Treating scratches

[ChestnutArabianMare]

So my horse has had a mild case of scratches on one white foot for the last few weeks… we’ve had lots and lots of rain, and she also pees on that right back leg every time she goes with how she stands, which certainly isn’t helping.

Currently treating with a mix of an OTC anti fungal, bacitracin ointment, hydrocortisone and zinc oxide to soften scabs, and very minimally peeling scabs off if it looks like they’re falling off, which has always worked for me before on other horses. They aren’t sensitive to the touch, and there’s no heat or swelling. They aren’t getting any worse, but there hasn’t been much of any improvement.

She has no issues with the rest of her legs (including two other white socks) and otherwise has a very nice winter coat and healthy feet. Suggestions? Maybe it’s time to add in a betadine scrub? She’s quite mouthy and I think she would chew off any wrap I tried to leave on even if it survived 24/7 turnout.

[walkinthewalk]

From reading the horse forums over the years, there is more than one way to treat Scratches and it is always dependent on the horse:)

Your current treatment should work but it’s falling short.

if you haven’t cut the fetlock hair and shaved the hair “seam” on the back of the leg down, that would be my next suggestion.

Scratches does NOT like air, so don’t wrap the leg.

A betadyne event scrub works really well but be sure to pat as dry as possible. I have also had luck with Dawn dish soap.

there has been some conversation on another forum, between some of our Canadian friends, about a cream some of their vets make up that has miraculous results in treating serious cases of scratches. There seems to be more than one version but the common ingredient is DMSO.

Maybe someone from Canada will come in and comment:)

Best of luck — Scrathes is one of the more frustrating skin issues to treat on a horse:)

[pluvinel]

I used to have a horse that developed scratches on hind cannons regularly every spring and fall.

Betadine scrub to wash the leg, and help remove the scabs. Then a generous dousing with Betadine/Povidone Iodine solution which you leave on the legs. Sometimes accompanied by a dilute (1:10) solution of clorox. Don’t rinse.

[Chief2]

In a word, Equiderma. You can either use the zinc oxide cream or the lotion. Wash, dry with a clean towel, and apply, then reapply every other day, or even daily for faster results. No need to rewash every day. It won’t take long to clear up the crud. I used to use all the old vet and farmer’s remedies. Not any more. Also, if you wash with either Hibiclens (Walgreens, Walmart) or DVM shampoo, both contain Chlorhexidine gluconate solution 4.0%, which works better than Betadine scrub, is gentler to the skin, and has a moisturizer in it to keep the skin from cracking. You won’t need to pick, peel or scrub the scabs. Wash, dry and then use the equiderma product of your choice. Equiderma products contain Neem oil, which softens and gets rid of crud and scabs ASAP.

[MissingASock]

In Canada myself, and we had a TON of rain this year which meant we had some horses who got it this year.
My mare got it on her front leg and it took forever to get rid of it, and at one point she was on a mild antibiotic because her leg got a bit puffy.
I am lucky that I have her on indoor board so she came in every night to a dry stall but this is what I did.
Clip leg as close as I could to make sure no hair could trap any moisture and every day (with some exceptions) I would towel dry her leg and pick off all the scabs I could. She hated me for a long time… It hurt and she was in pain and yes I felt terrible for her. But after the clipping/drying/picking I would apply a sulfate/mineral oil mix to her leg, mix the two until it’s a paste that will stick to her leg and apply every day.

I always keep her white clipped, even in the summer, and after a ride (about 1-2 time a week) I would wash all her legs with a anti fungal shampoo which has kept her fine all these years…but this year we just had so much rain I guess that I was screwed either way haha

[MissingASock]

@Chief2

In a word, Equiderma. You can either use the zinc oxide cream or the lotion. Wash, dry with a clean towel, and apply, then reapply every other day, or even daily for faster results. No need to rewash every day. It won’t take long to clear up the crud. I used to use all the old vet and farmer’s remedies. Not any more. Also, if you wash with either Hibiclens (Walgreens, Walmart) or DVM shampoo, both contain Chlorhexidine gluconate solution 4.0%, which works better than Betadine scrub, is gentler to the skin, and has a moisturizer in it to keep the skin from cracking. You won’t need to pick, peel or scrub the scabs. Wash, dry and then use the equiderma product of your choice. Equiderma products contain Neem oil, which softens and gets rid of crud and scabs ASAP.

I’m saving this for next year to try if it happens to my mare again!

[no.stirrups]

My son’s horse used to always get this, and rain rot a couple of times a year. Then we got KBF99 brushes. They are anti-bacterial, anti-viral, and anti- some other stuff. Now we don’t get it anymore! Even on the fronts of his hind cannon bones where geldings are often cruddy due to urine splashing. When I used it on some existing rain rot, it was noticeably drying by the next day. The best part is there is no liquid or paste or anything potentially messy and I never run out.

Disclaimer, I sell some of their products, too.

[Horseman15]

What has worked for both of mine and a few others at the last place I boarded is;

Mix 2 ounces of Chlorhexidine 2% in a gallon of water, add in a little shampoo and mix it all uo. Soak the affected areas for at least 5 minutes. Towel dry then put M-T-G on it. The same mixture works well for rain rot too. It goes away very quickly every time I’ve done this. Good Luck!!

[demidq]

My vet also prefers the chlorhexidine wash (Hibiclens) to Betadine. I rinse off the mud with warm water, then squirt some of the concentrated Hibiclens on a wet sponge and scrub gently, rinse very well, then dry. If the scratches are very bad, I will even use a hairdryer to make sure it is really dry. After that, rub in a good amount of your scratches cream, a combination of mild steroid, antifungal and antibiotic cream with DMSO to get it into the tissue. If it is really bad, I bandage with a gauze pad, vet wrap then duct tape. Opinion is divided as to whether to pick off the scabs. I compromise by scrubbing gently after they have been softened. This routine clears it up within a few days. I continue to use the cream on CLEAN skin for another 2-3 days, then continue to spay it with Chlorhexidine 2% spray for another few days to make sure it doesn’t return.

[ChestnutArabianMare]

Thanks everybody! I’ll add to the Hibiclens to our current routine and see if that helps. If not, probably time to get in touch with the vet! I help the scab off if it’s about to fall off but I don’t peel them otherwise—kind of the same principle we follow with human wound care at work.

[Renn_aissance]

The routine that has worked for me this year is to keep the fetlocks clipped down (my fellow is inclined to feathers!) I scrub with chlorhexidine every other day, with the alternating days being plain Ivory soap to keep the area clean without overdrying. Towel dry, apply baby powder to finish drying, brush off baby powder, and then apply a mix of 50-50 zinc oxide and cow mastitis ointment (ToMorrow.) I picked up the mastitis ointment trick from a poster here and have had good luck with it. While I was out of town my fellow acquired what looked like a plaque over his fetlocks that felt like he was trying to grow extra ergots and that’s knocked most of it out in about four days.

For what it’s worth, my former vet’s Magic Scratches Goop was approximately equal parts furacin, DMSO, desitin, Panalog, and generic antifungal cream. However, that was made in the USA, not Canada.

[cwhitepa]

Try Head and Shoulders shampoo, original formula to wash, let it stay on for 5-10 min before rinsing. Use betadine spray and desitine cream(3X) when scabs start falling off to ward off infection. My vet has an amazing steroid cream but it’s 50$ for a small container. I keep these on hand so if it comes back right on it.

[skykingismybaby1]

My retired guy is pasture kept and is prone to scratches, my vet mentioned an “ol timers” cure after nothing seemed to help the scratches that were all over all legs and some on his croup. CAPTAN is an agricultural fungicide in power form.

I mixed Captan with zinc oxide and slathered it on. All gone in days. I sprinkled Captan on vulnerable spots and rub it in so it sits on the skin. I have had NO skin issues this year. I also clip the back of his legs.

[DinkyDonk]

I mix unscented body lotion, mineral oil, and chlorhexidine gluconate in an old shampoo bottle–shake well and rub on spots…no washing, no drying–just brush off any dried mud and rub on daily. Scabs will just fall off with grooming. Wonderful for cold weather.

[NoSuchPerson]

@Chief2

In a word, Equiderma. You can either use the zinc oxide cream or the lotion. Wash, dry with a clean towel, and apply, then reapply every other day, or even daily for faster results. No need to rewash every day. It won’t take long to clear up the crud. I used to use all the old vet and farmer’s remedies. Not any more. Also, if you wash with either Hibiclens (Walgreens, Walmart) or DVM shampoo, both contain Chlorhexidine gluconate solution 4.0%, which works better than Betadine scrub, is gentler to the skin, and has a moisturizer in it to keep the skin from cracking. You won’t need to pick, peel or scrub the scabs. Wash, dry and then use the equiderma product of your choice. Equiderma products contain Neem oil, which softens and gets rid of crud and scabs ASAP.

This. I use a shampoo I got from my vet that contains chlorhexidine and Equiderma zinc oxide cream for scratches, same but Equiderma lotion for rain rot. It’s great stuff.

[merrygoround]

There are so many threads on this, that a simple use of Search should give you a week’s worth of reading.

You can also use google search.

[ChestnutArabianMare]

@merrygoround

There are so many threads on this, that a simple use of Search should give you a week’s worth of reading.

You can also use google search.

This thread is from 2017. Not sure how or why it got bumped back up.