# Does athlete's foot cream treat rain rot?



## Crazy Love (Mar 7, 2011)

Hello all  This is my first post here. Didn't know if it went under health or grooming...
I discovered today that my horse has rain rot. This is something I've heard of but never dealt with, and it made me feel bad because she's definitely well groomed and taken care of  But it's been really muddy where she's boarded and she's shedding out her winter coat a LOT right now which is probably why i didn't catch it immediately. Ah well... I would just get some anti-fungal shampoo (anybody know any good brands?) and bathe her but it's still too cold for that and i don't have a heated bath stall. Someone today told me that athlete's foot cream works, so i bought some. The active ingredient is clotrimazole. Is this safe to use and does it work?


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## SpiritedLittleCopperSpots (Mar 4, 2010)

Hmmm, never heard of trying that? :wink:
I do know that MTG works really well for it.

Here, I just did some googling and found this....

*How is rain rot treated?* 

Dermatophilus congolensis grows better with a lack of oxygen. Since the organism doesn't like oxygen, you'll have to eliminate a the heavy hair coat (if your horse's hair is long and thick), and remove any scabs that hold the organism to the horse's skin. 

It is not a good idea to use ointments on rain rot, since they hold moisture to the skin (and moisture needs to be removed for the condition to cease). 

The best treatment is to wash the horse with antimicrobial and antibacterial shampoos and rinses. These medications help to kill the dermatophilus congolensis organism. If Betadine, Phenol or Nolvasan is used, you should continue applying them once a day for one week. 

*THE TREATMENT:* 

*1.* Keep the horse in a dry, clean area that is very well ventilated. Give the horse protection against biting insects. Separate the horse from any others that also have rain rot. 

*2.* Use an antimicrobal shampoo that lathers well. Vigorously lather the horse, let sit for 10 minutes, then rinse. Be sure to follow with a conditioner that works well. Continue this for daily for 1 week. 

*3.* Remove all scabs that are present. This is usually painful for the horse, so be gentle! The best way I have seen to remove these scabs is to temporarily moisten them (so they become soft and easy to remove). Be sure to dry the horse immediately after scab removal. 

*4.* The organism in the horse's skin must be killed. This can be done by using any of the products listed below. 

*SEVERE CASES ONLY:* for severe cases, antibiotics may be used. These include potassium penicillin, procaine penicillin G, sodium ampicillin, streptomycin or gentamycin. Immune-boosting drugs may also be needed for the horse's immune system to fight off the organism and heal. If your horse has a severe case of rain rot, make an appointment with your veterinarian and discuss the antibiotics listed above.


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## Crazy Love (Mar 7, 2011)

Yeah I took the scabs off of the worst spot. I don't know if i can give her a bath in this cold weather, though. MTG is the stuff that smells like barbeque sauce, right?


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## SpiritedLittleCopperSpots (Mar 4, 2010)

Yeah, it does not smell very nice at all. :lol:
But it does work well for a lot of things. Here's a link if you are not familiar with it.
Shapleys

I knew you could not bathe, but I thought the lack of oxygen thing was interesting, and the holding in moisture...so thought it might be helpful info under the circumstances.
Sorry I'm not better help! :wink:


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## SpiritedLittleCopperSpots (Mar 4, 2010)

Oh, and how rude of me....

Welcome to the Forum!


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## Crazy Love (Mar 7, 2011)

thanks so much! yeah that is interesting. i will go check out that MTG but in the meantime I may try the athlete's stuff on a little spot just because I don't live close to an equine store.
and thank you


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## candandy49 (Jan 16, 2011)

If you can get some Betadine/Iodine douse the areas of Rain Rot with it. Removing the scabs is of utmost importance to help it heal. Also, a 0.25% chloramphenicol solution works well. My Vet mixes up a concoction for me when I've needed it, but I have no clue what it has in it.


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## csimkunas6 (Apr 18, 2010)

I went I went to Meredith Manor....we used an athletes foot spray and it worked wonders!!!! Cleared it up FAST!! Cant remember the name of the exact brand tho....


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## FoxyRoxy1507 (Jul 15, 2008)

diaper cream does wonders for it! we used to use that on the horses in the winter when we couldnt bathe them.


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## TheLovedOne (Jan 26, 2011)

Listerine. Spray it on once a day.


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## Crazy Love (Mar 7, 2011)

Thank you all for the ideas  I have kept her inside and out of the mud for a couple of days and have been putting the athlete's foot cream on her. I can't tell if it's getting better or not though...so I may try the listerine/iodine.


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## FoxyRoxy1507 (Jul 15, 2008)

Crazy Love said:


> Thank you all for the ideas  I have kept her inside and out of the mud for a couple of days and have been putting the athlete's foot cream on her. I can't tell if it's getting better or not though...so I may try the listerine/iodine.


if she has any open scabs i wouldnt suggest using the listerine bc it will sting a bit unless you have the alcohol free kind


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## Horsel02 (Jan 6, 2010)

Ok, this sounds weird but when you can bath her try using sheath cleaner. It works great in rain rot and it cleans and I have never had an issue again.


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## Crazy Love (Mar 7, 2011)

Horsel02 said:


> Ok, this sounds weird but when you can bath her try using sheath cleaner. It works great in rain rot and it cleans and I have never had an issue again.


 whoa that's crazy! not as weird as some other things i have heard in the horse world, don't worry, haha


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## Horsel02 (Jan 6, 2010)

Crazy Love said:


> whoa that's crazy! not as weird as some other things i have heard in the horse world, don't worry, haha


I am telling you that it works great for rain rot.


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## mystikal222 (May 26, 2009)

I use Lotramine aersol spray for fungus,works great and keeps the affected areas DRY which I would think is a good thing being that this crap breeds in moisture


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## horsecrazy84 (Mar 20, 2011)

A Listerine spray works great! Depending on how bad it is, I mix Listerine mouthwash with water and spray it on the affected area 1-2 times daily. Don't wipe it off, just leave it on. It is very important to remove the scabs because if you don't, it'll just spread. I also spray whatever brushes I use on that horse too so it doesn't transfer to the other horse. I tried store bought medicated sprays but they just didn't work as well. I use a metal curry to loosen the scabs.


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## Mary (Jul 20, 2009)

How do I know for sure my horse has rain rot? We have not had any moisture in weeks. 
Does anyone have pictures? 
Here's a description of what my horse has: When I run my hand over his rump, I feel a hard place about the size of a nickel or bigger, not round though, underneath the coat. When I remove the scab, hair comes off with it, leaving the spot completely bare. I have used MTG and it definitely stimulates hair growth. Last summer, I bathed him with microbacterial shampoo, used Listerine and MTG. That seemed to take care of it. 
This weekend I disinfected all brushes and saddle pad and used anti-fungal spray on each spot. It's too cold to bathe him.
He has 6 or so places in different stages. 
Why is it back?

Thanks for your help!

Mary


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## BlairWitch (Sep 11, 2008)

I've used anti fungal ointment too.


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## Chow (Mar 23, 2011)

I looked up rain rot and found out it is not a fungal infection as most people think but actually an anaerobic bacterium that causes the infection. The bacteria cannot live when exposed to oxygen in the air. That is why the scabs have to be softened and removed. Antibacterial washes, sprays or creams can then be used but are not always necessary since the bacteria dies when exposed to the air.


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## Texana (Mar 22, 2011)

I've also heard to use mineral oil to prevent it. WELCOME TO HORSE FORUM!!:wink:


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