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Discussion on Possible for scratches to spread to flanks?
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Member:
mrose
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Posted on Sunday, Sep 20, 2009 - 4:17 pm:
Our black breeding stock Paint mare had what I at first thought was scrapes on her back legs right below the hocks. I thought she had maybe tried to rub her rear end and had rubbed the hair and a little skin off her back legs and we washed her off and put some salve on her legs. Her legs got worse and developed scabing, which I thought was scalding caused by debris and urine while being in heat, so we kept the area clean and continued to put Corona on her legs to protect. It has been about 10 days now and her legs still look scraped with scabs right below her hocks, plus she is developing small, hard bumps above the hocks that are spreading onto her flanks. I have been treating her for sevral days now with a scratches medicine, but I haven't yet noticed improvement. The only hair loss so far has been on her legs below the hocks.
Any ideas? Our weather has been warm and dry for the most part, if it rains, the horses are brought inside. They have been turned out when the the grass is still wet from the wheel line spraying in the field next door. Our grass is about 2" long now for the most part, except for a few higher patches where the horses aren't eating it down.
I've never seen anything like this. I'm trying to avoid yet another vet trip, but if this does't improve I'll obviously have to get it looked at.
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Member:
paul303
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Posted on Monday, Sep 21, 2009 - 1:27 am:
It probably doesn't apply, but did you read my thread on alsike clover? The only reason I mention it is because you said Paint.....any white on her?
The clover can cause a photosensitivity in SOME horses ( I thought it was scratches).
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Member:
scooter
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Posted on Monday, Sep 21, 2009 - 6:39 am:
Sara, I don't know if you read Hanks fetlock thread, but he developed something that looked like scratches all over his "lump" then developed some up above the lump not even near the original "owie" I know it wasn't scratches but resembled it very closely. He still has a ring of them around his lump. I don't know what it is for sure, the other ones came off when I used dermavet on them.
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Member:
canter
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Posted on Monday, Sep 21, 2009 - 7:28 am:
Hi Sara,
It was just about this time last year that we had the same problem. I noticed it first as a small area of scratches on the back of Sparkles pink fetlock. The barn owner then checked her 3 horses that share the same pasture (there's a soggy area that rarely dries - the horses, of course, like to stand in it). They were fine at that time, but within 24 hours all 3 had developed scratches as well. Two of the 3 then had it "grow" higher up their legs and one mare had bumps all over her flanks. It was really weird as neither of us has seen scratches react this way. However, I aggressively treated Sparkles with DrO's sratches reco + blow drying after scrubbing and before applying the triple antibiotic. She cleared up first (mildest case). The other three mares took a longer time to clear up, but they did get better using the same treatment, although the barn owner didn't always blow dry after scrubbing.
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Moderator:
DrO
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Posted on Monday, Sep 21, 2009 - 9:01 am:
Hello Sara,
The important piece of information we need is the nature of the bumps on the horse that are spreading. Is it possible these bumps are early scabs with the hair embedded suggesting dermatophilus.
DrO
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Member:
mrose
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Posted on Monday, Sep 21, 2009 - 9:33 am:
No, Dr.O; the legs just looked like they had been scraped and then scabbed over and the bumps are just hard, small nodules and so far there is no hair loss where they are. When I saw the first couple, I thought they were from fly bites, except they were very hard. They are about the size of pea. I haven't notice any "holes" in them or any crusting on them.
The mare has no white except for a small star on her face. When I bought her, I thought she was a QH.  And, we have no clover of any kind in our fields.
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New Member:
lunawags
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Posted on Monday, Sep 21, 2009 - 3:44 pm:
Both my horses have had similar scabs/scratches , usually on their fetlocks? It often starts up after xcountry training in the water fixture and what ever is living in the water. I always wash boots in a bleach solution afterwards to help keep the spread. But what really has work the best on my horses' legs is to wash them with "Selsun Blue Dandruff Shampoo" then towel dry the area and apply "Sure" Anti-perspirant & Deodorant. Believe it or not, this really works and the scratches are gone in a couple of days!
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Moderator:
DrO
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Posted on Tuesday, Sep 22, 2009 - 7:19 am:
Sara, as to the scratches-like dermatitis, I recommend you consider the differentials described in the article and follow the treatments outlined. As to the nodules it sounds like they are under the skin. Does the skin roll over these nodules or do they move with the skin?
DrO
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Member:
mrose
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Posted on Tuesday, Sep 22, 2009 - 10:30 am:
I think the area is begining to respond to the scratches salve - one our vet made up and gave to me several years ago.
The bumps do move with the skin. Most of them have gone down in size and are now about 1/16" or a little larger. If I scrape at them, they come off with just a tiny bit of hair, and if I crush them, they are like little clumps of scurf. I'm not sure yet about the back of her legs, the left one in particular. It has hair growing on it now, but there is still a scab. That area is above the hock, btw. I see above I put below. She doesn't mind my picking at her, so I assume she isn't bothered by whatever this is.
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Moderator:
DrO
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Posted on Tuesday, Sep 22, 2009 - 6:31 pm:
Ahhh we are back to a dermatophilus diagnosis. You can see pictures of those little scabs with the hairs embedded in the article Sarah, Diseases of Horses » Skin Diseases, Wounds, and Swellings » Hair and Coat Problems / Itching / Irritated Skin » Rain Rot and Rain Scald: Dermatophilus.
DrO
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Member:
mrose
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Posted on Tuesday, Sep 22, 2009 - 7:26 pm:
I did read the article, but at the time I read it, at the begining of this, it didn't sound the same and the bumps looked different than the pictures. In the pictures it looks to me like pretty good size clumps with a lot of hair. However, now I'm going to go back and look at it again. It's a weird place for it imo, but you must be right as it is responding to the medication....and besides, you're the vet!
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Member:
mrose
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Posted on Tuesday, Sep 22, 2009 - 7:34 pm:
I went back and re-read the article. I think what threw me off was the size of the bumps initally, as they were fairly large. That, and the scraped looking area on her leg. She is improved a lot, so I'll keep doing what I'm doing which is Betadine scrub followed by scratches salve.
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