. I swear by the stuff, but alone, it has never done anything quite as magical as what the Equiderma has done for skin crud.
My Holsteiner developed a refractory case of scratches I had to get the vet involved with. He had them on all 4 legs above his knees/hocks and they were getting worse. I used the Equiderma shampoo and the lotion and nothing was working. Tried MicroTek. Nope. So finally got the vet involved as I had concern it was something else. He is just a horse that is prone to it. They gave us a shampoo that is chlorhex/ketoconazole/hydrocortisone and then a zinc spray . And shaved his legs. I will say, this made an immediate difference.
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About the supplements you asked about, is he on any vitamin E? It has helped my allergy prone pony quite a bit (he has respiratory and skin allergies). I use the Ultra Cruz powdered Vitamin E.
I have used the chlohex/keto shampoo that CindyCRNA mentions with great results on skin crud too. Worked great on my mini who had some kind of creeping crud on his heiny when I first got him.
My OTTB is a walking encyclopedia of skin problems, triggered by any weight loss. So for me, nutrition is his #1 fix. If he is ‘fat’ for a TB, no skin issues. If he looses weight for any reason, his skin suffers immediately. He also has a charming winter hair shed cycle where he goes bald practically, first, and then grows a summer coat – pretty!
Weight loss from flies now = rain rot on top and cannon crud. As he puts on weight, those disappear, with little topical attention. I’m in the Deep South, my country Vet is pretty 'Meh, feed him more", and he’s right! Meanwhile of course, I dollop everything on him. But a good weight for him and all his skin issues disappear.
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My 17 year old mare develops a cough each summer sometime in July. Her coughing stops in November. Vet says she has allergies. She also gets bitten by bugs along her belly button area which develop quickly. (I use a lot of Swat to help with this challenge.) I have used one supplement after another for the coughing but nothing truly helps.
I am now giving her a spirolina supplement that I get from Smartpak. It’s a pelleted supplement and has great reviews for helping horses with autoimmune disorders such as respiratory problems, hives, and irritations from bug bites. So far the bug irritations have not developed, her belly feels great, and I’m anxiously waiting to see what happens this next month with the coughing.
The research on spirolina is really interesting (Purdue University did a study which showed positive results, similar to treating a horse to a course of dex.) That study set me off on a search for an algae product and I hit on the Smartpak supplement. Spirolina might help this horse develop a stronger immune system. I’m giving it a shot this summer and hoping it helps my mare.
