# Does my horse have fungus or dandruff on tail and mane?



## candandy49

It very well could be a skin fungus and your treating it correctly. You might also try using otc Tinactin from a pharmacy or Discount Department Store. Tinactin is a medication for Athlete's Foot, which is also a fungus in people.

If you aren't already soaking your brushes or combs in a water and bleach solution you'll need to be doing it. Fungus is persistent. Don't use bleach on your horse's body.


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## mls

The soap Dreft is antibacterial. Rinses clean and easy. You can use it on the body and your grooming equipment. Smells better than bleach and you won't have to worry about splashing and ruining your jeans.


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## Mary

Thank you for your replies. Yes, I am disinfecting my brushes in bleach solution. 
It's raining again today, so this is the weather a fungus thrives on. I have some of the Tinactin spray...it goes like a dry powder, I think. 
I will look in to Dreft instead of bleach.


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## candandy49

Sounds like your on the "road to success" combating the Fungus. I didn't realize Dreft was an antibacterial soap. Thank You, mls...


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## Alwaysbehind

candandy49 said:


> I didn't realize Dreft was an antibacterial soap. Thank You, mls...


Me either, I too say thank you.


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## mls

I also like to use Dreft for sheath cleaning and scrubbing fresh wounds. Rinses clean so it does not irritate.


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## LetAGrlShowU

I used vinegar recommended by my vet when Cooper got rain rot all over his bum. It cleared up rather quickly.


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## ScharmLily

My mare got some sort of flaky, crusty scabs on her tail this winter. She is groomed almost daily and kept in impeccably clean conditions.....trust me, I'm completely OCD. I used microtek antibacterial and antifungal spray on her tail 3 times per day for probably a few weeks, then down to twice a day, and finally once a day. This finally did the trick, and I would recommend it to others.


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## Mary

Thanks for admitting your OCD tendency.... I am not alone! I am a bit obsessive about this and just want it gone. Today his tail and mane looked better than it has in awhile....this is after a betadine wash and following up with Tinactin powder spray. Now although the flakes are less, the skin looks very dry. He is groomed once daily...that's the best I can do because of the drive....probably your amazing persistance on a daily basis is the trick to getting it under control and keeping it under control. Maybe I've been getting it almost gone and let up
the treatment too soon.


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## ScharmLily

Yes, I would recommend treating for a week after it appears to be gone to make sure that it doesn't come back. This is what I did, and I haven't had any problems since. I guess it's probably like antibiotics-- you want to continue treating for the full dose even if the symptoms disappear to make sure that everything is really gone. Good luck to you!


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## Mary

I will keep on treating it until there is no sign! Thanks!


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## Juniper

I had huge problems with ongoing fungal bacterial skin problems with my horse. My vet suggested betadine baths, very weak bleach baths, gave him this new injectible treatment, biopsied it. I bathed him so much he smelled like betadine when he sweated. Constant cleaning of tack and brushes. On and on and on.... Someone on this forum suggested giving him injectible cattle vitamin A but giving it orally. Well, I did not have any of that so I have given him high doses of supplements, flax, Omega oils, LMF, super 14 skin supplement, and horseshoers secret,anything with A in it. I really need to get the cattle stuff, would be WAY cheaper. Long story short all skin problems, including his terrible dandruff and all those fungus spots (he looked like an appaloosa for awhile from bald spots) are gone.


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## Mary

I thought I would post an update on the mane and tail fungus. After washing with betadine a couple of times and just not seeing big results, my vet suggested 'painting' the betadine (diluted 50/50 with water) on the area and leaving it. No rinsing. I do believe this is doing the trick. Big improvement! I'll continue the betadine until this nasty dandruff is obliterated. Now to get his mane to grow back....Hopefully this will stop the itching and new growth will fill the places he has rubbed off his mane. 
Lots of interesting posts about MTG...here is my 2 cents. I used it on his tail and mane before trying the betadine and it made the flakes even bigger. Much worse. I do not believe it is good for fungus, at least not on my horse. 
Once the fungus is gone, I will try it to stimulate some hair growth.


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## ScharmLily

Yes, I have also had that problem with MTG-- large flakes of skin came off several days after treatment. However, I use it on areas where body hair has either been rubbed or bitten off, and it works well and doesn't have this effect. I am thinking that this may just have happened because it was before bath season when I tried it, and his mane may have just been shedding excess winter scurf.


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