Infectious (contagious) skin infections
Fungus
Cause:
The infection starts by mutual contact between horses or by getting in contact with infected brushes, blankets, tacks, ... . The fungus spores can accumulate very easy here. Also direct contact with infected people can infect the horse.
Symptoms:
The infection is visisble mostly after 1 - 6 weeks. If the horse has a decreased resistance or suffers from stress it reflects after only 4 days, because these are ideal circumstances for the fungus.
It usually starts with little bumps with uprising hair that later changes into more or less round, bald, scaly spots that heal from the centre.
The disorder usually isn't accompanied by itch.
Diagnosis and treatment:
A fungus infection is usually easy to recognize. If you, however, want to be sure, you can ask the vet to do a fungal culture.
Washing the horse with an anti fungus shampoo is usually enough. You wash the horse 3 to 4 times completely with 3 to 5 days in between. It can be necessary to give the horse a blanket. The horse has lost a whole fat layer after all.
Also the area needs to be cleaned thoroughly, the material as well as the stable. The stable must also be desinfected.
Prevention:
Make sure that every horse in a mane has its own tack, saddle, brush, ... .
Also vaccinate your horses. Ask your vet about this.
Rain rot
Rain rot is one of the most common skin infections seen in horses.
Cause:
Rain rot or rain scald is caused by a bacterie called dermatophilus conglesis. It penetrates through the skin via, for example, scrapes, especially when the skin and hair are wet.
It affects horses that often walk outside in rainy weather and/or if it lives in unhygienic circumstances.
Symptoms:
At first it can look like fungus. The spots are visible on the back and sides of the horse. Later on there will form scabs on these places. If you remove them, they leave a pink, open spot behind. The scabs are wet at the bottom and sometimes a yellow - greenish pus is visible.
Normally the horse doesn't suffer from itch, but it is often painful.
Diagnosis and treatement:
Just like a fungus infection, you can usually see that it's rain rot. To be sure, your vet can perform a bacteriological examination.
If you are going to treat your horse, it is advisible to wear gloves. In a human the infection causes dermatitis with spots that are 2 to 5 mm big, sometimes accompanied by itch.
You have to remove the scabs carefully, you can soak them first. After that you have to wash your horse every 3 to 4 days with Betadine shampoo. Dry the horse thoroughly or put it in the sun to dry.
In bad cases antibiotics are given.
Don't forget to clean the material and stable thoroughly.
Sarcoids
Cause:
Sarcoids are the most common skin tumors seen in horses and are most likely caused by a virus. Especially where there are wounds (think of flies), this often occurs.
You can see this everywhere on the skin, but especially on thin skin and wet spots. Think about the groins, armpits, behind the ears, arounf the eyes, ... .
Symptoms:
Sarcoids can look very different. Some lumps look cauliflower- or wart- like, others are very smooth and hard lumps.
On one horse different kind of lumps can occur next to each other.
Diagnosis and treatement:
The condition is very easy to recognize. To be sure, you can let the vet perform a biopsy. Often an combination of treatements is used. Everything depends on the size, place and amount of tumors.
The two most used treatements are cryosurgery, freezing the tumor like warts, and surgical removal.
Besides that certain ointments, chemotherapy and radiations are used.
Prevention:
A good fly control is very important.
Scabies
Cause:
Scabies can be caused by many kinds of itch-mites. They crawl up from the cavity pastern and form bals spots there.
Symptoms:
The mite causes itch, wherefore the horse starts kicking and rubbing. Because of the rubbing the skin turns grey, scaly and the hair breaks off.
Sometimes the lymph gets infected. The legs get thicker, warmer and more painful from the bottom up and the horse gets a fever.
Sometimes the infection goes higher and the leg above the tarsal joint gets also thick.
Also small vesicles that give a purulent fluid after bursting and form scabs are symptoms.
Diagnosis and treatement:
To get an immediate definitive answer, it it best to let some skin be examined microscopical.
At this moment there are 3 ways to treat your horse:
- Sebacil
- Flea shampoo that is used for dogs
- Ivermectine
It is very important to repeat the treatement after 10 - 14 days because it doesn't help against the eggs.
Never use Amitraz. This can poison your horse with death as a result.
Non-infectious (non-contagious) skin infections
Tail and mane eczema
Cause:
The infection is caused by being oversensitive for the stings of the mosquito culicoides. That's why it's also called summer eczema.
Symptoms:
Because of the itch the horse rubs itself bald. Sometimes until it bleeds. On the tail, manes and sometimes also on the belly, bald spots arise, where the skin gets completely thickened an folded. The symptoms reveal themselves for the first time since the age of 3 - 6 years old and gets worse every year if the horse stays in touch with the mosquitos.
Diagnosis and treatement:
If you put your horse in a dark, clean stable for 2 - 4 weeks, the symptoms will vanish. If you put the horse back in the meadow and the symptoms come back immediately, than you know that your horse suffers from tail and mane eczema.
A real treatement hasn't been found yet. However, you can do a few things to prevent the disorder:
- Prevent as much as possible contact with the mosquitos: Use anti-fly stuff, blankets, ... . Put the horse during sunrise and sunset in the stable. You can also hang soft brushes in the stable so that the horse can rub itself against this without hurting itself.
- Local treatement: In mild cases some ointments can offer a solution. Deliberate with your vet what the safest product is for your horse.
- Systematic treatement: Through injections or through the mouth a preparation can be admitted that will work via the bloodstream. Places that are completely rubbed off can be held supple with neutral skin ointments. Feeding fishoil decreases the itchy reaction after a sting.
Mud fever
Mud fever is a collective name for different kinds of skin irritation to the lower legs. The most famous on the one in the cavity pastern.
Cause:
The disease knows many causes that often occur combined.
Influences from outside that cause damage to the skin. Often this is the start of more misery.
Bacterial infections can easily find a place to feed and make things worse. If the horse has a white skin, sunburn can also cause mud fever. Also fungus infection and itch-mites can be a cause.
Symptoms:
Redness, flakes, scabs and sometimes cracks in the cavity pastern. Sometimes there's also moist eczema. The horse suffers also from itch, lameness and sometimes the entire lower leg can be thickened.
Diagnosis and treatement:
Before mud fever can be treated, it must be diagnosed. The veterinary will take a sample of the skin to track down, for example, mite or fungus.
It is definitemy necessary to keep the legs clean and dry. You could do this by shaving the legs. You must wash the legs with Betadine shampoo to remove loose scabs. If necessary, soak the scabs first for 24 hours in ointment. Pay attention after washing that you dry the legs thoroughly.
If you want to use ointments for mud fever, make sure that you apply a clean ointment with clean gloves. Hygiene is very important.
Is case of summer mud fever it is wise to keep the legs out of the sun. This can be done by either keeping the horse in the stable or bandaging the legs.
In serious cases the support if antibiotics is desirable.
Prevention:
A dry stable is very important and in any case you must keep the legs dry.
» Scientific info » Skin
