# Rain Rot! Hate this some one please help!



## ToManyHorsesAndOnePony (Oct 16, 2013)

Do the brushing, getting some scabs off. And use listerine instead of white viniger.


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## QuietHeartHorses (Jul 31, 2012)

My horse got rain rot this past November. We had a weird start to winter with warm sunny days, then cold snaps, then warm sunny days again. He was blanketed most of the time and since I board, I couldn't always be there to take them off or switch them around. My guess is he started sweating a little under his blanket, which caused his skin to become a breeding ground for rain rot. A few horses developed it and then all of a sudden, almost everyone was dealing with it. It's very contagious.

Some people had success with Listerine and medicated Gold Bond, I used Calm Coat and medicated Gold Bond. The trick is getting all of the scabs off so the skin is exposed to air. Using a metal curry comb works, but you need to use your fingers and make sure you get them all. If the scabs are hard to pull off, try dabbing them with Calm Coat, or using a wet cloth to loosen them up. Exposure to air will kill the rain rot, it thrives in dark, damp places. You still need to treat it with something, though.

Even though the rain rot is gone, I still put medicated Gold Bond on my horse ever chance I get. Before I put his blanket back on, I just dust him with it from front to back. It helps keep his skin dry and it keeps the fungus from coming back. Also, spray her blanket liberally with Lysol to kill the rain rot, just let it dry before you put it back on her. You can spray her brushes with Lysol after you use them, too.


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## Dreamcatcher Arabians (Nov 14, 2010)

Vitamin E-AD-300

5 cc's of this, poured over her grain, 1X/week for 3 weeks and then 1X/month from now on, will cure it and keep it gone.


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## QuietHeartHorses (Jul 31, 2012)

Also, if it gets to the point where it's too wide spread, you might have to clip her coat. Sure, it will be colder for her, but will help to expose her skin to air and make it easier to treat. If you keep her blankets clean and dust her with Gold Bond, she should be able to keep a blanket on when she needs it without more rain rot forming.


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## ecasey (Oct 18, 2013)

There's a thread on here written by a woman who had big success using heavily flouridated toothpaste. Her before and after pics were amazing.

EDIT: CORRECTION, she used toothpaste to treat sarcoids in that thread, but toothpaste is also listed as a home remedy in other threads for rain rot.


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## sparkoflife (Jul 8, 2012)

My horse had it bad last year and the only thing that got rid of it was Listerine. Brush her, pour listerine in the cap and get some on your hand and rub it on the affected areas. i wouldnt spray it on. We tried MTG and it didnt work


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## GreenBackJack (Feb 23, 2012)

Go ahead and treat the surface issue but unless you treat the real problem you're just going to keep having it come back. She needs lots of vitamin A. It's the lack of vitamin A in their system that makes them vulnerable to the rain rot. If you don't treat her systemically you'll never get rid of it. You can give her the supplement version of A but you need to pay attention to the dosage so you don't OD her. 

Personally, I just include a hefty amount of fresh carrots in my horses daily diet. Had a foal this past fall who had a terrible case of rain rot all over his body. There wasn't a clear spot on him. Fed him tons of carrots and it cleared right up! No scab picking, no drying out his skin etc. He healed from the inside out, coat was glossy, skin was fresh and healthy and his eyes were bright and shiny. 

There is a lot of really great information on Vitamin A and rainrot on this forum and on the broader intertnet. Essentially, the fungus/bacteria (it acts as both) is all around the environment and when the horse's immune system is weakened by a lack of vitamin A the disease finds it's way into the horse's skin. Ideally a horse should be able to store enough Vitamin A in the liver to survive the winter by grazing on pasture. This doesn't always happen and cut hay loses a significant amount of Vitamin A continually after it's cut. Once you get her system back on track and maintain her vitamin levels you won't have to deal with this again.


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## kimberlyrae1993 (Mar 20, 2013)

GreenBackJack said:


> Go ahead and treat the surface issue but unless you treat the real problem you're just going to keep having it come back. She needs lots of vitamin A. It's the lack of vitamin A in their system that makes them vulnerable to the rain rot. If you don't treat her systemically you'll never get rid of it. You can give her the supplement version of A but you need to pay attention to the dosage so you don't OD her.
> 
> Personally, I just include a hefty amount of fresh carrots in my horses daily diet. Had a foal this past fall who had a terrible case of rain rot all over his body. There wasn't a clear spot on him. Fed him tons of carrots and it cleared right up! No scab picking, no drying out his skin etc. He healed from the inside out, coat was glossy, skin was fresh and healthy and his eyes were bright and shiny.
> 
> There is a lot of really great information on Vitamin A and rainrot on this forum and on the broader intertnet. Essentially, the fungus/bacteria (it acts as both) is all around the environment and when the horse's immune system is weakened by a lack of vitamin A the disease finds it's way into the horse's skin. Ideally a horse should be able to store enough Vitamin A in the liver to survive the winter by grazing on pasture. This doesn't always happen and cut hay loses a significant amount of Vitamin A continually after it's cut. Once you get her system back on track and maintain her vitamin levels you won't have to deal with this again.


How many carrots would you say to give her?
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## CowgirlLove (Feb 1, 2014)

I use listerine on rain rot... never tried vinager... i live in ohio so it can be pretty wet here, but other than that just keep gromming her and i hope she gets better!


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## ecasey (Oct 18, 2013)

I've heard you have to be careful with too many carrots. There's a lot of sugar in them that can affect the feet eventually and then cause all kinds of related problems. I don't know how many would be too many, though.


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## cfahinds (Jan 31, 2014)

I am wondering how many carrots should I feed her a day. And where do you buy your carrots?
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## MyBoySi (Dec 1, 2011)

Dreamcatcher Arabians said:


> Vitamin E-AD-300
> 
> 5 cc's of this, poured over her grain, 1X/week for 3 weeks and then 1X/month from now on, will cure it and keep it gone.


Yes to this, you have to treat it from the inside out not topically. I always assumed Listerine would sting due to the alcohol and have never had much luck with it. I have however had very good luck with the vitamins, I had a Tb mare that was covered from ears to tail in the most horrible rain rot I have ever seen and this cleared it up amazingly. I even gave some to my gelding who had no rain rot and it improved his coat as well.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## GreenBackJack (Feb 23, 2012)

cfahinds said:


> I am wondering how many carrots should I feed her a day. And where do you buy your carrots?
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


Kept trying to find the vet article that had the amounts but I must have filed it under some brilliant heading like "grocery list" Ugh! 

Anyway, the reason I like carrots is that there is no toxicity level with them the way there is with Vitamin A. If I get a horse that has an active case of rain rot going on then I feed them several cups a day of cut up carrots until the rain rot clears up. Beyond that I always feed them carrots with their daily meals primarily in the winter months or whenever they are not on fresh grass. You are not going to overdose your horse on the Carotene in carrots. As for the sugar aspect, if you happen to have a very sensitive IR horse then you might want to stick with the synthetic Vitamin A. Otherwise it shouldn't be a concern, in the years I've been feeding carrots I've never had a problem with it. 

As always, it's a personal choice. I'm just a big fan of finding the cause and source of the problem and then in finding the simplest natural remedy possible. The less mucking around and interferring we do with our horses, the better, in my opinion.

I buy the 25lb bag of juicing carrots from Safeway (here in the Northwest) for about $8 a bag. I usually cut them up into bite size pieces so I can measure them out for everyone and then it's just part of the daily routine.
LOL it is a bit more effort and not for everyone, but it works for us and the horses are happy, healthy, bright eyed, glossy and, rot free.


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## kimberlyrae1993 (Mar 20, 2013)

GreenBackJack said:


> Kept trying to find the vet article that had the amounts but I must have filed it under some brilliant heading like "grocery list" Ugh!
> 
> Anyway, the reason I like carrots is that there is no toxicity level with them the way there is with Vitamin A. If I get a horse that has an active case of rain rot going on then I feed them several cups a day of cut up carrots until the rain rot clears up. Beyond that I always feed them carrots with their daily meals primarily in the winter months or whenever they are not on fresh grass. You are not going to overdose your horse on the Carotene in carrots. As for the sugar aspect, if you happen to have a very sensitive IR horse then you might want to stick with the synthetic Vitamin A. Otherwise it shouldn't be a concern, in the years I've been feeding carrots I've never had a problem with it.
> 
> ...


Thank you so much I have been doing it for a few days now and can already see a difference! She so perky and happy too
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## iDressage (Sep 21, 2013)

I've had some experiences with rain rot before, but thankfully they haven't been too horrible. 

Rain rot forms often because of moisture. So, if you are riding your horse, hosing her down, or letting it rain on your "naked" horse and then putting a blanket/rug/sheet on after, you are creating a humid climate in between your horse's coat and your blanket - perfect for the formation of rain rot. I'm sure rain rot also forms in other situations as well, but from my experience, it can happen easily with the moisture factor. 

You want to get rid of the scabs without irritating your horse's coat. I would suggest taking one area at a time and getting rid of the scabs, but make sure your horse is comfortable and that you aren't pulling the skin to the point it will bleed or become irritated. 

I use a special anti-fungal spray called Banixx. I spray it on the areas with the rain rot and then let it air-dry. 

Another weird area for rain rot is underneath of the horse's jawbones, in between the two bones. My horse used to have a HUGE patch there. 

Since I've moved stables, I haven't had an issue with rain rot. Not sure why it used to be such a problem for me. Best of luck!


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## jcraig10 (Sep 14, 2012)

That Blue Stuff

The BO uses this for rain rot.


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## equinesnfelines (Feb 1, 2014)

Originally Posted by *Dreamcatcher Arabians*   
_Vitamin E-AD-300_

"5 cc's of this, poured over her grain, 1X/week for 3 weeks and then 1X/month from now on, will cure it and keep it gone"

agreed dreamcatcher!!! seems like i have always seen a higher rate of it in stalled or drylotted horses---no green graze=limited vit. A & E--stalled=less sunshine....i drylot my horses and when i ended up basically paying to rescue 2 coming off of VERY poor (mostly dirt) pasture and poor quality hay--they were so prone to it--gradually introduced them to a good ration including the vitamins and used listerine.....their new coats the following winter were like velvet and they shed out beautifully. i also noticed an increase in mane and tail quality--but i brought ground flaxseed also into their diets...i do use carrots some (2-3 times a week) in the winter--run them thru the food processer--pour it all into a lg. pan of water and let soak for next morning's feeding--just drained and rinsed the processed carrots in a colander--was told this would reduce the amt. of sugar w/out messing with the vit. A since it was not water soluble....i was wanting to include my cresty-necked mare in the treat and was told this would make them safer for her.....never really researched that but figured it would not hurt. oh---what we will do for our horses!!! LOL--and cats, dogs, kids, etc.


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## kimberlyrae1993 (Mar 20, 2013)

equinesnfelines said:


> Originally Posted by *Dreamcatcher Arabians*
> _Vitamin E-AD-300_
> 
> "5 cc's of this, poured over her grain, 1X/week for 3 weeks and then 1X/month from now on, will cure it and keep it gone"
> ...


My horse is on basically a sand pit what would you recommend for supplements.. she is on tribute kalm n ez and beet pulp.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## disastercupcake (Nov 24, 2012)

I'm just subbing so I can re-read through.

My mare has had rain-rot off an on for a year now  We used fungicide and MTG, which cleared it up for a good 3 months, but it came back and it seems that there's nothing that works now :/

EDIT: had a chance to read through, and it seems that she is way more susceptible than my 2 geldings. They are all on the same feed, 24/7 turnout, and get ManaPro vatimin/mineral supplement. She's the only one that gets it.


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## disastercupcake (Nov 24, 2012)

GreenBackJack said:


> Kept trying to find the vet article that had the amounts but I must have filed it under some brilliant heading like "grocery list" Ugh!
> 
> Anyway, the reason I like carrots is that there is no toxicity level with them the way there is with Vitamin A. If I get a horse that has an active case of rain rot going on then I feed them several cups a day of cut up carrots until the rain rot clears up. Beyond that I always feed them carrots with their daily meals primarily in the winter months or whenever they are not on fresh grass. You are not going to overdose your horse on the Carotene in carrots. As for the sugar aspect, if you happen to have a very sensitive IR horse then you might want to stick with the synthetic Vitamin A. Otherwise it shouldn't be a concern, in the years I've been feeding carrots I've never had a problem with it.
> 
> ...


I can attest to the fact that you cannot overdose on vitamin A by feeding carrots. Beta carotene has to be converted in the body to usable vitamin A- so it is indeed very safe to feed carrots! It is not the same as administering intravenous vitamin A or feeding a concentrated form.


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## kimberlyrae1993 (Mar 20, 2013)

Have been using Listerine and it's getting worse.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## morganarab94 (May 16, 2013)

kimberlyrae1993 said:


> Have been using Listerine and it's getting worse.
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


What I did was use a rubber curry comb and get all those scabs off. Then put the yellow listerine in a spray bottle and sprayed it on good everyday. I got the walmart brand of the yellow too (it's cheaper). Dont forget to clean your brushes, pads, and blankets too so it wont keep spreading.


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## kimberlyrae1993 (Mar 20, 2013)

morganarab94 said:


> What I did was use a rubber curry comb and get all those scabs off. Then put the yellow listerine in a spray bottle and sprayed it on good everyday. I got the walmart brand of the yellow too (it's cheaper). Dont forget to clean your brushes, pads, and blankets too so it wont keep spreading.


Do you dilute the Listerine and does it have to be yellow I was using blue... And only 2 a week not every day...
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## morganarab94 (May 16, 2013)

kimberlyrae1993 said:


> Do you dilute the Listerine and does it have to be yellow I was using blue... And only 2 a week not every day...
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


I didn't dilute it, the vet never told me too so I didn't. I'm not really sure what the difference is between them but he always told me to use the yellow. And I only used it 2 times a week on my gelding as well and it didnt help at all. So I started using it daily and it worked wonders.


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## kimberlyrae1993 (Mar 20, 2013)

morganarab94 said:


> I didn't dilute it, the vet never told me too so I didn't. I'm not really sure what the difference is between them but he always told me to use the yellow. And I only used it 2 times a week on my gelding as well and it didnt help at all. So I started using it daily and it worked wonders.


Okay so I'm buying the yellow one and doing it every day.
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## 4horses (Nov 26, 2012)

I live in Florida and this is how I treat rain rot- you get some patroleum jelly and put it on really thick over the area. Let it sit 24 hours. Go out the next day and wipe it off with paper towels. It will take all the scabs off with it. 

So much easier than currying them or picking them off. 

You may need to leave the blanket off if you don't want it rubbing off on your blanket.

After that I use chlorhexidine to keep it from coming back. I've heard listerine works as well, but haven't tried it.

Usually the patroleum jelly is all I need and after that it is gone.


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## kimberlyrae1993 (Mar 20, 2013)

My barn owner keeps telling me to put bleach on my horses rain rot that it will be gone in a day I have never heard of this????
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## AFull99 (Feb 21, 2014)

kimberlyrae1993 said:


> I just got a mare three weeks ago she is very under weight and also has horrible rain rot on her cheek both shoulder along her withers and spine as well as her butt.. :-(
> So I heard white vinegar helped so I curried her and brushed her and knocked all loose dirt and scabs off sprayed her down with the vinegar then bleached my brushes and started over the next day!!! Did this for a week.
> Temperatures dropped (i live in Florida crazy weather 80 one day 40 the next) so I had to blanket her because she is so skinny I took it off for a few hours everyday and brushed her but now RAIN ROT IT TEN TIMES WORSE!!!! some one please help!!! I need advice and no on the MTG she had bad reaction to it!!!!!
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


i have the same issue with my one horse. he gets rain rot so easily when he can't graze on fresh grass. it's because of the lack of vitamin A. 

topically, i will massage some distilled vinegar into the spots. diet wise, i will feed some plain old grass cubes...i soak them to help soften them up. this is there for him to pick at through the day. i will also add fresh fruits and veges to his grain, 2 times per day. i pick 1 or 2 things, at a time, but i mix up what i give him. here's some of what i give him:

apples
carrots
1/4 cup shredded green cabbage
fresh parsley
alfalfa sprouts
dandelion greens
celery
orange flesh (no seeds)
squash
watermelon
apricots

however, i recently learned that you can find oral supplements that i will be looking into.

hope this helps!


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## emily3489 (Mar 4, 2014)

My horses had TERRIBLE rain rot one year. I used MTG and FungAway spray on them every day as well as bleached my brushes in between (so they wouldn't recontaminate) It took about a week but I saw results the first day. 

Every horse is different, but maybe this will help.


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## AnnaHalford (Mar 26, 2012)

My old gelding had a nasty dose recently, as did my normally-unsusceptible-to-anything pony. 

I washed with soapy water and a rubber curry to get the scabs off (patiently with the ones that were stubborn, don´t try and get them all off at once if they don´t want to come, your horse will be in a lot of pain). 

Rinse and scrape the excess water off. Make up 10 litres of a 0.4-0.5% solution of iodine (agricultural stores sell it as teat dip, I believe) and sponge/spray on the worst-affected areas. Then throw the rest of the bucket over the horse.

Repeat for 5 days...

It makes their fur really soft, don´t know why. Now that the rot has cleared up, I try and throw a bucket of iodine solution over them every now and then, just to keep it at bay...


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## SueC (Feb 22, 2014)

kimberlyrae1993 said:


> My barn owner keeps telling me to put bleach on my horses rain rot that it will be gone in a day I have never heard of this????
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


While bleach is super-effective at killing all types of bacteria, fungi and in-betweens, it is also extremely bad for the skin and I would never use it on an animal. Listerine is much safer, and the supplementation route also sounds great, whether with natural feeds or bottled VitE/A (don't overdose with VitA or it will damage the liver).


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## SueNH (Nov 7, 2011)

If you don't want to chance the cattle vitamin A then you can use Farnam's Mare Plus. It's loaded with vitamin A. Just top dress her feed like she was pregnant or nursing.

Farnam - Your partner in horse care


Grass starts loosing vitamin A the moment it's cut for hay. It diminishes as it sits in storage over the winter. Horses can store vitamin A a bit in their liver. Helps to carry them over in the wild where they are finding the occasional green thing under the snow.

I use a very similar feed to the one you chose for your mare. If it has one weak point it is it's a little low in vitamin A.

EQUI-PRO® Carb-Safe | Equine | Poulin Grain - Dairy, Equine, Pet, And Livestock Feeds

I couldn't find the cattle vitamin anywhere around here. I could find the mare plus all over. The rain rot started healing in a week. It did take more time for hair to grow back. Like I said I did use betadine on her a few times but I couldn't give a good soak because it was cold out.


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