Summer Sores - Getting very frustrated! **UPDATE: Allergic to Midges**

[VivereDRSG]

My poor mare has had a hell of a time since arriving from New England to Texas. 48-hours after she got off the commercial hauler trailer, she broke out into hives on one side. Then her eyes started to tear from the flies. Put a fly mask on her (checking it daily), and she ended up rubbing her face. Treated it with vetericyn, cut heal, Silver Sulfadiazine, and swat. We put her on a week of Uniprim just in case. Vet determines it’s a summer sore, and debrides the spot on her face and the spot on her fetlock. I wormed her twice with Ivermectin, and he had me put a mixture of Dex, Swat, and liquid Ivermectin on her spots a couple of times a day. I was able to find a longer flymask that didn’t have any seams across her face (http://www.doversaddlery.com/ultrashield-ex-fly-mask-with-ears/p/X1-23207/ Her face is healing, but I had him check her today again, her fetlock spot got worse because I couldn’t get it covered with a wrap but used AluSpray/AluShield. He debrided it, and covered it while she was a little sedated.

It looks like she’s trying to develop a spot on her stomach now. I wormed her AGAIN today with Ivermectin, and put a layer of the DSI ointment on any scratches I saw. Vet said that some horses are just prone to summer sores, and she might be one of those horses.

I’m getting SO frustrated with this! She’s 16 y/o now, and I’ve owned her for coming 2 years this November. How can I prevent her developing any more sores? She’s otherwise in excellent health and condition. I’ve never dealt with summer sores before, and I lived down south for the majority of my life.

[TrueColours]

Well - I would recommend trying Dr Reckeweg R17. You can buy it online or at your local health food store. It is for tumors, growths, rashes and eczema. Here is a pictorial of how it was used to treat a growth in a colt’s ear:

http://www.gestuet-falkenhorst.com/MochiSarcoid.html

my daughter has used it, so has my husband. It worked 100% for them - my daughter had literally thousands of little raised bumps on her arms that wouldn’t go away. Several dermatologists later and tons of different steroid creams, it was no better. With the Dr Reckeweg they were gone in about 2 weeks

My husband developed a rash on his legs that drove him nuts. Nothing the doctor gave him topically or orally worked. With the Dr Reckeweg it was gone in about 10 days

15 drops 3 times a day in a syringe. Only put about 3-5 mls of water in there and shoot it down her throat. No taste to it, they don’t mind it one single bit. No side effects. It truly does work very very well … The active ingredient in there is cobra venom which is a huge immune booster and lethal on tumors, growths and the like …

Good luck

[csaper58]

One off the main ingredients in that Dr Reckeweg r17 stuff is naja tripudians. This is Cobra Venom. Buyer Beware, or even better Buyer Be Informed.

Can you post photos of spots/sores?

[Frizzle]

One vet down here treats the horse with ivermectin cattle bosules and that seems to work well. And someone just told me about another rememdy–you use the wart freeze-off stuff that you buy @ Walgreens, then cover with epsom salt poultice and wrap.

The best way to avoid summer sores, though, is to really stay on top of any little cuts or abrasions.

[TrueColours]

csaper58 - see my original post above …

The active ingredient in there is cobra venom which is a huge immune booster and lethal on tumors, growths and the like …

I KNOW cobra venom is in there. That’s what I posted originally. And honestly? I have “0” problem with it now that I see how well it works with people and animals … including my husband who was diagnosed with bladder cancer on February 4th of this year who had surgery on March 25th to remove the tumor and the bladder and possibly the prostate and when the surgeon came out - there was no tumor left. It was all dead, necrotized tissue and he had NO idea why a healthy, growing, vibrant tumor would up and die in 5-6 weeks on its own. Bladder was okay. Prostate was okay. Tumor was deader than dead. Biopsies and cultures all came back negative. So … you make your own mind up if the tumor one day decided to just die on its own or if the R17 played an active role in killing it off … My money’s on the Dr Reckeweg to be honest …

And on another note, one of the local fellows that did some work for us on the farm a few weeks ago is native and is very much into natural remedies and working with nature. I explained about the Dr Reckeweg to him and he smiled and said a close friend who had been diagnosed with multiple cancers has started taking scorpion venom - not available through any retail outlets or through any pharmacies - but from a native elder and so far, with each successive checkup with her doctor, the tumors have either died or are shrinking noticeably each time.

Good luck to the OP once again … Oh - and another thing you can also try (same regime I am on and my husband was on as well) is 1/2 tsp of plain old baking soda twice a day. It sets up an alkaline environment in your body, and no tumors, rashes, growths, etc can live in this environment. Supposedly neither can arthritis and I am finding a huge difference with my 2 crummy knees on it. It has worked to measurably reduce the inflammation and pain. So … again no side effects, cheap and easy to try. Nothing to lose in trying it …

[The_Crone_of_Cottonmouth_Count]

What ARE summer sores, anyway? Is there a non-bacterial parasitic component, or are they just infected wounds?

[TrueColours]

From what I have always understood, there can be a bacterial or a viral component to them and the flies landing on them start a chain reaction and they just keep growing and increasing in size. Once the flies are gone for the season, they settle down again and then start up in the spring once the flies return

Anyone that has done a scraping of them I believe has found specific bacteria or viral components in them that differ region to region

[The_Crone_of_Cottonmouth_Count]

The horizonless panorama of gruesome equine afflictions never ceases to repulse me.

[AllWeatherGal]

My horse has what I have officially called “all-season-sore” … It’s been debrieded three times. A respected horsewoman (not employed at my horse’s barn) insists that for the wound to heal it must be covered 100% of the time. She says, once it’s been debrieded, wash it, dry it carefully, cover liberally with wound powder, a non-stick gauze, and wrap the leg. Standing wraps seem to work the best for us, but whatever you can keep on your horse. Flies must not be allowed to touch the wound. It must be washed/scrubbed every day, covered with powder, and rewrapped until it is completely healed.

I’m not sure the hair will ever grow back on my horse’s fetlock since the sore has been there so long, but crabbing about constant covering has helped keep the wound from re-opening for the last couple of months.

Obsessive diligent cleaning and covering … no tricks, no shortcuts.

[Aggie4Bar]

The flies around here can be brutal. If you can get your horse(s) on a feed-through fly control, I’d recommend it. Obviously, that won’t work if you’re at a boarding stable that doesn’t use aggressive fly control measures. The only real way to heal a fly sore is by keep a barrier over it.

Belly and face spots will heal if you can get Swat and repellent on it mulitiple times per day. As soon as the horse rubs or sweats the stuff off, the flies will be back, so you really have to stay on top of it.

If you’re having trouble with legs, go buy the biggest athletic tube socks you can find, cut the toe out, and put them on your horse with elasticon to keep them in place. The fashion statement it makes is completely absurd, but it works!

[LetItBe]

I get a mixture of panalog and ivermectin from the vet that works really well.

LetItBe

[VivereDRSG]

I’m not sure how comfortable I am giving my mare anything with venom (of any source) in it. However, I’m glad to hear that it has worked for those who are brave enough to give it a go.

The Dex-Swat-Ivermectin ointment the vet gave me seems to be helping, along with keeping things covered (her face). My biggest concern is finding a suitable way to keep the fetlock covered (going to give the sock a try), and keep new sores from popping up.

I am moving to a different barn next week, and the horses will be out more. I believe even night turn out is offered. I’m wondering if being out more will help?

I’ve also been reading up on Solitude/Simplify, but it seems those only work best when ALL the horses are on it, as well as any neighboring farms. I wonder if it’d work though if she’s carrying the Habronema?

Also, does the brand of Ivermectin matter? The first time I wormed her this month, I did Equimax. However, it’s over $10 at TSC. I did find it for $9.72 at SmartPak. TSC had 2 packs of the Horse Health Equine Ivermectin Paste, and I dosed her with that last Monday (6/16) and yesterday.

She NEVER got summer sores in New England, and the bugs up there last year were horrible. B52’s, horse flies, black biting flies, houseflies, those yellow jacket/horse fly hybrid things, etc. Granted, the barn kept the horses inside, her stall did not have any windows out, just open tops for ventilation, and bars across the front. I wonder if that had something to do with the lack of light and lack of flies?

[can_t_re]

When inside a strong fan or fans help keep flies down as does a stall picked out. A fly spray system is great too. I had one that did not get repeated sores but had one on his fetlock that was a pain to heal. I broke every horse rule and kept white gauze wrap and then vet wrap around his ankle. My horses live at home so I could keep a close eye on the wrap and he healed fine.

[Frizzle]

[QUOTE=The Crone of Cottonmouth County;7642965]
What ARE summer sores, anyway? Is there a non-bacterial parasitic component, or are they just infected wounds?[/QUOTE]

The flies actually lay eggs in the wounds, which is why they don’t heal. Also why using ivermectin helps–it kills the larvae. Yep, super disgusting. The wounds are also called cutaneous habronemiasis.

[lorilu]

There is a huge thread just a few threads down about this.
My understanding is that it is those little midges that create the sore, not your average fly - but regular flies will keep it open.
My best solution: Double dose Equimax, repeat in 2 weeks. Wash sore daily with iodine (to dry it out) and treat sore with a blend of triple antibiotic and athlete’s foot cream, covered with desitin. Some put a bit of ivermectrin ON the sore. Most important to keep the flies off it. I rub some SWAT in a halo around the treated area.

If it never seems to dry up, I turn to WonderDust.

[Lori_T]

http://calypsofarmeventers.blogspot.com/2010/06/itchies-habronemas-and-allergies-or.html
This is my blog with a picture of Tucker’s summer sore. Not at its worst, but bad. I need to update, but stupid BlogSpot.com is being difficult and won’t let me upload any photos.)

My draft cross is allergic to grass and comes in with small crusty sores on his legs from time to time. They usually heal pretty quick, but one turned into the habronema from hell and I am still dealing with it, 9 years later. Once we got a correct diagnosis (first lab did not confirm it and for a while we thought cancer, when it grew overnight to a grapefruit size and was bloody and smelly; 2nd and different lab confirmed habronema) and started treating accordingly, it responded quickly, but during the summer months, I had to micromanage it, keeping it covered with fly boots as soon as it got warm, as it would reopen at the drop of a hat. Almost 2 years ago, for some reason, it re-opened, after being closed for about 2 years (but only with due diligence on my part.) I had moved to a new barn and it was fall, which was a weird time to deal with it, so I attributed it to something he was reacting to at the farm. NOTHING worked to close it, even through winter. We changed the ivermectin/dmso/fura to quest/dmso/panalog, to no avail. Tried manuka honey. Tried all kinds of stuff. Then, while surfing the web, I found that Dr. Porter had a medicine that he swore would work: http://michaelporterdvm.blogspot.com/2013/06/habronemiasis-summer-sore-in-horse.html
(graphic photos!)
So in January of this year, I bought a jar. I kept Tucker’s legs in standing wraps, 24/7 for 2 weeks (even in turnout, thankfully he behaves!) and then found a pair of galloping boots that covered the sore that he could be turned out in. The sore began to shrink and dry up, going from 3 finger widths to half that size now. It is dry and closed up. It is now July, and knock on wood, no issues. He wears fly boots 24/7. I now just treat it topically with Hilton Herbs Bye Bye Itch lotion to stop any itching and then some of their Phytobalm ointment, then the flyboot goes on. He is not allowed to be without it for any moment that he is not being ridden or in cross ties, as all it takes is an instant for him to rub it and it is re-opened. This medicine has been our miracle medicine and well worth the $75 or so that I paid. I still have about 30% of it left.
Summer sores suck, and you will probably be dealing with it forever. I believe that it has a lot to deal with the immune system, and since Tucker has allergies, this makes him a good candidate. Thankfully, this is his only one.

[joannr24]

Summer sores are habronemas. You need to worm your horse with invermectin and rotate with quest. We deal with them in Arizona a lot. They are awful. I have successfully avoided them this summer and here is what I did.

1. Fly masks on ALL the time
2. Install very strong fans in stalls to keep flies off horses
3. Rotational worming with ivermectin and quest every month.
4. Clean stalls a lot
5. Keep SWAT on their sheaths.

Also, I have my horses at home now. It will be difficult if you are at a boarding facility because you can’t keep everybody’s horse wormed. The horses poop with the larvae in their poop, the flies eat the poop and pick it up, then the flies lay eggs in a wet areas of the horse like the mouth, the sheath and the eyes.

it goes away in the winter because the flies go away but if they still have the stomach worms it will come back when it heats up.

Good Luck

[rcloisonne]

Has anyone tried Summer Whinnys for something like this? They have some antimicrobial properties (copper & silver woven in) and should stay up better than tube socks. Of course they’d be useless for sores on the face.

I don’t know why anyone would move horses to the southern states except for the winter months. So many things to deal with never mind the relentless heat!

[VivereDRSG]

[QUOTE=rcloisonne;7644717]
I don’t know why anyone would move horses to the southern states except for the winter months. So many things to deal with never mind the relentless heat![/QUOTE]

I didn’t have a choice. My Mother passed away; I needed to move back to my home state. It wasn’t possible to leave them in New England over the summer. You make do with what you have. I made sure to break their trip up with a 55 hour layover in KY, I moved them during a “cool snap”. I did the best I could. They’ve done well despite the summer sores. My QH is originally from Texas, so it’s been no issue for him. My mare tolerates the heat just fine, it’s the flies/summer sores that are the key issue.

I’ve continued to do the Ivermectin oral worming, as well as the SDI ointment the vet gave me. Ordered Microtek shampoo, spray, and I’ve got gel, will be doing a Microtek “spa” for her this week. Keeping the fetlock/hoof wrap on is proving to be a pain in the butt. She somehow gets them off overnight, despite my duct taping them on well. Not sure she’d leave it alone if I put fly leg wraps on her. Face is looking better, but I’m able to keep it covered with the flymask that I posted about.

Is there some majikal summer sore be gone dance that I can do? Oy.

[Flash44]

The only thing I would add is maybe put the horse on ground flax seed to help with the skin a bit. I have a mare that got rain rot constantly, and a pony that is very susceptible to scratches. Both conditions cleared up and are kept at bay with ground flax. I used to buy it at the feed store, but now I’m using SmartPaks and just get one serving of Bioflax. No skin conditions at all.