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scratches 6

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 MUD FEVER   -   SCRATCHES


dear sara ....My clydesdale has a severe case of mud fever (scratches), which I have been working on for over 2 years now.  I have tried numerous products suggested by vets... various homemade remedies. ...The products suggested by vets are costly and do not always work. ...Some products they suggested have had good results but very expensive.....  I have asked the advice of  anyone I meet that owns or works with horses, ..especially draft horses. ...old time farmers and horse owners are a wealth of knowledge... they are pleased to pass this knowledge on to ...newer  generations of horse owners 
Below I have listed some homemade remedies 
 
cornstarch and "polisporin
Apply the connstarch directly to  cleaned sores to  soothe and relieve pain and itch
leave cornstarch on sores for a short period ( about 5 minutes) then apply "polisporin" over top of the cornstarch.....This remedy worked quite well to reduce the sores and provide some relief from the itching and is quite reasonable to buy at most local drug stores or grocerie stores.

bag balm
This product is available at most co-ops or local reed stores and can work  well on most
minor cases of mud fever

Rawleigh's Antiseptic Ointment
This product is only available through a Rawleigh dealer
Home made treatment
1 cup non brand listerine type mouth wash
several tablespoons "murph's oil soap"
2 tablespoons "Lotriman" AF (or non brand)
The listerine cleanses and disinfects, the lotriman (jock itch medication) kills yeast 
murphy's oil soap softens skin which relieves itching and protects the hair from breakage
tumbleweed@primus.ca

yahoo scratches forum discussions 2008
yahoo forum member writes in
here are the replys yahoo members wrote in with
and  commentary by sara shalda

initial question
How can I cure a bad case of scratches on my Clydesdales legs?

a really bad case of scratches on the rear legs.  I have never had this happen in the 17 years I have had him. I need to do something quick. Its 9 degrees here today so washing is out of the question.
I have started to clip the hair off but decided to figure out what exactly to do first. Please help
Thanks to all of you for your great advise and support.  I found some MTG at a store last night and will start with that .  I know this sounds crazy but since I have shaved his legs ---will he he get frost bite on them? Geeze, its always something.
yahoo member reply ...
Washing really is the last thing you want to do. Clip the hair all off, then put iodine on it, or something antifungal that you have. Keep the area clean, since mud shouldn't be a problem with it being freezing there. But leave it open to keep dry, do not keep wraps on it.Your not being abusive, scratches happen and moreso on horses like your clyde with the feathers. No worries girl, its not your fault. Its a fungus from being wet alot, hard to keep feathers dry. Relaxxxxxx lol :) EDIT- I would put shipping boots or wrap polos lightly around his legs if your worried about frostbite. I have a bare butted donkey with no fur on his rear that has been in -20 and been fine. Before the critics scream, vet appt on monday :) but he should be fine, but if your worried you can do the above
sara shalda commentary
the above advice from this forum member is not helpful...iodine will not cure clydesdale scratches maybe regular horse scratches-but not clyde scratches....nothing will cure it completely....and washing
you must wash the legs to remove scabs no two ways about it.....if it is nine degrees out figure out a way to get out of the wind.....make a little wind break.....bring your horse in the garage if you have to
but you must wash him with warm water...you must closely examine the lesions.....the scabs must be removed....this has to be done very gently.........many shampooings-many conditionings....blow drying by hand...not with a comb......you need to keep removing scabs as you blow........the dryer the hair gets the looser the scabs get......the scabs are formed around each hair.......it is very difficult to remove them' they are sticky when wet......let me repeat this is important........they are sticky when wet.....as they get dryer they start comming out more.......but only if the hair is clean  really  really  clean
iodine will dry the skin out way too much and it will sting........being kicked by a clydesdale  is....well...you know.......you must wash the legs

original yahoo member reply
 i talked to my vet and started antibiotics and some bute to relieve the inflamation.
He has some antifungal wash that he uses on his drafts and says its the only thing he has seen work. Betadine isnt strong enough. Shaving when it warms up a bit.
Thanks for your help and support

sara shalda commentary
this wont work either-well not in the long run anyway......at first the super great super expensive shampoo will work.......remarkably well-definitely you will notice......but its not actually the shampoo doing the greatness it is you.......the simple act of shampooing the sores everyday
will always have a marked improve
ment......this shampoo is insanely expansive and it can be too drying to the skin......you are better off just going with plain old panteen moisturizing formula
followed by conditioner.....skin never dries out and you wont go broke buying shampoo
also...the demon will adapt to this new application......
soon it will have no effect whatsoever
you probably will be like me and wash more shampooings to increase effectiveness but it will only dry out the skin further and your nightmare will grow
another yahoo answer
I always used betadine salve...just the kind you pick up at any store. It works great
sara shalda commentary
the reason this salve works so great is either of two things
the horse she is treating does not have true clydesdale scratches
or
if she is treating a clyde
the betadine is not the healing ingredient it is the petrolium base itslef......if she washes the leg...it is nice and clean...thats good.....and if she applies the balm immediately thereafter.....she puts a barrier between the nice clean skin and the environment
this will immediately have a positive effect on a clyde...but it wont last
after a couple weeks the demon will figure it out  and adapt...it will no longer work...sorry
most vets dont know how to treat true clydesdale scratches
they only know the kind of scrathes light horses get the kind my quarter horses used to get

  another yahoo member reply
MTG- Mane Tail Grow.  It will get rid of pretty much anything fungal.  It's easy to use doesn't smell great, sorta messy but it has worked for me in as quickly as 2-5 days It also doubles as a mane and tail de-tangler and you can use it to help  your horse's mane and tail grow longer. It is fabulous.
sara shalda commentary
the above is actually pretty good i like mtg as well but you still need to shampoo and condition and blow dry......please do not clip the feathers......they horse needs those....they will protect the leg once it is clean
another yahoo answer
TRY TO KEEP HIS LEGS DRY AS POSSABLE.  THEN APPLY DESITIN OR SIMILAR DIAPER RASH CREAM.  DON'T LAUGH, IT WORKS GREAT AND THE PRICE IS RIGHT ALSO GOOD LUCK!
sara shalda commentary

yep desitin works good but its not really  as effective as some of my other treatments but it will help...yes you should try it...you still have to shampoo and conditon and blow dry
another yahoo answer

find a fungus or scratches shampoo and wash with warm water.  it shouldnt be that large or any area  you show be able to dry the legs  pretty quickly. sorry i do not know the name of the stuuf i use to get rid of scratches.
sara shalda commentary
blow dry 100%  much  as possible yes the right answer....warm water yes the right answer
any good qualaity moisturizing shampoo will work nice
ly
another yahoo answer
Honestly I would clip the hair off, and then leave it alone.  When my mare had scratches it seemed like the more I tried to get rid of it, the worse it got. As soon as I left it alone, it started to go away.  And once I brought her back home from the boarding stable she was at, it went away completely. I would leave his legs alone for now, and try to let it heal on its own . But make sure you clean out your
 paddocks when the weather is nice enough. That's what's causing i
t.

sara shalda comment
this ladys horse did not have clydesdale scratches...it had regular horse scratches
if you have a clydesdale-you have clydesdale scratches
if you do nothing you horse will die

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