Rain Rot 101?

[CAJumper]

Well, I checked on my young horse after her first weekend in pasture during a rain storm...and she has rain rot. UGH! It was easily recognizable...but then it dawned on me that I've never actually dealt with this first hand before. So...if anyone has words of wisdom to share, I would greatly appreciate it!

It's rather cold here and she is prone to chill (thinskin, thin fur coat), so I'd rather avoid bathing it at all possible. Are there any other treatments that work besides daily shampoo?

Thanks in advance, everyone!

[cloudyandcallie]

Go to walmart and buy a big bottle of the original flavor Listerine, it will cure the rain rot right away, and you can use it to prevent rain rot.

Or buy a gallon of chlorahexadrine from valleyvet or kvvetsupply.

Both are cheaper and more effective than the expensive eqyss or dermagaard.

And buy tubes of zinc oxide at the drug store to rub on to help the itching.

See the old threads on rain rot under the search button.

Put the Listerine on next time BEFORE the rains so you don't have to use it to "cure" rain rot.

[jazzrider]

Ditto on the listerine, but if you've opened the scabs you might want to dilute it. It can really sting (or so my OTTB who's prone to rain rot and is a complete wuss says).

I have two horses prone to rain rot, and usually spray them with Microtek every few days during the worst times of year. Microtek does well to ward it off. But if I slack off and it gets bad, MTG or Listerine do the trick.

[cevent]

I second microtek and listerine, also witch hazel. Rain rot is such a pain!

[Thomas_1]

You might find something of use here:

http://www.chronicleforums.com/Forum/showthread.php?p=3037753&highlight=dermastophylosis#post3037753

[EqTrainer]

Seriously.. it's not the rain. If that were true, every time it rained we'd all be running out there to treat them for it.

So.. lots of us aren't, because our horses don't get it - and they live out 24/7.

Did your mare just get moved to a new farm? New pasture? Does she have new friends now or is she alone?

"rainrot" or the microorganisms that cause things like it, are always present on your horse. They are opportunistic. That means that if she is stressed because she is in a new situation, she may break out in it, if her immune system is not strong enough to deal with her stress. The rain itself just makes the skin more vulnerable, perhaps, to being attacked.

Chronic skin problems can be a sign of a lot of things - stress, chronic pain, nutrients lacking in diet, as well as other things that do not fall into the normal "skin yukkies" category (and should be scraped and identified by your veterinarian so they can be properly treated).

So while you are treating it with whatever you chose, try to think about why she may have gotten it so you can cure it for real - it's really not the rain.

[CAJumper]

Thanks - I will definitely try the listerine. I have some great anti-everything shampoos in my cabinet which I will use if the weather is nicer...I'd just rather not start there if possible since the weather is rather chilly and we don't have hot water.

I did try the search function first, but I think that "rain rot" is mentioned in so many threads, that I couldn't find anything relevant in the first couple pages of results. So, thanks for the replies. And thank you Thomas_1 for the archive link - lots of useful info!

I know it's not really the rain, but things are pretty darn dry here in CA and this was our first rain of the coming rainy season...so the weather made a dramatic change from dry and warm to damp/humid. Other than the weather, nothing has changed at all in her life. She's been out in a small-ish pasture (maybe 5 acres?) with a mule buddy for her "winter vacation" (she's only 2) since the end of August and has looked great until this week. So I just can't imagine that anything has changed other than the conditions. There's a fair bit of mud now where she lives, but honestly she couldn't stand to roll in it (heaven forbid! :lol:) and is pretty darn clean for a pasture ornament.

I suppose I'll treat it for a week with the shampoos/listerine and call the vet out if she doesn't look dramatically better by then...

Thanks again.

[amastrike]

MTG. Person at my barn used it on her old gelding with horrible rain rot, and after one treatment it was almost completely cured.

[BornToRide]

What EQ trainer said and anyone else along those lines. It means the horse has some weakness that makes them more susceptible to opportunistic invaders. Could be the diet he's on, or could be excess stress or both. Definitely would boost his immune system with antioxidants and also make sure he gets enough minerals for skin health and not too much sugar in the diet which may also be a contributing factor.

[CAJumper]

MTG. Person at my barn used it on her old gelding with horrible rain rot, and after one treatment it was almost completely cured.

Just read the description at Valley Vet, and if it's not too good to be true, it sounds perfect for the situation. This case isn't too horrible, so hopefully it will knock it out quickly. Thanks!

[MidlifeCrisis]

Don't know where you are in the Bay Area, but Western Saddlery carries MTG. I picked some up at one of their racetrack branches.

[Seven-up]

RAIN ROT 101:


Nolvasan Surgical Scrub




Class dismissed. :)

[EqTrainer]

I guess some people enjoy bathing horses more than I do? With 7 or so to care for, I cannot imagine..

it's raining right now :lol:

[Seven-up]

I guess some people enjoy bathing horses more than I do? With 7 or so to care for, I cannot imagine..

it's raining right now :lol:


I'm with you. That's why I use Nolvasan. One bath you're done with it. I think it's silly to use something that you have to use again and again.

[CAJumper]

I'm with you. That's why I use Nolvasan. One bath you're done with it. I think it's silly to use something that you have to use again and again.

See, it was my understanding with skin infections that you have to keep bathing so that you kill the infection as each new layer of skin turns over (every three days...but you don't know when the "turnover" day is). So one bath would kill the infection in the top layer, but then that sheds and the infection is still in the next layer below (7 layers of skin...is that right?). I thought that was the reasoning behind "treat everyday for 1-3 weeks, depending on the severity of infection".

Anyone have thoughts on that?

[Altamont Sport Horses]

I use Chlorahexidine, full strength liquid, and just spray it on the rain rot. I use my hands to rub it in to the skin really well and wet down about 12 inches arond the area that is effected. I used to do it for a couple of days in a row and then lately did it just once and it still cleared it up immediately. No bathing or nonsense. I also use this for scratches. It's great stuff to have around.

ETA: I meant to say 1-2 inches, not 12 inches.

[Seven-up]

See, it was my understanding with skin infections that you have to keep bathing so that you kill the infection as each new layer of skin turns over (every three days...but you don't know when the "turnover" day is). So one bath would kill the infection in the top layer, but then that sheds and the infection is still in the next layer below (7 layers of skin...is that right?). I thought that was the reasoning behind "treat everyday for 1-3 weeks, depending on the severity of infection".

Anyone have thoughts on that?

I don't bother with understanding all that stuff. I just use it and it's gone. That's all I need to know. However, with the surgical scrub, it's what they use to sterilize everything pre-surgery, so it's supposed to just kill it right there. Now, I have had such horrible cases of rain rot that it takes a few baths to really get all the gunk off, so in that instance, it's probably the same as what you're describing.

[JetsBuddy]

Gold Bond Medicated Powder works great too, especially in the colder weather. I buy the generic stuff at WalMart. I sprinkle it on and work it in really well.

[Lori B]

Just updating this thread:

SevenUp is so right. My mare had chronic rain rot on her hind legs. Couldn't beat it. I gave her one very thorough Nolvasan / head and shoulders bath, and 8 months later, still not the first crumb of rain rot. None. It is completely gone.

NOLVASAN RULES.

[Seven-up]

Yay! It's the best product EVER! I couldn't live without it. Glad to hear your mare is now funk-free.

[Ghazzu]

Sunlight and dryness are your friends.

[MunchkinsMom]

At the risk of sounding like a fanatic, I post this on every single rain-rot thread - Equiderma.

Hands down, the best and fastest cure for rainrot out there. No scrubbing picking or bathing required. You apply it once every other day, and it will be gone in less than a week.

http://www.equiderma.com/rainrot.html

This was formulated by a woman that runs a horse rescue in Florida (the rain rot capital of the country). I've used this product on rain rot, fungus, insect bites, and it works!

[Tiligsmom]

How long does the horse need to stay dry once the horse is bathed in ant-fungal shampoo. My gelding and has been out in the sun for 3 days of dry weather, however, it is supposed to rain on Wed. Rain blanket or no blanket?

[Dazednconfused]

What EQ trainer said and anyone else along those lines. It means the horse has some weakness that makes them more susceptible to opportunistic invaders. Could be the diet he's on, or could be excess stress or both. Definitely would boost his immune system with antioxidants and also make sure he gets enough minerals for skin health and not too much sugar in the diet which may also be a contributing factor.

Are you going to blame car accidents, world hunger, and wars on too much sugar in the diet too?

Really? REALLY? Come on now. :lol::lol::lol::lol::rolleyes::dead:

[Seven-up]

How long does the horse need to stay dry once the horse is bathed in ant-fungal shampoo. My gelding and has been out in the sun for 3 days of dry weather, however, it is supposed to rain on Wed. Rain blanket or no blanket?

Will the horse actually stay dry under the blanket? Does any rain seep underneath the blanket, or will the horse sweat, trapping moisture against the skin? I'd be inclined to not put a rain sheet on because of these issues.

I have never covered up a horse to keep it dry in the rain. I don't need to. I use Nolvasan, so the bacteria is killed and the problem is solved. Afterwards, I make sure not to let the horse get dirty and gunky, (because it's easier for water to get trapped in funky fur and stay there) but I don't worry about rain.


You should be fine, depending on what kind of shampoo you used and whether or not you got all the scabs off.