Skin fungus...

[JaiteraMiniatures]

This is actually in one of my full sized horses, but I think it's still relevant. My horse got clipped for the first time ever in February and about a two months ago he started growing in some long hairs among the short hairs (which is expected). Then about a month ago I noticed his coat was looking rather dull...he usually sheds out BEAUTIFULLY. He's one of those horses that just shines up without much grooming at all. Over the past few weeks his coat has gotten progressively worse, and today while I was grooming him I started picking at the "ugly" patched of hair he had on his side. I was a little surprised to find they were peeling off! I live in an extremely humid area where rain rot is super common, but this didn't look like rain rot to me. Rain rot (the cases I've dealt with anyway) are painful for the horse and EASILY felt when rubbing your hand over their skin...they're like scabs, and when you peel them off flesh is exposed. This was different though, because you couldn't feel them at all (just the color of the hair was slightly different), they were much smaller than rain rot, and when I peeled some of the fungus off there was normal hair below it (SUPER thin, but hair nontheless). If it doesn't start clearing up soon we'll call the vet, but I'm just stumped because his coat is usually so nice. We haven't changed his feed or his supplements. We did move him to a new barn, but the grass is much better there. The only thing I can think of is if he got it from a pasture mate maybe, but the other horses don't have what he has. Oh, and the fungus is only on his hips and a small part of his butt...but his whole coat is much thinner and duller than I'm used to....

Any ideas on what could be causing the dull coat? Could it still be rain rot, just not the kind I'm used to seeing?

What his coat usually looks like...

Recently....

I know it doesn't look HORRIBLE...especially from farther away like those. I'm just hopeing you'll see how much "rougher" his coat looks in the second. It's typically super smooth, but now it feels like corduroy....

Thanks for any help you may have! And sorry if I sound overly worried. I think we all can understand the little bit of panic we get inside when our "special" horses have any sort of change

haha!

 

[Marty]

Not sure why you chose to shave your horse in February but my guess is that clipping him has caused or contributed to the dull coat and what you are seeing right now. Assuming you have blanketed him, he could have gotten clammy. I wonder if he has had a skin issue due to the blanket, time you chose to clip him, partially dulling blades, clipper oil or something like that.

 

[JaiteraMiniatures]

Not sure why you chose to shave your horse in February but my guess is that clipping him has caused or contributed to the dull coat and what you are seeing right now. Assuming you have blanketed him, he could have gotten clammy. I wonder if he has had a skin issue due to the blanket, time you chose to clip him, partially dulling blades, clipper oil or something like that.

Usually we only do schooling shows, but a younger girl took him to a rated show and he was too wooly to be shown so we clipped him. Other horses at the barn were clipped a week or so after him and their coats are fine. He was double blanketed when it was 45 or under, but we're warm in Alabama so that only lasted a few weeks. He's been unblanketed for over a month because it's been in the 70's+. I guess that could be a reason, but I don't think he ever got warm enough to get clammy...especially since he hasn't been blanketed recently (the fungus is recent). I could definitely see the blades being a contributor to a dull coat, but I'm still stumped on the fungus. Thanks for the help.

 

[Eagle]

Hi, I see what you mean about his coat being dull. Big horses can and will be clipped up until March and it is quite normal. As for the fungus, we have had this problem several times in our show jumping yard. I am not sure if it is due to something in the bedding (we have older men doing the stalls and they aren't great) or maybe them being naked are more suseptable. Remeber to clean everything after using it on him (brushes sponges etc) I don't remember the name of the cream we use but today I will go to the yard and have a look for you.

 

[Mominis]

Ah, the fungus among us.

A dilute of Betadine solution on the really icky spots should clear it right up. Absolutely don't share any brushes or anything and dip them in the Betadine solution after use, allow to dry overnight. Your horse's coat looks really dry. I'd put him on a flax-based supplement (Omega HorseShine would be my pick) and get some Healthy Hair Care worked into the coat to help bring the shine back up, once you're rid of the fungus.

 

[AnnaC]

Tea tree products are good for fungal problems, but dont forget that it is still a bit early in the year for your horse's summer coat to come through - if you haven't clipped him before in February then this might be what his normal clipped coat would look like at this time of year. Years ago when I boarded hunt horses we had to clip several times between end of January and end of March to keep the horses looking 'tidy'. Once the hunt season finished at the end of March, clipping stopped and the horses grew the type of 'fuzzy' coats that your horse is showing, until their summer coats grew in - May/June - and they shed the 'fuzz'.

Good luck with sorting out the fungal areas.

Anna

 

[JaiteraMiniatures]

Hi, I see what you mean about his coat being dull. Big horses can and will be clipped up until March and it is quite normal. As for the fungus, we have had this problem several times in our show jumping yard. I am not sure if it is due to something in the bedding (we have older men doing the stalls and they aren't great) or maybe them being naked are more suseptable. Remeber to clean everything after using it on him (brushes sponges etc) I don't remember the name of the cream we use but today I will go to the yard and have a look for you.

Thanks! I'd like to know the name of the cream if you remember to look

I'll be sure to clean my brushes next time I go to the barn and I'll be sure to tell the lesson kids who ride him to use my brushes not the barns (I've been meaning to do that for awhile...) Thanks again!

 

[JaiteraMiniatures]

Ah, the fungus among us.

A dilute of Betadine solution on the really icky spots should clear it right up. Absolutely don't share any brushes or anything and dip them in the Betadine solution after use, allow to dry overnight. Your horse's coat looks really dry. I'd put him on a flax-based supplement (Omega HorseShine would be my pick) and get some Healthy Hair Care worked into the coat to help bring the shine back up, once you're rid of the fungus.

We have some Batadine shampoo that I'll use when I go out next. I hd thought his supplements hadnt been changed, but they acually had. He was on some complete supplement for coat, hoof, etc but the supplement has stopped being produced. We're changing him to another complete supplement so hopefully that'll help some. I'll look up the Healthy Hair Care too

Thank you!

 

[JaiteraMiniatures]

Tea tree products are good for fungal problems, but dont forget that it is still a bit early in the year for your horse's summer coat to come through - if you haven't clipped him before in February then this might be what his normal clipped coat would look like at this time of year. Years ago when I boarded hunt horses we had to clip several times between end of January and end of March to keep the horses looking 'tidy'. Once the hunt season finished at the end of March, clipping stopped and the horses grew the type of 'fuzzy' coats that your horse is showing, until their summer coats grew in - May/June - and they shed the 'fuzz'.

Good luck with sorting out the fungal areas.

Anna

I certainly hope the "fuzziness" will shed out! That'd be so nice.

 

[mydaddysjag]

Was he already starting to shed when he was clipped? I've seen some biggies get the same coat when they've been clipped after they started shedding. I was told its because once they start shedding, their new coat summer coat has already started coming in, and when clipped it cuts the tips of the summer coat blunt, causing this look. From a hair dressers standpoint, that does make sense if that is what happened. I would use either healthy hair, or rose oil conditioner on him daily, and groom him as often as possible. I bet a good soft rubber curry would help a lot. I'll try to post a picture of what I think is the type of fungus your describing, Domingo had it two years ago and It had me stumped. They were little scab like things, but not like any rain rot I had ever seen. They were little patches of "pig hairs" on like little bumps, and when peeled away it was just a little dark spot on him, not raw flesh like I've seen with rain rot. What cleared it up was listering mixed with water 50/50 sprayed on in the morning, and preparation H on the spots in the evening.

 

[JaiteraMiniatures]

Was he already starting to shed when he was clipped? I've seen some biggies get the same coat when they've been clipped after they started shedding. I was told its because once they start shedding, their new coat summer coat has already started coming in, and when clipped it cuts the tips of the summer coat blunt, causing this look. From a hair dressers standpoint, that does make sense if that is what happened. I would use either healthy hair, or rose oil conditioner on him daily, and groom him as often as possible. I bet a good soft rubber curry would help a lot. I'll try to post a picture of what I think is the type of fungus your describing, Domingo had it two years ago and It had me stumped. They were little scab like things, but not like any rain rot I had ever seen. They were little patches of "pig hairs" on like little bumps, and when peeled away it was just a little dark spot on him, not raw flesh like I've seen with rain rot. What cleared it up was listering mixed with water 50/50 sprayed on in the morning, and preparation H on the spots in the evening.

Oh my goodness! Yes! I've been calling them annoying pig hairs lol

I bet it's the same thing, atleast i sounds like we're describing the same thing! We've ued listerine on face fungus before....I didn't even think about using it on this stuff. I guess he'll be getting a batadine bath, diluted listerine spray, and the healthy hair once the fungus clears up. He'll be smelling nice and fresh for awhile lol.Thanks everyone! I hope it clears up soon!