From: rmvale@watnow.uwaterloo.ca (Ruth Vale)
Subject: Re: "Rain Scald"?
Organization: University of Waterloo
Date: Mon, 9 Nov 1992 15:48:57 GMT

In article <1992Nov8.181959.2043@mnemosyne.cs.du.edu> fburton@nyx.cs.du.edu (Francis Burton) writes:
>Rain scald is caused by the same infectious organism as the mud fever (mud
>rash) that my horse had a couple of months ago. You can get rid of it, but
>it may take a while - there is no miracle lotion that will clear it up
>overnight (at least not that I know of). 
>
>The causal organism is _Dermatophilus congolensis_. This is an
>actinomycete, which is a bacterium, not a fungus.

Thanks for the detailed information.  I'm dealing with a round of mud-fever
right and you are so right.  It takes a while to clear up.  Just when I
think it is all over, I find another spot on the other side of her foot
which was clear yesterday.....

I'm using nitrofurazine ointment which is an anti-bacterial ointment - a
green, slimy colour and texture that had my farrier convinced she had a
serious systemic infection but that's another story.  Along with the
mud fever I've got a seriously strained tendon, so what's good for one
is bad for the other.

>probably alright, though there are some other solutions which are less
>harsh to living tissue, e.g. povidone-iodine ("tamed" iodine - sold in the
>UK with the name Pevidine), chlorhexidine or 0.5% chloramphenicol
>solution. 

My vet warned me against harsh cleansers - tend to do as much damage as
healing.  The nitrofurazine is actually quite soothing to *my* skin,
so it must feel okay for the horse.
>
>It's worth bearing in mind that the scabs can often be too thick for
>effective treatment unless they are removed, but that wholesale removal
>can be very painful. 

A sweat using some saran wrap over the scabs seemed to make it easier
to remove them, although I'm not sure how to do this on a body part other
than the leg.  My vet told me to keep using the sweat for 2-3 days and
then picking off the scabs and if they weren't gone by then "I wasn't
being aggressive enough".  And you're right - it is painful but getting
them off quickly seems to have speeded healing.  Don't let a little
bleeding stop you - those scabs have to come off for healing to start. 

This stuff is really messy - It cuts down on the damage to the bandages
if you put some gauze (I'm using sheets 12x8 inches, comes in rolls and
you can get it at a human drug store) over the salve.  After the scabs
are off, keep applying the ointment or they'll reappear.  It helps to
apply the gauze over the salve and keep bandaging loosely to keep the
area clean if the horse is still being turned out.  I was warned that
treatment may have to continue for some weeks.

Keep in mind this stuff is contagous - wash your hands before you touch
another horse and make sure that you're not accidentally contaminating
something or someone else when you're handling the scabby stuff.

>remove the scabs to prevent reinfection. However, the affected area may
>become extremely painful in which case your horse will resent your efforts
>to pick/comb/scrape them off. In severe cases, antibiotics (typically
>penicillin plus streptomycin) are useful. Also, I have used Animalintex
>dressings to soften scabs around the heels and pastern, making them easier
>to remove by picking (yuck!), but not for too many consecutive days, as I
>didn't want the bugs to spread and establish themselves in the warm wet
>environment under the dressing. 

It seems to help to wash the leg carefully after picking - I'm using warmish
water from the tap rather than cold because it is 0C (32F) or less these
days and water from the well is *cold*.  In any case - MAKE SURE the leg
is dry, rub with a towel and test with your hand before applying the
ointment.  Keep the horse in dry footing if the fever is affecting the
foot, or use a blanket over the body, but take care not to ]
infect another with the towel or blanket.

>Eventually, you'll manage to get rid of the scabs and the hair will start
>to grow back.  Unfortunately, you'll probably find rain scald recurs the
>next wet season. The best (only?) way to prevent it is to keep your
>horse's skin from getting too wet and/or muddy. 
>
>--
>Francis Burton      Physiology, Glasgow University, Glasgow G12 8QQ, Scotland.
>041 339 8855 x8085  | JANET: F.L.Burton@glasgow.ac.uk  !net: via mcsun & uknet
>"A horse! A horse!" | INTERNET: via nsfnet-relay.ac.uk BITNET: via UKACRL

Keep in mind that the treating of mud-fever is time consuming.  I'm spending
three hours or more daily out at the barn to do chores and to treat Spring
and that doesn't include any riding, even if Fancy needs it.  Three hours
used to include a two hour ride :-(.  Hope this clears up soon, but with
the tendon trouble we could be out of commission for a while.

Someday when this doctorate pays off, I'll ship both of us to Florida
for the winter - meanwhile, we just muddle thru!

Ruth
-- 
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  I know that you believe you understand what you think I said, but I am
    not sure you realize that what you understand is not what I meant.
=========================== rmvale@watnow.uwaterloo.ca ======================