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  Discussion on Is it rain rot??
Author Message
New Member:
Jewel549

Posted on Wednesday, Jul 13, 2005 - 4:19 pm:

Dr. O,

First of all, I would like you to know that I truly enjoy this site and the information contained within, and compliment you on the responses that you provide.

I can remember as a kid when the family had horses and you went out to the barn, fed them the standard sweet feed from the elevator, and we farmed our own hay. It truly was as simple as that. Now, ten years later as we get back into having horses, it seems that horse care has taken a much greater turn. I am now buying pellet feed, adding supplements that a nutritionist has suggested, and worrying about how good my hay is. Back when we didn’t worry about the nutrition aspect, our horses never seemed to have problems. Now days, I am running into obstacles left and right. I recently had a thoroughbred that gave full term delivery to a triplicate foal, after aborting two previous foals. A miracle indeed. The foal was not doing well, and the previous owner, who has been very successful with horses in the past, suggested that I give the foal and mare a shot of Iron. This has worked well for her in the past with foals that were not responding well. Unfortunately my mare went into anaphylactic shock and died within three minutes, and the foal had to be put down the next day due to further complications.

The current problem I am having with my paint horse has inspired a couple of question.

The first is your assistance with the skin condition that you see in the picture that I have enclosed. I too have been using the Micro-Tek product and will be insisting on a refund in a couple of days. The condition seems to be rain rot, but I am not positive. I have spoke to my vet via telephone about what I have seen, and he has suggested that I discontinue the Micro-Tek, wash the horse a few times to get rid of the Micro-Tek, and spray the effected areas with BETADINE twice a week. If you have anything further on this, I would appreciate hearing from you.

My second and last question is this: Are we over protecting our animals now days to the point where they are losing their natural immune system??

Looking forward to hearing from you.
New Member:
Jewel549

Posted on Wednesday, Jul 13, 2005 - 4:24 pm:

Not sure what happened to the picture on the first post, but here it is.Picture of skin disorder
Member:
Jojo15

Posted on Wednesday, Jul 13, 2005 - 9:46 pm:

What's the difference of rain rot? vs. rain scald? my horses get a mucky thick coating on their backs, legs. i always considered that what people call rain rot....

Joshua is that area hot to the touch?
New Member:
Jewel549

Posted on Thursday, Jul 14, 2005 - 8:32 am:


Thanks for the reply JoJo,
If your asking me the difference, I'm not really sure...that is why I joined this site!! Ha Ha.

It's hard to say if her skin is warmer than usual, the last few days it has been in the 90's around here and she has been hot because of that. But if I had to guess...I would say, Yes, she is warmer than usual in the area of infection.}
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Thursday, Jul 14, 2005 - 9:05 am:

First let me say that iron supplementation in almost any form is very dangerous in newborn foals. It is not usually an anaphylactic reaction but a toxic one. Do not give iron supplements to newborns without the supervision of a veterinarian and even then question the use.

Though I cannot tell for sure, this does not look like Rainrot in the image above: even the red areas look as though they still have their hair, this is more likely a superficial bacterial dermatitis. For more on how to diagnose Rainrot see Equine Diseases » Skin Diseases » Hair and Coat Problems / Itching / Irritated Skin » Rain Rot and Rain Scald: Dermatophillus. They are the same thing joj.

You could treat this dermatitis like Rainrot but the irritation suggests that besides a weekly shampoo with an antibacterial daily Panalog or similar generic might relieve the irritation quicker.

Yes I think the amount of silliness that substitutes as good horse care can be measured by the number of questionable to absolutely worthless to down right dangerous stuff that can be bought from your local tack store shelves or found in the over the counter veterinary catalogs. This site is here partially as a response to the feeling that I have that there has to be some form of education against this.

Here at our farm and out in our practice we manage to successfully care for hundreds of horses every year for several decades now with very little more than good feed, regular deworming with effective products, and vaccination.
DrO
Member:
Jojo15

Posted on Thursday, Jul 14, 2005 - 4:32 pm:

I figured rain "scald" scald hot, etc. and thought there might be a difference...

My dog gets these hot spots (alot like the picture you have up). I have put calm coat on the area and it seems to clear it up. Nothing more than natural stuff. Tea tree oil, eucalyptus, is in the ingredients.

I agree with the thought less is more. and we are loving are animals to death with all the crap out there nowadays. I pick my girls hooves once a week, i bath only once a month in the summer, and only hose before a ride, i only supplement after i research it to death.She is out 24/7. I vaccinate only what's necessary. and i do this with all my animals. and they are old. My springer is 16. My cat is 15. My horse is 22. and they don't look it. I believe that there is so much out there, you need to be scientist at times to decipher what is really necessary.

Hope you figure out the skin rash...

jojo
New Member:
Jewel549

Posted on Thursday, Jul 14, 2005 - 11:33 pm:

Dr O,

Thanks for the response. To follow up on this, is the Dermatitis that you refer to easily spread? I have begun the process of washing out the Micro-Tek and preparing for the BETADINE treatment. It has been about 24 hrs and four washings, but the disorder has spread very rapidly. It used to only be on her chest and inside legs, now it is moving up her hind quarters and neck. I am sure that my washing and moving it around is helping a bit, but I bleach any tools or sponges in between. The Panalog that you suggest. Can this be used with BETADINE or in place of it. Also, can I use fly spray with these treatments, the flies are driving her nuts!!
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Friday, Jul 15, 2005 - 6:25 pm:

I would use it in place of the Betadine but if this has spread over a large area you might find the cost of the panalog prohibitive making the betadine a better choice. Note if you do you should apply Betadine daily: it evaporates fairly quickly as you will see as the stain disappears. Other than the weekly bath is Betadine shampoo and the application of Betadine solution this horse needs to stay absolutely dry.
DrO
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