# Itchy tails.



## InsaneDino (Aug 3, 2012)

I can't help too much about what product to use, but I will tell you what NOT to use. Baby oil should never be put on a horse. It could burn them really bad in the sun.

Zinc Oxide and/or Listerine might be something to look into. I'm big on homemade recipes, and I've heard some good things about Listerine, as weird as it may seem.


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## Cowgirls Boots (Apr 6, 2011)

I used listerine mixed with water and something else (not sure, was borrowed from a friend) to try and stop a fellow horse from using my geldings tail as a snack. It worked pretty well.
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## walkinthewalk (Jul 23, 2008)

This is where I make my pitch about how some clever person needs to invent an upper tail wrap that is suitable for turnout and won't cut the circulation off the tail.

I'm not kidding. There are tail wraps out there but I haven't found any that are safe for turnout, and will actually stay on without cutting off circulation

One of my horses has environmental allergies. I don't care what I've tried, I cannot keep the upper three inches of his tail from sunburning, then itching, then he rubs it, then the flakes start, on and on and on.

I pray this horse doesn't get cancer one of these days because it's all at the very top of his tail.

Right now the best I can do is shampoo it with prescription shampoo, let dry; spray with Vetericyn gel every day, let that dry and put Dermalog on it every couple days.

The only thing that's going to stop his tail from burning (therefore the itching) is when the sun rotates far enough in the sky to stop being a health hazard to him:-(


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## blue eyed pony (Jun 20, 2011)

WITW, have you thought about a cotton rug and tailbag? Seems to me if you protected the tail from the sun, it wouldn't sunburn as bad.

My mother got a horse a couple of years ago that had a big raw rub patch on his tail. Clipped his tail (just where the rub patch was), put antiseptic on it, then put medical honey on it. Kept it clipped really short, and did the medical honey every day until it healed. No more itching, no more rubbing, no more raw sore spot.


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## texasgal (Jul 25, 2008)

What is causing the itch? Get to the bottom of that first.


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## Koolio (Apr 7, 2010)

If the itching is localized to the tail, it could be a sign of them having worms. A quick vet check and fecal test might be worthwhile. The vet should be able to determine if it is possibly some kind of fungal or bacterial infection and advise you on the best course of treatment. 

Until then, you are guessing at a solution and could be making the problem worse by applying different things that may irritate.


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## Cowgirls Boots (Apr 6, 2011)

Koolio said:


> If the itching is localized to the tail, it could be a sign of them having worms. A quick vet check and fecal test might be worthwhile. The vet should be able to determine if it is possibly some kind of fungal or bacterial infection and advise you on the best course of treatment.
> 
> Until then, you are guessing at a solution and could be making the problem worse by applying different things that may irritate.



It's not worms that I do know. He's had the itchiness on and off for months I'll apply stuff to it and it'll go away But this time it's just scabby and itchy as heck for him. I'm almost positive that it's either sunburn (which is why I stopped the MTG) or those little summer buggies.
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## walkinthewalk (Jul 23, 2008)

blue eyed pony said:


> WITW, have you thought about a cotton rug and tailbag? Seems to me if you protected the tail from the sun, it wouldn't sunburn as bad.
> 
> My mother got a horse a couple of years ago that had a big raw rub patch on his tail. Clipped his tail (just where the rub patch was), put antiseptic on it, then put medical honey on it. Kept it clipped really short, and did the medical honey every day until it healed. No more itching, no more rubbing, no more raw sore spot.


 No, this is all new to me and well worth trying

I've heard a lot about medical honey but I've also heard it isn't that successful unless the honey was grown in a person's area.

It just so happens we've had some honey bees move into a big hollow spot in an old tree behind the barn. I can't get a clear view of the hollow but, I am pretty sure there is honey covering the outside of that nest.

I just need to figure out how to harvest some of it without investing a "bee zoot suit". I've already been botoxed by ground bees, in all the wrong places, when I was mowing back there - lol

Just to clarify, worms are most definitely not my horse's issue either


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## blue eyed pony (Jun 20, 2011)

That is rubbish about it having to be local. I just get the honey from the chemist - more expensive but guaranteed and scientifically tested. We use it for ALL first aid, that and the stick-on breathable stretchy dressing that we call fixomull in Aus. I never have any infection or scarring from injuries (mind you we haven't had any really major ones), and our vet has started to recommend it after seeing the results we get with it.

The good that the honey does is that it has antibacterial and antiseptic properties, and there's something in it that encourages healing and discourages excessive proud flesh. It also decreases itch (you need that property of it to get rid of an itchy raw patch) and hydrates the skin, making it more flexible and (if applied to an injury) means stitches are less likely to pop.

If you're going to use the rug and tailbag, you have to have a waterproof turnout coat on top, and preferably a waterproof tailbag as well, if it looks like rain. Otherwise wet rugs can cause other problems that are as bad if not worse. I don't have tail itch issues, and my horses' tails don't seem to sunbleach, so I don't bother with tailbags, but they aren't expensive. The pricey part is the cotton rug itself - good ones range anywhere from $50 to $300 here, tailbags usually anywhere from $10 upwards.


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## Tangiest Illicitness (Aug 30, 2011)

I've done Listerine before. It really seemed to help when my horse had an itchy, scabby/flaky tail for no apparent reason. Regarding the MTG, I would maybe call the manufacturer and see if there is a concern that it could cause sunburn. I've used the stuff for years on various cuts, rubs, etc., and never had an issue. I also have used it on my horse's tail to encourage growth, but I'm now curious to know if I shouldn't be applying it when he's going to be outside in the sun.

Do the horses have any open sores where they are itching? Even just small ones?


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## Cowgirls Boots (Apr 6, 2011)

Nope, no sores. Just very dry flakey skin
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## blue eyed pony (Jun 20, 2011)

Honey will help with super-dry flaky skin too  (you do have to clip the area though or else you get a sticky tangled mess)


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## walkinthewalk (Jul 23, 2008)

I really like that "rubbish" part

We have what I call "The Old People's Health Food Store" in the next county over. That store has stuff I've never seen before; I think I will go there to buy the honey. I would much rather do that, than risk getting botoxed by bees again

I am liking this whole idea more and more

Thanks for the rain tip as well. While we do have some serious dark clouds covering us today, there hasn't been any rain yet it's the first serious dark sky my area has seen in a good long while.

We will "only" get to a high of 89 degrees, I think that's around 31 or 32 celsius. The humidity isn't as bad as it has been either so it's actually pleasant for the horses today and nobody will come in scratching their skin off tonight:?


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## blue eyed pony (Jun 20, 2011)

hahaha good idea. You want unprocessed manuka honey, or medical grade honey that you get from the drugstore (that's for people, but it's guaranteed safe). Plain old honey from the supermarket isn't going to do the job. Medical honey is made from manuka honey, and the manuka is a tree that is native to New Zealand.

31 or 32C? That's pleasantly warm for me!! We had 40.5C on the 26th of Jan this year (Aus summer, it's not usually that hot in Jan but can be hotter in Feb).. and crazy me was out XC schooling. Came back and I don't know who was sweatier... me or my horse! He's used to working in very high temperatures, came from a town where it's not unheard of for it to be 50C and up, so he wasn't sweaty from the heat. We worked HARD!


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## Cowgirls Boots (Apr 6, 2011)

I'm going to try the Vetericyn stuff. I've used it before and it helped heal a wound very well and quickly, it says you can also use it for eye infections, skin irritations, rain rot, etc....well see how this goes
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## blue eyed pony (Jun 20, 2011)

Sounds like a plan  The honey idea is very messy so if there's something out there that's just as effective and not as messy then let me at it!


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## Cowgirls Boots (Apr 6, 2011)

The Vetericyn better work...it's like $40!
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## blue eyed pony (Jun 20, 2011)

ouch! I pay usually around $20/tube for the honey, it's only a small tube though so usually only lasts one injury/infection/fungus. Glad we don't get many injuries and no fungal/bacterial skin issues!


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