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Re: [RC] scratches - agilbxrMy vet also said that Alpines scratches that he gets every year on all 4 ankles (including the black skinned ones), the front of his cannon bones, and the top of his hocks was probably from some seasonal allergies. I've always treated them by scrubbing them with betadine, then putting sunscreen and nolvasan ointment on them, and it kept them at a reasonable level. This year, however, even with all the wet we've had down here in florida, Alpine hasn't had a bit of problem. The main difference I'm seeing is that he's been on Flax seed religiously since February. 2 cups whole flax once a day with his dinner, combined with his selenium supplement, and no scratches. And when I really thought about it, it made sense....flax is supposed to be quite good for allergies...
On to lightning strikes...at one of the places I used to board, they had three horses killed by one strike. They were all standing under a tree in a storm, and Alpine was standing about 50 yards away by the barn. Lightning hit the tree and killed the three horses. Now during a storm, you can't get Alpine anywhere near trees. He stands out in the middle of the pasture... You can't tell me he didn't know exactly what he was watching....
Juli and Alpine (I know where to stand in a storm, and I'm glad my ankles don't hurt this year)
and Spot (my nose does cause mom ran out of sunscreen and let it burn...ouch)
-----Original Message----- From: kkmoonshadowrnch@xxxxxxx To: ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Sent: Sun, 31 Jul 2005 07:48:49 -0400 Subject: [RC] scratches I had a TB mare a few years ago and always was at best keeping her scratches at bay. Vet thought that she had an allergic problem or autoimmune disorder. anyway tried lots's of different remedies. The anitbiotics from the vet worked the least. Sauerkraut poultice did a pretty good job. but what worked the best was straight selsun blue on the scratches for 10 minutes then rinse off and scrub off all the scruffy stuff. Then cover the sensitive areas with women's yeast infection cream from the grocery store. It was the most cost effective and worked the best. still had to montor it frequently on her. Thankfully, I sold her a couple years ago. It was a ton of work keeping those scratches under control.
Kathy & Nick
Moonshadow Ranch McKenna, WA
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