# scabs all over horses backs??



## cowgirl4jesus94 (Jun 14, 2008)

I noticed a week or so ago that Hawk had little scabs all over his back. Today they seemed pretty big and I checked the other horses and Lucky had some on her back.. but not as many as Hawk. Splash only had 3 or 4. They are all over the top of his back and butt. Most all of them are on the left side. I'm not sure what they are.. they could be rain rot, possibly? It's been warm (in the 60's) the past week or so. And we had quite a bit of rain about a week or two ago. I tried to take some pictures of it but its kind of hard to see.. you can feel it alot better. What do you guys think it could be? 

here is a video of his back..


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## reining girl (Jan 30, 2009)

It looks like rain rot.


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## eventerdrew (Mar 13, 2009)

That, my dear, is rain rot. All of my horses are battling it right now. I have found that Equus Micro-Tek Anti-Bacterial spray works REALLY well. It is a leave-in treatment that you do 2-3 times a day. It's just in a spray bottle so it's really painless and easy. 

good luck!


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## cowgirl4jesus94 (Jun 14, 2008)

I have heard Listerine works... Is rain rot contagious?

What will happen if it goes untreated?


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## eventerdrew (Mar 13, 2009)

I don't know what happens when it goes untreated but it's not comfortable for the horse, especially if you plan on riding him. 

Never tried listerine but I bet it would work because of the alcohol in it.

Rain rot, in my experience, can be contagious through brushes, but maybe it was just a coincidence...


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## teafortwo (Nov 14, 2009)

I'm sorry that i cannot answer your question, but i am new to this site and need help on how to post a thread. can some one please help me?
Thanks
Macky


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## bubblegum (Oct 6, 2009)

i had a horse once that never had his rain rot treated and he turned out fine, aloe vera works well though if you want to try it


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## eventerdrew (Mar 13, 2009)

ok I checked... rain rot IS contagious through brushes, shared saddle blankets, etc.

these people: http://www.equusite.com/articles/health/healthRainRot.shtml recommend the anti-bacterial shampoo treatment or spray like I said. It's a good, simple article. helped me understand it a bit more!


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## eventerdrew (Mar 13, 2009)

sorry to keep double posting, but the article says not to use something that will cover the rain rot. Such as ointment or aloe. It can be beneficial to the bacteria that causes rain rot.


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## cowgirl4jesus94 (Jun 14, 2008)

Thanks for your guy's help. I think I will try Listerine first and see if that helps.


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## Honeysuga (Sep 1, 2009)

Last time buddy got it on him mom used the orange listerine and it cleared up rather quickly, but he acted like it was painful(i'm guessing the alcohol burns like heck) i'd try something maybe a little more comfortable for the horse....


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## Tophandcowgirl (Jun 23, 2007)

My horse has had two small bouts of rainrot in the time that I have owned him. What I did which worked extremely well was to bleach all my brushes after every time I brushed him. To treat the actual rot, I used a small diluted amount of betadine (please anyone, if this is not safe, please let me know), antibacterial/antimicrobial shampoo mixed with lot of water and spread it over the scabs, scrubbing with a stiff brush. The scrubbing loosened the scabs and really killed a lot of the bacteria. Then, while the scabs are still wet and soft, I gently pulled them off of my horse. Lastly, I applied a small amount of MTG directly to the affected areas. This protocal usually only had to be repeated for a few days, and everything was all cleared up. Hope this helps.

Tophandcowgirl


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## AlmagroN (Jul 19, 2009)

yep, thats rain rot. it sucks... heres what we do.

bathe, use some kind of antibacterial soap, dish soap actually works great! - pick off all those little scabs, or as many as you can

we use nolvasin cream with tea tree oil in it. rub it in really good. repeat every day. 

ive found this to be the best thing we have used so far. it clears it up pretty fast. i guess you could use listerine, but thats going to burn really really bad. i wouldnt...


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## ezhuntin (Nov 14, 2009)

Its rain rot, and it is contagious.
So if you have it, make sure to use different saddle pads on your different horses.
And be sure to wash them after you use them on your infected horse.
I use bleach when May gets it. Washing before bleaching also helps!


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## cowgirl4jesus94 (Jun 14, 2008)

Okay, so dont use Listerine...
Its too cold here to give them baths with soap though... its in the 40's. So what should I do...?
And do the scabs need to be pulled off?


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## sunshineo0o (Oct 15, 2009)

Yes that is rain rot. My horses have it. I take warm water and betadine and scrub/pick off the scabs. It is contagious so make sure to wash your brushes and saddle pads/blankets.


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## starlinestables (Nov 24, 2008)

I like the fungasol shampoo and leave for half an hour and rinse. Then the fungasol spray and leave it on.. I poured the spray into a squirt bottle and use it that way.

A sell horse had a few small spots.. I've done this the last two days and it's working well. As for cleaning your brushes and blankets Lysol spray works well.


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## SmoothTrails (Oct 1, 2009)

At the University I am at we use an iodine bath with warm water, and a good curry comb. While the scabs are all wet it is easy to use the brush to take them off. The iodine cleared it up with one bath on the horse we bathed. 

You could also use hot water on a sponge and a curry comb to get it off. The horses normally wiggle some because it doesn't feel great when you pull them off, but they will feel much better once it is gone.


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## louisvillelou (Sep 26, 2009)

My favorite rain rot treatment is MTG, but if you don't want to spend the money bacon grease does the same trick. It heals it up and helps the hair grow back quickly.


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## Macslady (Oct 23, 2009)

Go buy a can of aerosol Tinactin. Spray it on once a day. It will clear it up. The Tinactin is an antifungul and when you use the spray it helps dry it. Do NOT use the ointment. WalMart carries it in their Equate line which is cheaper. I had one mare who would get rain rot every spring and fall and this is what I used. She was the only one out of 5 that ever got it.

I know it's a little more expensive, but you don't need to bathe them when using this when it's cold.


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## AlmagroN (Jul 19, 2009)

Macslady said:


> The Tinactin is an antifungul and when you use the spray it helps dry it.


but rain rot is not a fungus. its a bacteria.

and yes, pick off those scabs. the rain rot is harboring underneath that. its a great little environment for the bacteria to live in. 

do you have coolers? blankets? anything? if so theres no reason you cant bathe a horse. give a bath then toss 2 coolers on. the first one will keep them warm while pulling away water. the second one on top will pull the water from the first one so that they dry faster and dont get cold. 

at the least wash it with a bucket and sponge in the affected area. if you dont wash it, its not going to go away.


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## cowgirl4jesus94 (Jun 14, 2008)

Okay... is there any shampoo that walmart would have that works? I live in a small town and we dont have any tack stores and I dont want to have to wait for an order to arrive online.
I guess I will just wash the infected area. I dont have any coolers, they are pasture kept 24-7..
Once you wash it will it stop it from spreading on the horse more?


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## AlmagroN (Jul 19, 2009)

cowgirl4jesus94 said:


> Okay... is there any shampoo that walmart would have that works? I live in a small town and we dont have any tack stores and I dont want to have to wait for an order to arrive online.
> I guess I will just wash the infected area. I dont have any coolers, they are pasture kept 24-7..
> Once you wash it will it stop it from spreading on the horse more?


hhmm. atleast get some atibacterial dish soap from there. wash the area with that. if you can find betadine there (either the soap or solution) add some of that in with the soap too. pick off those scabs too.

washing it wont stop it from spreading. it will greatly reduce it though. the rain rot has to be totally gone for it not to spread.


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## StormyBlues (Dec 31, 2008)

1/2 ORIGINAL liserin(brownish yellow one) with 1/2 water. not the staight stuff! put on once a day! and no more rain rot!


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## Karma (Nov 15, 2009)

Yep, definitley rainscald! If you can get hold of Hibiscrub I would, it's fantastic for everything. It's a seriously hardcore microbial wash which treats everything, I used it for my horses mudfever.


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## cowgirl4jesus94 (Jun 14, 2008)

Alright, I'll get that stuff on my horse and get the scabs off. Thanks so much for all your advice!


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## Appyt (Oct 14, 2007)

I use Desitin ointment. I hear some saying not to use ointments but it works. I just rub a bit into the spots and scritch/rub to remove the loose stuff every day or so, reapplying as needed till all gone. I use it on Scratches too. Same kind of stuff. Oh, store brand is just as good. Really helpful when you can't bathe them.


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## BaliDoll (Sep 21, 2009)

my dog gets little scabs like that in his fur... is that the same kind of thing? Off Topic.. sorry, but I was just wondering. They itch for him a lot...
Thanks to this post I know what rain rot is though! I have never seen it before...


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## Appyt (Oct 14, 2007)

Wouldn't surprise me if it's the same stuff.


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## deineria (Mar 22, 2009)

Betadine will help! Scrub the area so the scabs are off and cover it in betadine or iodine - you can get either at Walmart.


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## AlmagroN (Jul 19, 2009)

BaliDoll said:


> my dog gets little scabs like that in his fur... is that the same kind of thing? Off Topic.. sorry, but I was just wondering. They itch for him a lot...
> Thanks to this post I know what rain rot is though! I have never seen it before...


ive looked and looked and cant find anything about dogs getting it.


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## Erin_And_Jasper (Jul 5, 2008)

its prolly hotspots on the dog


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## BaliDoll (Sep 21, 2009)

Obviously not rain rot but I'm wondering if it's some kind of bacterial infection... I'll have to see. Hot spots are a lot bigger than what I am talking about.. they are tiny little scabs like this horse has... hm. thanks for putting up with my O/T question


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## deineria (Mar 22, 2009)

Betadine or iodine, I meant, is for horses with rain rot - not the dog's condition - lol!

It could be mange or allergies in the dog.


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## Honeysuga (Sep 1, 2009)

Another treatment i heard of to help remove the scabs rather quickly, is to clean the area well, then apply a thick layer of petrolium jelly over the scabs while they are still damp, then cover it with saran wrap, leave on for a few hours then just peel it off(5-8 ), according to the article they should come right off stuck into the pj, and any that remain sould peel off easily with a damp sponge(and of course you clean up the pj afterward w/ soap and water)... dont know if it helps but thought id add anyway


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## cowgirl4jesus94 (Jun 14, 2008)

Yesterday it was raining and they were all wet so I just brushed all the scabs of their backs and sprayed them with iodine. I guess iodine kills everything it touches in 19 seconds... so i did that.

question.. if you need something antibacterial and its too cold to do baths with soap, what about hand sanitizer? or would it be harmful? because, it would kill the germs and then evaporate. i dont know how much different that is than using antibacterial soap. do you think that would work?


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## Kim524 (Nov 17, 2009)

My horse had rain rot. A horsey friend came over and put a solution of 10% iodine solution on it, and told me not to bath her for a few days. It is almost cleared up now. She mostly had it on her horsey butt. 
Kim


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## Honeysuga (Sep 1, 2009)

You dont have to rule out a bath just because it is a lil cold outside. You dont have to get the whole horse wet to clean the scabs, just a spot bath where the scabs are should work fine, plus they don't get really really wet so the cold shouldn't be a problem. All you need is a couple of buckets of warm water and a couple of sponges(one each (bucket and sponge) for soapy one for rinse and maybe 1 extra just in case) You can simply use a sweat scraper and an old towel and scrape then towel the area (and any water that runs down the belly or legs) dry afterward and it should be ok. If you have a blanket or sheet you can cover them in that if you like but if you towel them pretty good they should be ok. I wouldnt let the weather keep you from trying to fix this though or you could end up with severely scabby horsies.


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## cowgirl4jesus94 (Jun 14, 2008)

Okay. Bath time. : )


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