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Particularly, horses with lighter coat colors as well as horses with compromised or poorly developed immune systems have been found to be at higher risk. Specific environmental factors have been also been identified. Rain rot most often occurs when the skin has been compromised in some way. Compromise occurs during times of high humidity, prolonged rainfall, or increased exposure to biting insects. Horse owners should take steps to limit impact when these environmental conditions are present.
Grooming regularly is also a good idea as it ensures you’re regularly inspecting their skin which means you’ll likely spot the signs of rain scald in horses a lot quicker. If your horse has a minor case of rain rot, it can typically heal with a little bit of extra attention and care. Giving your horse a bath with an anti-microbial soap can help remove the scabs and disrupt the bacteria in the affected area.
Spotting signs of infection
Wash the affected areas with either a chlorhexidine or povidone iodine solution and warm water. Use a soft cloth or brush to massage the lather through the coat as much as your horse will tolerate. This will clean the area of any contaminants, remove a lot of loose hair and scabs, and help to improve circulation. There’s quite a few preventive measures you can take, as well. This can include daily grooming, changing and cleaning blankets, providing a run-in shelter, sanitizing saddle pads, keeping up with mud in pastures, and proper nutrition.
Prolonged wetting of the skin, as occurs in wet weather, allows the bacteria to invade the surface layer of the skin and establish an infection. Horses or ponies with heavy feather on the leg can be particularly prone to mud fever in extremely muddy conditions, as the hair becomes covered in wet mud and remains damp. Horses with white legs and pink skin are also more prone to Mud Fever.
Rain Rot Treatments for Horses – EquiSearch
McDowell's staff Herbalists can not diagnose your disease or illness. What they can do is offer a herbal program to assist with healing, after you have had advice from your doctor or specialist. If you have unexplained pain or symptoms, seek medical advice. If you notice the above signs, it’s important to contact your vet for diagnosis. This is essential because the bacteria live under the matted crusts.
Banixx is a great option that can be found at many local farm stores. Long standing cases may have large areas of scabs which merge together, giving a plaque-like appearance on the skin. White skinned areas seem to be more susceptible to infection. When the infection affects the lower limbs it is called mud fever and similar scabby lesions will be found, particularly on the back of the pastern and fetlock and the limbs may become swollen.
Home Remedies For Rain Rot
Congolensis is mostly dormant, but under wet conditions, this bacterium can cause an inflammatory infection resulting in lesions along your horse's skin. These lesions cause small patches of raised bumps which are scabs containing clusters of your horse's hair. Removal of these scabs results in bald patches along the affected area.
Has everything you need to safely and comfortably treat your horse. The cracking of skin, which will eventually worsen into a painful crust and scabbing. Try this homemade recipe with baby oil, 3% USP hydrogen peroxide, and iodine.
Rain Scald in Horses: Treatment & Prevention
It is a food source, exercise area and a secure environment to socialise and interact with other horses. Most take time to show improvement, but once you get the skin healing, the process goes quickly. Keep your horse fly sprayed in the fly season to lessen histamine reaction in the skin. Healthmdsearch.com is a search engine, the content on the site has been added by users and is not controlled by us. Sunshine is an important support for skin diseases, & can kill fungus.
Rain scald in horses is caused by the bacteria “Dermatophilus Congolensis” which typically enters the surface layer of horses’ skin when it’s exposed to prolonged wetting and cracking, resulting in an infection. It’s most commonly seen in horses that are kept outside in wet and muddy conditions as the bacteria originates in soil, but it can also live on the skin and when the surface is compromised, it can cause infection. Most commonly show itself as scabs and lesions on a horse’s skin. Sometimes mistaken for ringworm or staph infection, rain rot is a bacterial infection rather than a fungal infection. The bacteria that causes rain rot is alive underneath the surface of the skin, which is why the scabs that appear on your horse can ooze. Rain rot, also known as rain scald, is a severe skin infection that causes scabs and lesions on a horse’s skin.
A second product we always sing the praises of, it Equine Super Goo. Again another NZ based product, this stuff is magical and great for treating cracked heels in particular. It only requires one thorough application and will fully treat mud fever within a few days. We highly recommend – you can get in touch with them on Facebook if you want to make an order. And remember, be careful to avoid future contamination through sharing of rugs and brushes and saddle pads etc and disinfect anything that has been in contact with a rain scalded horse. If none of these work, there are plenty of products designed to specifically treat rain rot.
This powerful, topical salve contains herbs that act as a natural anti-bacterial and anti-fungal barrier. The main ingredient, calendula, is a naturally occurring antibiotic and anti-fungal cream derived from the Marigold plant . The bacteria penetrates chapped, damaged or softened skin and the legs develop weepy sores which lead to scabs. In severe cases the leg may swell and the horse may develop lameness. Rain scald is usually easy to diagnose by the case history and clinical signs.
Typically rain rot is found on the body of the horse, though it can spread all over the skin’s surface. Additionally, rain rot is extremely contagious and can be passed from horse to horse. Make sure you groom regularly and remove any clumped areas of mud as these can harbour bacteria beneath. However, if your horse lives out without a rug, avoid over grooming as this can strip the protective oils from their coat.
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