# *whats the best way to treat rain rot?*



## peace love and paints (Nov 10, 2008)

i have recently purchased a 3 year old paint. i noticed very soon after that she has rain rot all over especially on her hips, but its getting worse and spreading more and more. i have been washing her daily but she just rolls around afterward and pulls some of the clumps of hair out. it looks awful and when the hair clumps come out the areas start bleeding. i really dont want to ride her like this. the areas are painful to her and she doesnt really want them to be messed with. is there something i should be putting on her? what should i do about it? plzz help!!


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## toosexy4myspotz (Oct 7, 2007)

I have found that taking baby shampoo and mixing a little bit of Iodine in with it helps alot! Poco has very sensitive skin and he never gets to go out on rainy days because he gets it alot. I usually have to bathe him once in it and it clears up great. With hers being more severe you might have to do it twice. Or you can get some betadine mix 30% betadine with 70% water and spray it on there and just groom everyday. That way you wont have to bathe her.


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## G and K's Mom (Jan 11, 2008)

Betadine scrub, rinse well, dry the area really well. Then apply some medicated Gold Bond powder, which will help dry the sores. Keep her in if you can for at least a few hours after washing.


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## onetoomany (Dec 10, 2008)

If you're able to (given the season), I would give her a straight betadine bath and just make sure you dry the areas very well after. If you blanket, I would attempt to leave off blanketing for a while as blankets will just trap moisture in and exacerbate the problem.


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## BeauReba (Jul 2, 2008)

If her hair is long, clip it. Remove all the scabs, then use betadine and thoroughtly wash the area. Let it sit about 10 minutes and then rinse. Keep the horse DRY (don't use ointments!) Rain rot thrives on wet areas. You'll probably have to wash him every day for a week, depending on how bad it is.


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## loosie (Jun 19, 2008)

Rain rot, rainscald, mud fever, thrush are all fungal infections. While it's good to treat them topically & do what you can to avoid or minimise the situations that they thrive in, if a horse is getting adequate, well balanced nutrition, particularly getting enough copper, zinc & iodine in it's diet, it shouldn't be susceptible to these problems.


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## BeauReba (Jul 2, 2008)

Those are great ideas loosie, but she bougth the horse with it already. I'm lucky I've never had to deal with it on my horse!


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## Jubilee Rose (May 28, 2008)

I know all too well how much fun rain rot can be. :? My horse had it before too. I would suggest getting a good anti-fungal shampoo. i used Mane and Tail Anti-Microbial Shampoo and it works great. If the weather permits, make a soapy lather and work this well into your horse's coat. Leave it for about 10 minutes and then rinse. You want to get the scabs really soft so you can pull them off. When you get down the skin and its dry, I would use some MTG to repell moisture. This is a messy and painful process and it needs consistent treatment, but it will go away eventually. However I would definitely treat it now, before it gets worse. Good luck! 


* And in response to Loosie's post, I think that some horses are just more susceptible to rain rot and mud fever than others. A lot of it has to do with the environment. If the horse is standing in mud 24/7 they are much more likely to get mud fever. I've never really heard of it connected to diet before, but I could be wrong. :wink:


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## peace love and paints (Nov 10, 2008)

i agree jubilee rose that some horses are more susceptible to rain rot. simply bc i also have 3 other horses out in the field who dont have it. they eat the same grass and get fed the same. maybe its just her skin type.


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## luvs2ride1979 (Nov 9, 2007)

A few treatments I have tried, all worked with varying success:



 Yellow Listerine, full strength or 50/50 diluted. Saturate the area daily, do not rinse out.
.
 Apple Cider Vinegar, full strength (REAL ACV, not just apple flavored white vinegar). Saturate the area daily, do not rinse.
.
 Aloe Advantage Wound Cleanser with Phenol. Saturate daily, do not rinse. This has an analgesic (pain killer) in it, so it's especially good for horses who are sore because of the rain rot.
Equine Wound Care
.

 Wound-Kote or Blue Lotion. Spray affected areas thoroughly every other day, or after riding (if you brushed out the spray from the day before). My husband likes this treatment best, lol. Your horse will look blue polkadotted, but it works!
Wound-Kote? by Farnam - Horse.com
 
You also need to be improving his skin from the INSIDE! A healthy horse is less likely to get rain rot and will fight it off more easily. Put him on a hoof & coat supplement that is high in Omega 3's, like Glanzen3, Omega Horseshine, or Smart Pak's SmartHoof Ultra.

I would also add some unfiltered Apple Cider Vinegar to his diet. That will help get his skin PH back to normal and kill an infection or fungus that has gotten under his skin. Start with just a splash in his food and work your way up to 1 cup a day. Some horses don't like the taste, which is why you should start with a small amount. 

Once the rain rot is 100% gone, you can discontinue the use of the ACV in his food, though I would continue with the hoof/coat supplement but in a half dose.

Also, if you're blanketing him, you need to buy a second blanket and keep them washed. Between washings, Lysol the HECK out of it every couple of days.

Same for saddle pads. Keep them washed and always use a clean one on him. You can reinfect him with a dirty pad or horse blanket.

Make sure you keep your grooming tools separated. Do NOT use them or the saddle pads on any other horses. Dunk your brushes and curries in a 10% bleach solution after every use, so you don't reinfect him or accidentally spread it to other horses.


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## luvs2ride1979 (Nov 9, 2007)

loosie said:


> Rain rot, rainscald, mud fever, thrush are all fungal infections.


That's not exactly true. Rainrot is a single celled organism, like a parasite. It looks like a fungus or bacteria, but it's not a fungus (it's more closely related to a bacteria). Which is why rain rot doesn't always clear up with antifungal treatments.

http://www.equusite.com/articles/health/healthRainRot.shtml
Rain Rot and Ringworm Horse Skin Disease Information
Rain Rot, a Common Horse Affliction: Treatment and Causes - Associated Content

The Horse: Rain Rot



> *Cause*
> "Rain rot or rain scald (also known as dermatophilosis) is caused by bacterial infection, and it often is mistaken for a fungal disease," Swinker says. "The bacteria live in the outer layer of skin and cause from pinpoint to large, crusty scabs."
> 
> _Dermatophilus_ _congolensis_, the bacterium found to cause this infection, lives in dormant within the skin until the skin is compromised in some way, which can happen when there's prolonged wetness, high humidity, high temperature, or attacks by biting insects, according to _The Merck Veterinary Manual_.
> ...


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## luvs2ride1979 (Nov 9, 2007)

Thrush can be caused by a fungus, bacteria, or yeast, which is why thrush can be so hard to get rid of in some horses. ;-) If it's a fungus, normal thrush treatments will work. If it's a bacteria, bleach, turpentine, or other caustic chemicals will work. If it's yeast, then you need sugardine treatments or ACV. 

Of course, all of the causes can be cured with soaks in Oxine AH with citric activator for 15-20 minutes, every other day until it clears up. Use Oxine monthly or bi-weekly for prevention in horses that are prone to thrush.


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## Appyt (Oct 14, 2007)

I use baby butt ointment, ie generic Desitin. Works great.


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## MrsB (Dec 2, 2008)

Hi there.
I think everyone has given really good advice! Especially re using a betadine mixture.
There are also a few specially medicated products around, But I'm not sure if they would be sold in your country (worth looking in to though).

One is Maleseb. A medicated shampoo which can be used daily. Simply scrub into affected areas and leave for 10 minutes before rinsing. This will soften the scabs and make them easier to remove, without causing too much irritation to the skin.

The other is a prduct called Quit Itch. Its reletively cheap and is an iodine based solution. 
I actually use this product, diluted into water (about 1 part quit itch to 3 parts water), every day after riding on any sweaty areas. But it can also be used directly on to any areas which are affected by such ailments as rain rot.

Never use creams, lotions or oil based products as this will cause further irritation to the affected area. 

And finally. Keep your horse as dry as possible. If you use blankets as protection from rain, make sure they're breathable and not too heavy. 100% cotton summer blankets and a good quality un lined canvas (which will draw moisture away from the horse) are good choices. 

Good luck! Its such a ****** of a thing to treat!


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## Summer08 (Dec 5, 2008)

As far as susceptability in certain horses and health playing a part, I think age may well a part also, so beating it now and making sure it doesn't come back is important, your next outbreak will be harder to get rid of. 
Working at a Rescue Stable I've seen rain rot more than I wanted to. The owner came up with some interesting creations to fight it. I totally agree with washing everything, including the blankets and pads, in bleach or bleach alternatives in hot water.
For the rain rot spots, clean them with a warm soap and water until the scabs can come off, moist as possible because scrubbing needs to be minimized. At this point we used a betadine, witch hazel, and aloe applied via squirt bottle. You can cover it with a wound spray from there if you want, but its better to let it breath. Leave unblanketed in a stall for at least an hour afterwards. Horse should only be outside it its sunny and should be blanketed. I'd suggest double padding him when you do start riding again, the lack of hair will make everythign rub uncomfortably until it crows back. When the rot clears, keep applying just the aloe, and gently scrub the skin to help it strengthen and revitalize hair.


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## lovemyponies (Jul 26, 2008)

someone at my barn swears by Selsun Blue medicated


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## zanytactics (Sep 8, 2007)

Try the MTG it has many purposes. 
I also agree with Loosie on the diet. You can always add some flax which will help her skin and coat thrive and it's inexpensive. 

Never heard bout trying the Gold Bond but sounds like a great idea.


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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

Your vet might have a shampoo specifically designed to treat rain rot and if not, they might have some more suggestions. I would guess betadine would work and if the issue gets too out of hand, antibiotics may be needed. I don't have a lot of experience with this problem as we don't see just a whole lot of moisture in our area.


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## BarnManager (Dec 15, 2008)

*Rain Rot*

Hi everyone,

I just found this site online and decided that I needed to sign up...

Wear Latex Gloves!!! You can transfer it to other horses I guess humans can get a form of it too...eeek

We have about 20 horses on average with two or three that get the rot often. This last horse had it really bad. What I did was make a scab softener out of 16oz baby/mineral oil, 16oz peroxide, 12oz iodine. I mixed it in a gallon jug. This will expand and blow the top off if you put it in anything small. make sure to push a little air out of the jug before putting the cap on each time. 

First I would lather up the horse with betadine SUDDING shampoo let set for 10 min. rinse very well then apply the softner let set in sun for 2-3 hours. Then carefully remove the loose scabs. I did this for three days until the scabs were not returning then continued, but added triple antibiotic ointment. 

THis horse had it really bad all over his back. Some of the scabs were palm size. A thick puss had formed under some of them also. I hunt fish and trap so i have seen some nasty stuff, but this had me a little green a few times.

Feel free to pm me if you have any more questions

BarnManager


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## aintgotnone (Dec 14, 2008)

After treating a horse for "rain rot" all over, our vet did skin scrapings and determined that was not rain rot.

There is a very long thread on COTH that is interesting to read which associates this condition with onchoceria (sp?)

Let me say, it is interesting reading and it worked for us.


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