Something spreading thru my barn

[LittleRibbie]

Well I was going to just put this on Peanuts thread b/c i seem to ask everything there but Im in major need of advice from anyone and everyone.This is going beyond the itchy group club that was posted on another thread.

I gave several horses baths yesterday and everyone of them has some sort of scabby little dime size sores on their neck under their manes..not nessasarly round. I have noticed it on some and have tried treating w/just about everything under the sun.Two horses have like what looks like the start of moth bites around the edges of ears. But it seems that now ( I just bathed 2 more this afternoon ) these horses also have something going on. I do kind of a quick brush daily w/all the horses but I dont always lift up manes and really check for every little thing. 2 horses have the same thing up on either side of the top of the tail bone.

A few weeks ago when vet was out for cam i did show him on 1 horse that had a few scabby things and he just sort of wrote it off to terrible flies and perhaps some rain rot.Sold me some better fly spray. I even washed the couple at the time that had the scabs w/flea shampoo for dogs, done the MTG, thought perhaps maybe I used dirty clipper blades,washed in Green Tea, an Iodine/benedine horse wash...you name it i have spent money on it and nothing is working and it is getting worse now that every single horse in my barn appears to be getting these scabs!!

These are horses that last year never had a mark on them. Vet is coming Fri. so what sorts of questions should i ask him..any contagious diseases,tests,medications to try, anything no matter how small/big that you may have tried and was successful with would be a huge help.

Im just throwing this out for you to think about too. Ive always fed only orchard grass. but the price went thru the roof so now Im doing what ever T.S. has which has been both Alfalfa and also an Alfalfa/Grass mix and this has been what they have been eatting for about 3 months and I think i noticed the first horse w/these marks about 3 months ago...about. I can understand maybe 1 horse not being able to handle a rich Alfalfa but not my entire herd so Im thinking this is not the problem but just seems wierd that the timing is about right. Any thoughts?

Please I am not over reacting there IS a problem but Im at a loss on what else to do. My barn/stalls are kept pretty clean, no big manure piles,its a regular barn. The one thing i have not done...and frankly hoping I wont have to ...is pull all mats out of stalls and clean under them. I did it last year and told myself i would sell the horses before i ever did it again...sorry but thats the truth!!....well maybe not but you get the point.

Please help w/anything to ask my vet about. Please and many Thank Yous!!

 

[weerunner]

Ringworm? Or perhaps rain rot. Did you say you used iodine, that would be my first attempt at fixing it. If the vet decides ringworm ask for the oral pill they have,it is so much more effective and quick than any ointment they might talk you into.

 

[REO]

Was it not just dog shampoo, but the kind for FLEAS AND TICKS?

If that kind of shampoo doesn't work, then I have no idea!

I hope that that gets cleared up.

 

[LittleRibbie]

Hi Robin I used 2 types of flea and tick for them. The one type was Hartz Flea and Tick used it first on a couple for 2 baths. Wanted to do all the horses but they didnt have the Hartz brand so I tried the sargents flea and tick.

When I first asked you I think i only had 1 or 2 horses w/the sh^%& going on...now its everyone.

I thought ringworm at first but it is not round always and to be frank just thought only dirty horses and unkept horses get ringworm...my stupid or denial I guess.. I will google ringworm and see what it says. I just keep thinking dirty inviroment = ringworm and i dont think my horses are in a dirty inviroment by any stretch.

yes, it was an iodine wash made for horses w/skin conditions. I do make an extra effort to rinse well too.

 

[Minimor]

Unfortunately you do not have to have "dirty conditions" to have ringworm. If you (or an animal) picks up ringworm somewhere/somehow it can & likely will spread to everyone that comes into contact with it. If it is riongworm, you will probably need to have the vet prescribe something for it. Griseofulvin is one prescription drug that will clear it up, but better to use it sooner rather than later, because the better hold the ringworm gets the harder it is to get rid of. I haven't had to deal with it myself, but I know those who have.

What kind of fly spray have you been using? It's unlikely that every horse on the place would have an allergic reaction, but if you were using a particularly strong kind, especially one of the petroleum based products, it could happen. In that case it wouldn't be so much an allergic reaction as a chemical irritation.

If you look really close you can't see anything moving...lice, or--even smaller--mites?

 

[LittleRibbie]

Well o.k. not ringworm...thank the lord. My vet called me back and asked if his assistant ( not a vet ) could come by on his way home no charge. Of course i said sure. Well the assistant assured me that it was not ringworm, guess he has seen it many times. He could not see and mites, fleas or any types of bugs. He seems to think it could be just heat,heavy manes, getting wet... basic rain rot combined w/build up of fly spray.He didnt give me any meds ( again, not a vet ) but told me to continue w/just MSG until vet arrives in a few days. I think i may have paniced my poor vet and to shut me up decided someone better get out here quick!! Maybe i was a bit dramatic on the phone. Anyway still no answers but at least Im pretty sure its not ringworm. I dont know how they will test for what ever it may be but I hope I can get this under control soon.

 

[wingnut]

The first time I saw rain rot, I nearly fainted because I thought for sure my poor little girl (she was a weanling we had had for only a week at that point!) was in big trouble! I called the vet in a panic and he came out the next day. I *know* he had to fight the urge to laugh *really* hard.

I found that I had to pick the scabs down to the skin, and apply betadine surgical scrub (vet recommend) for roughly a week. It cleared up quite well after that and I haven't seen it since, but that's probably just dumb luck.

Good luck getting your gang cleared of it!!! Let us know how it goes.

 

[cretahillsgal]

It sounds like what my horses had at the beginning of their "itchiness". They got little bald spots along their manes, and face. Then their ears got all scabby and stuff from itching them. And I can guarantee that it is NOT rain rot here. ROFL!!!!

Anyway out of 30 horses, only 3 got it. And my vet feels certain that it is because they are more sensitive or allergic to gnat bites. Flies and mosquitoes are not bad here this year, but the gnats are. Frequent applications of fly spray seem to help, but didnt rid it completely. A shot of dex did. BUT dex can cause founder problems if incorrectly dosed so use caution with it.

 

[Marty]

1. This can be an allergic reation to clipper oil or blade wash. That's why now I use alcohol to dip my blades in.

2. This can be too much alfalfa, maybe too rich for a Florida summer which can be responsible for "protein bumps" also.

3. This is why I always make pony tails with scrunchies along the manes, keeping mostly everyone's manes trimmed up above the shoulder, and lifting the manes UP with thick scrunchies so the air can get underneath.

4. This is why I do not let my horses outside in humidity. Temps themselves doesn't really matter, if you have moisture & humidity that is the receipt exactly which you will have this type of cooties you have described. Rain Rot or Scracthes whichever you care to call it.

5. This is why I invented fans and they use them a lot.

To cover your bases well,

A wash your horses in designated horse shampoo or iodine or betadine shampoo.

B Purchase this product which is cheap and acts fast

http://www.jeffersequine.com/product.asp?camid=EQU&pn=EJ-FD

C. Keep them under fans and not outside. This is why we sacrifice and build barns for the comfort of our beloveds. They were built to be used so use them.

 

[LittleRibbie]

1. Marty I love you but its hard keeping up w/your standards

2. Marty I love you but its hard keeping up w/your standards

3. I did read your post about alcohol and do use it now...but there was a time

i did not...so thank you for enlightning me to a great idea

3.I do use scrunchies...just not every day like I should.....i bet if I round up the ones in the pasture i could give 1 each to all forum members and still have several left over!!

P.S. Nick has a pink one on now, Holly doesnt and Im not sure about S.B.

4. Marty I love You but its hard keeping up with your standards

5. I do stall horses in mid afternoon when its hot..I try..but I do work and its often hard to get home and put in then return to let out again...any ideas? Or better yet love, what are you doing for the next 2 months..I'd love to have you!!

6.All but 1 stall has the small standard box type fans...one stopped working 2 months ago and I keep forgetting to replace...but it just happens no one likes that stall and never did...its a big bathroom basically...not sure why. I do have one sort of huge stall its where holly and SB used to stay...it has no fan but is the coolest part of the barn and no one is ever locked in there since we built the new barn. I think you have seen photos...its more of an under cover aisleway.

7.I think what has happened is I dont do enough 1 on 1 individual attention to each horse as i did in the past. i take full responsibility...maybe Peanuts foaling, Quahog, Work I dont know...no excuses here but I do know i need to make more of an effort to check every horse more each day. sometimes its darn if i do darn if i dont.

do I let them out where they are happy in the rain? guess not. I just happen to have a bottle on my shelf..its been used by the way!!

8.We do use the barns!!

9. thanks for asking, SB, Holly and Nick are great!! they are outside I believe

 

[LittleRibbie]

Oh I forgot...

10. They are not really like protien bumps..Ive seen those..these are more like little tiny scabs...but it could be associated w/alfalfa..at this point i just dont know and will share all information w/vet this week.

P.S. How are your girls and why have i not heard from you or seen pictures of them in a while!!

 

[Sandy B]

It sounds like a fungus, whether rain rot or something else. Google search a product called Bio Gel. I have used it on EVERYTHING and it works absolute wonders. It even treated scaly leg mites on a chicken that came to us that was almost dead from infestation. I have used it on girth burns, scratches, wounds and abrasions and sun burns. It seriously works wonders.

 

[Sandy B]

It sounds like a fungus, whether rain rot or something else. Google search a product called Bio Gel. I have used it on EVERYTHING and it works absolute wonders. It even treated scaly leg mites on a chicken that came to us that was almost dead from infestation. I have used it on girth burns, scratches, wounds and abrasions and sun burns. It seriously works wonders.

Here is the link to Bio Gel-

http://anjonbiologics.com/biogel.html

 

[mydaddysjag]

I think I know exactly what you are talking about. Heres the only picture I have, but it doesnt show it well, he had it worse on the other side.

Vet said it wasn't anything to worry about. I thought it was because he came from Illinois where it is a good bit colder, spent 3 days on the trailer where i'm sure it was probably hot because it was a hauler, so it was a full load, then got to pa and the weather was warmer, but he had a longer thicker winter coat since he grew it while he lived in Illinois. I think he sweat, and the hair held the heat and moisture close to his skin, causing the scabs. I clipped him, sprayed him with 50/50 diluted Listerine, and at night used an anti-fungal baby rash ointment recipe on it (same one I use for bad diaper rash on my son. Once the scabs fell off, he was left with little black bald patches everywhere there had been a scab. I put preparation h on them for about two weeks, and the hair grew back the right color.

 

[Eagle]

I tend to be more like Diane on this one Heidi. We get SERIOUS heat here in Italy and mine are all out. I very rarely bath mine either, only Dipinto bc he is a baby so he needs to learn plus he is white

I would think it could be a fungus due to all the humidity. You could ask your vet about it and try Imaverol it is quite expensive but it gets really watered down so it lasts for ages.

Please don't feel bad, good lord my Father in law has grooms that live in the stables 24/7 and when I went there last time I saw a bottle of Imaverol on the table. These things happen to any body.

I would bath less and WORRY less bc your horses are very lucky.

 

[mizbeth]

Hi

I would suspect a fungus of some sort. Lots of horses, big and small are having this same kind of ???. It appears to be small roundish spots, but has no hair on it when you look at it closely. Also appears to be scars of some sort? No scabs either and mostly located under the mane, neck, shoulder, face. All places that the humidity and moisture collect. I would use something for a fungus, it should work for you and of course AIR to dry that area out.

Good luck, we are in Texas and it is so very hot and dry here. Your area at least has moisture, but the symptoms seem to appear no matter what the weather is like.

 

[Charlotte]

sounds like a little fungus to me too. You say you brush daily....with a clean brush for every horse? It's easy to spread such as that with grooming tools, but who has a brush for every horse?

My suggestion is MTG used as directed on the bottle. Stinks, but works on most skin issues.

 

[madmax]

I live in Florida also, and this sounds familiar to me. I am NOT a vet, but I believe it is fungus. This is what I have done for years and it works: go buy DESENEX powder for humans, it comes in a yellow container that you can dust on the spots and it does not leave those dark spots that a liquid can do, and using a powder helps

keep it dry. Look in the athletes foot section at my second home: Walmart!

 

[Lindi-loo]

Well I hope you get it sorted real soon because i know how much you worry

.. I wont be losing any sleep over this one as they couldnt be in better hands

 

[Mareish Mom]

Like everyone is saying it is probably fungal, but I still keep thinking mites or lice. My neighbor's horse had some kind of worm problem that caused his tailhead to lose all its hair. No lice or mites visible. Took her (with her vet) forever to get it under control. I'd worm with everything known to man (that's safe for minis!) in rotation and treat with an antifungul but stop other products (like fly sprays) that could at this point be aggravating the rashes. Hope your vet has some clear answers for you.