What is the crud under her forelock?

[JennyandJosey]

So I noticed last week Josey was itching her head on the wall in the barn like crazy. This is not a normal thing for her. She's been itchy in that area this Spring but I thought it was on her neck along her mane and I thought I took care of it. I felt around under her forelock and there's gunky crud on her forehead. I'm assuming it's some kind of fungus so I've been picking it and putting listerine (anti-fungal) on it. It's hard to get at because it's under the forelock and I can't see it all. When I pick it off hair usually comes with it. It's really only been a week since I noticed it. Is there anything else I can treat it with that would be more effective? I don't have pictures and am not sure if I could get any good ones since it's under her forelock.

[WashingtonBay]

Just wash it real good and see. I bet it clears up. Could just be funky gunk from a winter without a bath, accumulated grime and oils, spring shedding, and a little fungus taking hold.

[walkinthewalk]

If you are seeing yellow crusty gunk and maybe even a funny/disgusting looking bit of liquid, my money is on old tick bites.

If the horse isn't too tall, get on a stool, part the forelock hair and wipe the sore spot with a paper towel. If you can see a hole (or the remnants of one), I promise you it's a tick bite<-------------just ask how I know that:mad:

In the cases of tick bites, I make a 50-50 mix of diaper rash cream and hemerhoid cream because:

1. Diaper rash cream will help keep other biting bugs off the open sores and help it heal.

2. Hemerhoid cream or ointment IS for soft tissue swelling/itching. Those tick bites itch horribly and this will help reduce swelling/itching/pain.

That all being said, if this turns out to be a tick bite, but start looking in the crest of the main, under the jowels, and in all the moist areas because that won't be the only tick bite your horse has or will have. Ask me how I know that too:mad:

Hope this helps:cowboy:

[pasolover2]

I agree with walkinthewalk. My horse Ace has that same thing in his mane and it is from old tick bites. Ticks seem to be bad here in my area this year. He had old bites up and down his neck under his mane which is very thick and long. I check my horses everyday, but for some reason missed those first ones, but did catch others and pulled them all with tweezers. I checked around their back end, including the anus area and both spotted gelding were covered in ticks all around that area, between the back legs and even under the tail, Jack had one very bloated tick and would not have caught it if I hadn't caught him scratching that area. I can see I will be busy on tick watch this year. Today I hope to get some fly/tick spray and keep them sprayed. Right now I have used a bit of MTG on them and so far no ticks, guess the sulfur is keeping them at bay now. I rubbed some in each horses mane, tail, along the butt cheeks and on each leg where I figured they may crawl and yesterday no ticks.

[Horseaholic]

My guess is on rain rot. If they are little scabs and hair comes with I'd bet on rain rot. Prado had a tick bite once under his chin and it was DISGUSTING. Puss and swollen but he's also been covered in rain rot too which is almost like a black greasy/tar-like kind of scab that you can feel and pick off...hair always comes with and can have pus as well. You could try MTG (never worked for Prado but works really well for other ppl I know) or "Eqyss" shampoo and spray.its a black bottle and will say "micro-teck" Smells great too! After a wash of antifungul shampoo (they prefer their brand...NO IODINE if you choose to use the spray ) it should clear up pretty fast.

Good luck!

[Horseaholic]

Pasolover- try Equispot. I used that on Prado after he had a tick at the woodsy boarding facility I had him at and it worked great. You put it on all the hot spots for a tick basically

[pasolover2]

Michelle that would be the spot on, right? I have used that and had good results, but has to be reapplied every two weeks and can get expensive when you have four horses to treat.:p I heard and read from a lot of testimonials, if can be trusted, that Endure fly spray is good. Thinking of using that or getting a concentrate and mix my own, have done that many times and had good results, just hard to find a good concentrate for horses that is not only for cattle or hogs. Checked all my crew today, still no ticks, except for one on Ace's leg and it wasn't attached yet. Ticks and flies, the only two things I hate about warmer weather.:mad:

[IrisGreen]

Matty got rain rot or some kind of fungus on the sides of his back bone. He's out of shape so there's a divot along the sides of his spine and it collects dirt and grim. He's developing his top line muscles more sense he's been with me but it was really noticeable when I got him that there was a "bowl" running down the sides of his back bone from lack of muscle,it's filling in now.

I used Mane and Tail Pro-Tect shampoo. It's the normal Mane and Tail shampoo but with added anti-fungal medication. It's pretty cheap to buy the big bottle of it and you can wash there whole body with it, let it sit for a few minuets then rinse. I like to use a spray and wash type of hose attachment. I buy the small one by Mane and Tail, use the shampoo then fill it up with my own. It sprays deep into the coat and suds up nice in the mane and tail area so you know your getting it down in there good.

[OneHorseRanch]

My guess would be gnats. They just started attacking in the last few days and one of the places they like on my gelding is his forelock. The other areas the gnats seem to like are where the front legs meet the torso, the chest, the belly and of course the private parts. I use either vasoline or skin so soft in those areas to repel them.

[Horseaholic]

Michelle that would be the spot on, right? I have used that and had good results, but has to be reapplied every two weeks and can get expensive when you have four horses to treat.:p I heard and read from a lot of testimonials, if can be trusted, that Endure fly spray is good. Thinking of using that or getting a concentrate and mix my own, have done that many times and had good results, just hard to find a good concentrate for horses that is not only for cattle or hogs. Checked all my crew today, still no ticks, except for one on Ace's leg and it wasn't attached yet. Ticks and flies, the only two things I hate about warmer weather.:mad:

yea. I guess that could get pretty expensive for 4 horses! :p Yea, I know a few fly sprays say they protect against ticks but idk if I trust em ;) .

[JennyandJosey]

I thought of ticks but I just don't think that's it. I've seen big ticks and it doesn't seem like that. I'll have to get some anti-fungal shampoo and try that. She needs a bath but the weather has been so yucky here I haven't been able to do that this year yet.

[walkinthewalk]

I thought of ticks but I just don't think that's it. I've seen big ticks and it doesn't seem like that. I'll have to get some anti-fungal shampoo and try that. She needs a bath but the weather has been so yucky here I haven't been able to do that this year yet.

The antifungal shampoo will be great regardless of whether it's rainrot or tick bites. That kind of shampoo will help settle the skin down in either case.

I spent 4-1/2 hours this morning giving my four their first baths of the year because weather and my days off work hadn't matched up until now. Even the antzy guy was happy to see the bath bucket this morning - didn't flick an ear or throw his head up once - lol lol

Clipped all that pretty fetlock hair off them, shaved their ankle joints and jowels down good too; that way I can see the ticks easier and they're not so prone to scratches that way. My pastures are very acidic, therefore a fungus breeding ground when the high temps & humidity move in. <----THAT is a whole nuther subject for another thread because it directly relates to why some (not all) horses have chronic thrush/scratches issues:(