Roxy's Run
Well-Known Member
I have one particular mare who in past history when she was IN FOAL she develops severe rain rot like skin infection every year at this time. Well, I did NOT breed her this year but low and behold we now are dealing with the creepy crud again! I am on approximately week three of trying to get rid of this but am not succeeding.
Symptoms are scabs all over her body. I mean ALL OVER - down all legs with swelling and oozing in the back legs, neck, back, chest, face, belly, udder, etc. The skin where there is no hair - udder, under tail bone, anus, vulva area - the skin is just peeling off. If you scratch her anywhere, it is so scabby under her coat. It is really scabby feeling. Hair around her eyes has begun to come out in small clumps with scabs attached. She has days where she doesn't want to move at all. She takes baby steps and the only thing that relieves this pain, which seems to be all over here body, is 1/2 gram Bute once every other day. Treatment so far, Fulvacin SID (once a day) for fungal infection for five days. SMZ's 4 tabs BID (twice a day) and Bute 1/2 gram every other day. Her temperature has been anywhere 99.6 - 100.4.
The weirdest thing I have noticed and have never seen this before is that at times she is soaking wet when I touch her coat around her neck, chest, mane crest, and stifle area. I don't get this wetness. She is not outside in the rain, she has not been rolling on wet ground, it is not morning dew or frost as the other horses are all dry, no fever. But when I separate her hair to feel down to her skin, it is DRY!!! It is only the ends of her hair that are wet!!! ?????????????????? OH! :arg! Is this sweat coming through the hair shaft? I don't know what to do with her. She is eating, peeing, and pooping normally. When she has her Bute and is not taking baby steps, she is whinnying and trotting around like normal. My vet and I have been thinking it be best if I just body clip her and let air and sun get to the infection as well as giving her a good anti-fungal bath with medicated shampoo. Her winter coat is so thick right now that I haven't given her a bath yet because the weather has been crazy here, warm one day, cold and damp the next. Plus the vet and I feel that (a) the shampoo won't get through the coat well enough onto the skin and (b) she will not totally dry which will just add to the infection. So body clipping her seems to be my only option but then she will need to be blanketed. Won't that cause more problems??? UUURRRRGGGGHHHH!!!!!!
Linda
Roxy's Run Miniatures
The weirdest thing I have noticed and have never seen this before is that at times she is soaking wet when I touch her coat around her neck, chest, mane crest, and stifle area. I don't get this wetness. She is not outside in the rain, she has not been rolling on wet ground, it is not morning dew or frost as the other horses are all dry, no fever. But when I separate her hair to feel down to her skin, it is DRY!!! It is only the ends of her hair that are wet!!! ?????????????????? OH! :arg! Is this sweat coming through the hair shaft? I don't know what to do with her. She is eating, peeing, and pooping normally. When she has her Bute and is not taking baby steps, she is whinnying and trotting around like normal. My vet and I have been thinking it be best if I just body clip her and let air and sun get to the infection as well as giving her a good anti-fungal bath with medicated shampoo. Her winter coat is so thick right now that I haven't given her a bath yet because the weather has been crazy here, warm one day, cold and damp the next. Plus the vet and I feel that (a) the shampoo won't get through the coat well enough onto the skin and (b) she will not totally dry which will just add to the infection. So body clipping her seems to be my only option but then she will need to be blanketed. Won't that cause more problems??? UUURRRRGGGGHHHH!!!!!!
Linda
Roxy's Run Miniatures