rain rot

[Deleted]

Does anyone else have trouble with rain rot, or is just me
Every year, ever fall, I pretty much have nightmares trying to get rid of it. All the horses have shelter, sooo, they don't need to sit out in the rain and get all wet when it's 0 degrees out.
I've tried shampoos, spray-ons, and several other things, and i have to say that frequent and vigorous currying works best, although the shampoo did work quite well if they already had it bad.
I didn't really write this to ask how to treat it, but just to see if anyone else has problems,but if you've found something that works well I would like to know what you do.

[Anna]

Is rain rot the same thing as what we call rain scald?

Like erm scabs on the back caused by a lot of wet weather?

[zeldalithgow]

Yes Anna I'm pretty sure it is.

So far not had any problems with it, frequent washing can strip out the natural oils that protect the pony leaving it vulnerable to rain scald, also I think some ponies just seem more prone to rain scald.

The bacteria that causes it can live in the soil etc for a long time www.horseconnections.co.uk/pages/rainscald.cfm

[valerie n scout]

no sorry ours are in during the night in the winter,poor you I hope you get something sorted x

[greydales]

The only one of mine who's ever had rain scald is Toby, and that is because is back is so fat there is usually a gutter where the rain forms a little pond . I cured it by drying it off, removing the scabs and plastering it with a mud fever type ointment which was quite sticky so it wasn't washed off quickly.

Then just checked his back regularly for ponds and replastered it ;D

Do all yours have it?

[tomasnrichy]

Rain Scald is Horrible , as a rule one really bad day or at most two and Valerie and i keep them in for a couple of days to make sure they are not Shivering etc!! Hugs to you never know why they do not have the sense to use shelter! occasionally if really bad Weather i have used a light weight rug on Tomas , just to get thru those worst days , Hope things sort themselves out Regards Richy x

[Deleted]

Thanks for the web page Zelda, it was interesting.
Last year they all got it with an exception to my bay mare, she seems hardier than the rest. This year only two have had it and one of them didn't have it to badly.
I do put rugs on them when it gets below -15 Celsius, but it's not that cold out now. I'm hoping that the rain rot will get better once they have their rugs on, then they won't be getting wet.

[tomasnrichy]

Just had a thought , old Towels and give them a Rub down once rain settles , i think Dales suffer as they have very Flat backs , Tomas once had a whole Pond with foliage and Wildlife Growing out of his Back ;D Good luck as i know we are in for more Rain !

[cadeby]

One of my donkeys tends to suffer from rain scald every winter. Unlike horses, donkeys are known not to be waterproof, but he trashes rugs, so that isn't an option. He has shelter but often stands out in the rain and he also has a typical flat donkey back

I scratch off the scabs them smear the skin where they were with udder cream. Seems to work well for him

My farrier says I could use hoof grease instead, but I've not tried this.

[Debbie]

Galahad got this a couple of years ago. Since I'd never had to deal with rainrot/scald before (and I knew his had been introduced due to a charming horsefly bite ), I had the vet out.

She was honest, but didn't have a clue what it was, even after taking a sample. And then we were straight into winter which meant I couldn't do anything to heal his side until Spring.

In the Springtime, a longtime horsewoman looked at my pics, said it was called rainrot/rainscald, meadow poisoning and a thousand and one other cute colloquial names. She told me to get a jar of Vaseline and smother it. Basically its a fungus, and fungus needs oxygen. Smother the oxygen and it clears up.

Galahad despised the sticky stuff to no end, but Bag Balm did clear it up for him after about a week or so of continually keeping it slathered.

I had tried tea tree oil, but instead of helping, it actually spread and encouraged the outbreak, and made Galahad far more itchy.

[knight]

Since you're in the US you may be able to order a product called Dermal+Aid, many of the internet vet supply places have it. It's an oily fungicide that has worked well for me in the past when rescue horses come in with horrible cases of rain rot. Rather smelly but rubbing it in seems soothing for them and it usually clears within a couple of weeks. But it does sound like you may just have alot of the fungus in the environment where you are, so you may have to re treat. Good luck with treating your pones.

[Deleted]

thanks everone! I don't feel so bad anymore.