Scratches

[lisakaye]

Easter has scratches from the mud. She has never had this before so I don't know much about it. What causes it other than mud and what can I do to prevent it.. Stall is not an option and all of the paddocks are a mud hole.

[palomino]

UGGGGGGH! Im so sorry. I fought scratches for a year with a mare I had. Until you can get her into the dry, youre screwed. Shave her legs BALD, soak her scabs with ointment. Use an antibacterial/microbial shampoo, DRY the legs completely, pick off the scabs, treat with an antibacterial cream. I tried diaper rash ointment- its a waste of time and does not work.
You have to treat them EVERY DAY. Wash, pick, treat sores. But until you can get into the dry, they wont go away.

[oursarge]

It depends what they are from. My Rompy had scratches for a long time when he lived in VT they tried everything and nothing wroked. He still had them when he came here. My vet said that sometimes they are caused by mites and had me spray Frontline on his feet. It worked like magic, months of him suffering and Frontline took it away in days and no scab picking. The next time he got them it was real muddy. I had read about something from England and had ordered that to have on hand [Aromaheel] that that works really great too, again took it away and no picking of scabs. I tried the Frontline first that didn't work so I figured they were from mud and not bugs so I used the Aromaheel. I know alot of people on here have "recipes" of things they mix together to get rid of them. They'll probably come on to help. Good Luck.

[palomino]

NO PICKING??????? Where were you when I was going thru this crap, sarge LMAO!

[lisakaye]

Where di you get the Aromaheel from ? This is totally new for me. Is it caused by mited in the mud or a bacteria that is in the mud?

[lisakaye]

Where di you get the Aromaheel from ? This is totally new for me. Is it caused by mited in the mud or a bacteria that is in the mud?

[grandmadeb]

We use a product fron Seashore Acres for scratches. It wourks great.

[Toodlestoo]

My horse, Tubbs, had a horrible case of scratches last year. It was on his legs and belly. We washed him with a betadine scrub, let him dry completely and put MTG on it every day. We picked off the scabs as they began to flake. He healed up completely. Never had to shave him. Good luck.

[oursarge]

I ordered the aromaheel on line, http://www.aromesse.com/pages/aromaheel.htm The only problem is it has to come from England and it takes a week to 10 days. It is great stuff. Rompy had to be sedated to have the scabs picked off when he lived in VT, he would get very upset just touching it. The frontline was great since I just sprayed and it cleared up but that only works with mites and it sounds like it's mud related which we also had and that's where the aromaheel came in. I use alot of the products from that Co. the only one I didn't like was the Tea Tree Oil Gel but the salves etc. work nice and the hair grows back fast. They aren't cheap but it worked for him. Everything smells good too. I really liked I didn't have to pick anything because he'd get frantic just touching it never mind picking anything off. Good Luck, I know others have things they do to help, like home remedies.

[TheRedHayflinger]

WellHorse is another great product for scratches...but the horses need to be in a dry area (or at least mud that doesn't come up over the hoof)

Mine have never had it, but I've treated horses at the BSA Camp I worked at...we washed the legs with Selsun Blue shampoo and then dried them off...then applied the WellHorse (which also works great for rainrot, fungus of any type, bites, etc)

[FoxFireEMT]

Just a side note: make sure to clean your brushes daily after using then on the horse. It is a pain & may take some time to fully be treated. Hope it all works out for you & hope that mud dries up soon.

[natisha]

I have a jar of scratches medication made up by my vet clinic. I bought it for a horse owned by someone a friend knew. Sadly the horse never had a chance to use it.
I will gladly send it to you if you would like. PM me if you would like it. No charge.