Re: RC: RE: Re: Preventing scratches

[Maureen Mathisen <blueoak@snowcrest.net>]

Linda,

I forgot, but we had  one get it so badly(as you described) that the vet
put him on antibiotics for l0 days.  This was the only thing that
worked.  The topical stuff(even from the vet) didn't stop it with this
horse!  Maureen

> Flemmer, Linda wrote:
> 
> Sounds like your definition of fungus scabs and my idea of scratches
> or greasy heel are the same.  Desitin doesn't do much if the infection
> is there, but it keeps moisture away from the skin so it can't start.
> 
> One of our horses (all black, no marking) got it horribly when we
> lived in a very wet coastal area.  We kept baby diaper ointment on him
> constantly to prevent the start of it.  He usually swelled within 6-10
> hours in his rear legs and needed oral antibiotics to help with the
> secondary infection that he got through the open skin.  (In other
> words, it spread from the skin to the rest of his sytem.)
> 
> It's rough to get rid of.  I think persistence is as important as the
> substance you use to clean the problem up.
> 
> Linda
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Farafix@aol.com [mailto:Farafix@aol.com]
> Sent: Wednesday, June 16, 1999 12:18 PM
> To: grs@theneteffect.com
> Cc: ridecamp@endurance.net
> Subject: RC: Re: Preventing scratches
> 
> Glenda makes a good point about the source of the wetness that
> contributes to
> the scratches.  Kadance has 3 white legs which are very prone to
> getting
> fungus type scabs.  One winter I did clip some of the hair below the
> back of
> her fetlock, which helped.  She would seem to get the fungus the worst
> in the
> winter, probably because winters are muddy here.
> A local trail organization newsletter had a great trick several yrs
> ago that
> I found worked the best on Kadance's fungus (not sure if it's the same
> thing
> as scratches).  It recommended putting Betadine on the fungus scabs.
> I found
> that putting the Betadine in a little spray bottle worked great; would
> just
> spray the Betadine on every 2-3 days on the scabs, and within a week
> they
> would dry up and fall off.
> I would occasionally try Desitin as I always heard it was supposed to
> work,
> but it just made the fungus scabs mushy & bigger.
> Maybe the vets can answer --- are there different causes for the scabs
> and
> irritations that the horses get on their lower legs that would require
> 
> different treatments?  What I call a fungus on Kadance would only
> occur on
> the white legs.  The one solid leg would not get it, and Tempo, who
> has 4
> solid legs, does not get what I've been calling fungus scabs (the vet
> did
> diagnose it as a fungus on Kadance yrs ago).  It's a sort of
> white/yellow
> scab, not like a darker scab that covers a healing wound.  (Hope no
> one is
> munching their lunch, reading this appetizing post!)
> 
> Nancy
> Md (past lunchtime)
> 
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Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net.    
Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/RideCamp   
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=