This is an archived Horseadvice.com Discussion. The parent article and menus are available on the navigation menu below:
HorseAdvice.com » Diseases of Horses » Skin Diseases, Wounds, and Swellings » Overview of Diagnosis of Skin Diseases in Horses »
  Discussion on How do I get rid of fungus on coat?
Author Message
New Member:
Levi75

Posted on Tuesday, Apr 26, 2005 - 8:15 pm:

Hi! My horse has some type of fungus on random parts of his body (hip area, neck, etc). It's underneath the hair and makes the hair look like it's not lying down properly. If I scratch it with my nail it will come off but only in little pieces, and it seems to hurt when I pull at it b/c it's grown into the hair. What could this be and how should I try to get rid of it?? Thanks!
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Wednesday, Apr 27, 2005 - 7:26 am:

You have dermatophillus Janet, see Equine Diseases » Skin Diseases » Hair Loss / Itching / Irritated Skin » Rain Rot and Rain Scald: Dermatophillus.
DrO
Member:
Vickiann

Posted on Wednesday, Apr 27, 2005 - 12:24 pm:

I've had great luck with "Rain Rot RELIEF" shampoo. It comes in a white plastic bottle and is expensive, but it sure works well on my horse that gets this problem from time to time. Of course, I have always treated with it early at the bumps stage, and after 1 - 3 uses over a few days the situation has been 100% cleared. It is a bit hard to find but is in some of the Vet. catalogs.
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Wednesday, Apr 27, 2005 - 6:16 pm:

Vicki, what were the ingredients in the shampoo?
DrO
New Member:
Levi75

Posted on Wednesday, Apr 27, 2005 - 9:04 pm:

Thank you DrO and Vicki. It sounds like dermatophillus is exactly what he has! I just moved him to a new barn and I was wondering if there's ever a chance of it going away on it's own. It seems like it MIGHT be getting better, but I'm not sure if that's possible. If not, I want to treat it as soon as I can!
Janet
Member:
Vickiann

Posted on Thursday, Apr 28, 2005 - 11:36 am:

The active ingredient in "Rain Rot Relief" is Benzalkonium chloride. Other Ingredients: Purified water, Cetyl trimethyl ammonium chloride, HyDrOxypropyl methyl cellulose, Cocamidopropyl betaine, Quarternium-12, Propylene glycol, Imidazolindyl urea, Octoxynol-9, Methyl paraben, Propyl Paraben, Fragrance, TEA, citric acid. Last night I read this site's recommendations for treatment and should say I too have used Betadine (povidone) scrub and also nolvasaan (spelling?). I've also tried many other products that claim to help but actually made things worse. The Betadine Scrub works well here (central Florida) especially in the humid and hot weather, and have used the Nolvasaan with some success when the weather is cooler and drier. I have also used Triple antibiotic ointment when indicated and Blue Lotion for drying (after scrubbing, rinsing, and drying) and protecting when our weather is humid and wet. My gray horse has had the rain rot that looks like paint brush stokes (winter) as well as the draining sores (summer, with dark brown liquid draining out before they clear up). He has also had what they call "chapped hocks and knees" type sores that have progressed all the way up his legs and even onto the body (have had staph and strep in the cultures of those sores, but topical treatment used quickly and agressively has cleared it fine in a few days) On those sores I have generally used the betadine scub and Blue Lotion. He tends to get those sores the same time each year, which may coincide with the start of falling acorns that my horses enjoy eating. The Rain Rot Relief worked on both the paint brush type and draining sores kind, and has the advantage that it does not stain. Using Betadine scrub a few times leaves a stain on my flea-bit gray (now whited out) horse, and he is a performance horse. I've been very impressed with the quick action of the Rain Rot Relief, and if treated quickly with it when the lines of bumps appear, it seems to stop this with minimal, almost NO hair loss. I should add I have 3 horses kept in the same conditions (and his stall is the greatest distance from the wash rack) and this gray horse is the only one with this problem. He can get a case of scratches over night while the others are fine! Anything that rubs his hide causes hair loss and he doesn't get much of a winter coat. The horses have plenty of pasture but can come and go from the shelter of the barn at will. He has never had "the itch" but he also gets summer sores, which my others do not! Anoter thing that causes sores on his legs is a plant called Hairy Indigo -- also called begger tick (in its prime during acorn season), which will reportedly even cause sores on the legs of cattle if they stand in a great deal of it. I keep this plant out of my pastures but it is abundant on some of the trails we ride. When I use the Rain Rot Relief I let it sit on the skin awhile before rinsing thoroughly, but if you let it sit too long and use it about 3 days in a row some superficial drying and flaking (not serious) of the skin may result. I've never had to use it more than 3 days, will be interested in what you think of the active ingredient and certainly hope it is not something harmful. It does say "not for human use" and that it kills microorganisms on contact. They also sell a product (Cinch and Blanket Wash) to use on your brushes, but I haven't tried that. Sorry this got so long, but I've had years of experience with these problems so wanted to share the details and observations.
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Thursday, May 5, 2005 - 12:13 pm:

Vicki,
I apologize for the delay and believe the benzalkonium chloride is safe in low enough concentrations as it is used as a vaginal spermicide in humans and a perservative in opthalmic preparations. However at high concentrations it can be irritating and even toxic. Obviously your prep does not do that. What is the concentration?
DrO
New Member:
Bobs

Posted on Thursday, May 5, 2005 - 12:29 pm:

Dear Fungas on the coat:
I have made miconazole in a topical spray for topical fungal infections for the horse. I can make the benzalkonium cloride but if it is true fugal infection I feel the miconazole will work better
Bob Stack R.Ph.
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Thursday, May 5, 2005 - 5:11 pm:

Welcome Bob,
Though often listed as a fungus, particularly in older texts and still some veterinarians, it is a oddly shaped gram positive bacterial skin infection. Oddly some folks report improvement with fungicides. Delighted to have a registered pharmacist on board, please feel welcomed to input your 2 cents worth.
Member:
Vickiann

Posted on Tuesday, May 10, 2005 - 10:06 am:

Hi, Dr. O -- Sorry to be slow to reply -- have been out of town. I called the folks about the "Rain Rot Relief" and was told it is .015 benzalkonium chloride. If anyone has any questions, the toll free number on the bottle is 877-738-2873.
New Member:
Bobs

Posted on Tuesday, May 10, 2005 - 10:37 am:

dear vicki:

A few other options for the veterinarian to choose from are chlorhexidine, and mupirocin both could be made in a spray or lotion.
Member:
Vickiann

Posted on Wednesday, May 11, 2005 - 10:15 pm:

Thanks for all the good information, Dr. O and Bob. We who own horses that tend to suffer from various skin problems need all the help we can get! It is good to have a variety of remedies available to manage these problems the moment they appear.
Home Page | Top of Page | Join Us!
Horseadvice.com is a BBB Accredited Business. Click for the BBB Business Review of this Horse Training in Stokesdale NC