skin disease like rain scald?

No_Angel

No_Angel

Well-Known Member
Apr 20, 2003
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Ireland
Anyone know if there is a skin disease that looks like rain scald?

Ceryn came to us with what looked like rain scald on her back, she had been out without a rug all winter. This winter shes been rugged up, but recently shes very itchy and has bits of hair missig liek shes rubbed it away, and small cuts on her neck just above rug and one by her ear.
 
It could be ringworm (or mange). I would get the vet to have a look. Are the lesions in a sort of a circle? If they are, it's probably ringworm.​
 
Could it not be rain scald still ? It will persist regardless of rugging. Does it look anything like my pics of ringworm ? :( Skin problems ... Ugh.
 
It could still be rain scald - its not nc caused by rain, but warm damp conditions that allow bacteria to get into the skin. Warm horses esp is they get a little sweaty under a rug or saddle (for prolonged periods without removing the sweat) can get rain scald.
There are also various photosensitive conditions which can look like rain scald or mud fever.
 
I thought it might be a mild form of sweet itch, but I think its more her coats coming through ad shes itchy and ribbing so much shes making herself bleed.

She has pathes of rubbed hair all over her, im very tempted to get the clippers on her and take the lot off.
 
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Bo is itchy as hell at the moment, turn out without rugs and lots of pretty rough grooming seem to help :p I also gave him a tiny bit of linseed for a couple of weeks and that really seemed to help him :D I've also started ont he fly spray already :rolleyes: as the midgis are out :(
 
My freinds horse got what appeared to be rainscald. Vets did not know what it was, but he went on a course of antibiotics and has been finse sinse :D
 
It is probably still rainscald as Kate says it can happen under rugs. Rainscald and mud fever are caused by dermatophilus bacteria breaching skins natural defences. This normally happen when skin gets damp and moist. If your horse has weated or got all fusty under the rug it will have created the perfect breeding ground for dermatophilus. Horse may even smell a bit fusty.

Wash horsey all over with antifungal eg h10 shampoo or hibiscrub for several days. Also need to wash rugs as well!
 
Hi, I would like to suggest a product called... Shapley's MTG (Mane Tail Groom). Yopu can buy it at most tack stores or TSC. You have to shake it well and it smells like sulfer but it does wonders on skin conditions as you discribed. Also great on the rain rot you get on the bottom of the legs and hair loss due to rubbing dry skin/insects.
 
I have a horse with Similar skin problems

Hi, I have a horse actually that I have just bought off a dealer in pretty bad shape. He is a light chestnut colour and he has all between his back legs hair removed and flaky skin. Patches around his neck and a small patch on his face. He is/ was very skinny and I have put him on Equivite bodybuilder, wormed him and started to give him a conditioning mix with a cider vinegar tonic too. Worm infestation would cause hair loss and he had quite a few red worms.... poor boy. He also has drunk countless big tub trugs of water per day. I have rugged him he is stabled at present until i see some more weight gain and i have washed him with like a tee tree type shampoo and stable bandaged his legs too at night as they have been quite patchy also.

I dont know whether this is the same as your horse but,its awful. Was your horse dehydrated or anything ? I feel like he may need a wig soon! poor chap:confused:
 
thanks for suggestions everyone:)
I took her rug off her yesterday and she was biting at herself and scratching again, I went back later to put her rug back on and there were two huge holes either side of her back (where she was biting at herself before I left) the hair was missing and it had obviously been bleeding.
her hair is coming out in chunks and shes very itchy, ill try and get some pictures lately if you can see the wound through the sudocrem
 
Hi No Angel,
It sounds like your mare may well be too warm underneath her rug thats why shes scratching herself so much. They can get rainscald whilst rugged as someone has pointed out. If she were mine I'd get the loose coat out without touching the spots shes aready had a go at and wash the sore parts with hibiscrub and let her out without a rug to roll the loose coat out.

Hope it clears up soon xxxxx
 
unfortunatly shes clipped and is out at night at the moment, so cant be without a rug all the time, I take it off when its warm.
I dont think its rain scald as it is not scabby all over, it is a definate bald spot where she has chewed her hair out and caught herself with her teeth.
 
NA, have you had a seriously good look for lice? A few years back phoenix was managing to itch his skin raw, the hair was coming out in huge patches and it was bleeding - turned out (after a very close inspection) that he had lice. A good dose of Spot-On and he was right as rain and stopped itching within a few days.

J x
 
Ive had a look today, no sign of lice just lots of scur. I was giving her a groom and scrubbed her with a bit of water to try and ease the itching, when i walked around the other side, a huge chunk of hair came off and her skin was weeping a bit and sore. Im just waiting for the vet to call with when they are coming.:(
 
Poor wee mare :( The biting thing does sound much more like sweet-itch - but she's quite old to develop it, isn't she? Honestly, rain scald doesn't seem to be itchy, just sore if it's aggravated by rubbing from rugs or numnahs etc. The pony I'm looking after this week has started rubbing himself raw again in the last few days - despite his Boett - he is definitely being bitten and I can see the midges in the field...
 
Mine has something similar but its on his face. Vet reckons its lice but there are no eggs & its not responding to the stuff he has given me.

Its in patches all over his face, scabby & the hair is missing, its also very Itchy. I think its mange & so far its responding to the mange powder.

Hope she is ok xxxx
 
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