Zinc Oxide question [Archive]

GinnyB

Dec. 29, 2009, 09:42 PM

Hello,
I own a herd of chestnuts thoroughbreds that live outside and have started to get scratches and rain rot from a week of rain. The veterinarian that I use suggested using zinc oxide to protect their legs from the water. I went to the local tack shop and they gave me a zinc oxide and thuja oil concoction that is bright pink to use. It's been about a week and I cannot get this stuff off my horses legs. I have tried to clip the hair off and have gone through three pairs of brand new Oster size 10 blades. It just gums the blades immediately. I have used several different types of horse shampoo. I almost feel like i need a degreaser or something.

Can anyone give me a suggestion to get this stuff off?

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Sanely Eccentric

Dec. 29, 2009, 10:10 PM

My first thought in regards to a degreaser is a Calgon and warm water solution. It's mild to skin, yet cuts grease readily. I would wipe off the excess zinc oxide and then try washing it off with the Calgon solution. You could also use some mild soap in the solution. Rinse when done of course.

I don't know what the tack shop charged for their zinc oxide combo, but I have simply used Desitin (diaper rash ointment made with zinc oxide) for scratches and had it work fairly well.

twhs

Dec. 29, 2009, 10:31 PM

That pink zinc oxide is the only product I've found to get rid of scratches on one of my geldings! But I had shaved my horse before putting it on . . .

Aristeia

Dec. 30, 2009, 12:49 AM

Betadine scrub gets zinc oxide off no problem ...

pharmgirl

Dec. 30, 2009, 07:55 AM

cloudyandcallie

Dec. 30, 2009, 07:58 AM

Just got some of that for my horse's raw heel bulbs. My vet said don't try to scrub it off- if it gets really caked he said just to take a paper towel or something and wipe excess off and just reapply.

I used it to prevent sunburn (on horse) and would just wet a towel and get it off that way. Zinc oxide is great and stays on in rain and sweat. Just collects some sand on it.

Zu Zu

Dec. 30, 2009, 08:30 AM

OK ~ this is just an idea ~ don't yell at me - would an ice cube help remove it or snow - like ice will get bubble gum out of your hair --- like when you fell asleeep with gum in your mouth as a kid and woke up with it plastered :eek: into your hair ! That is what my mother used with my less than bright sister!:lol:

jaimebaker

Dec. 30, 2009, 01:01 PM

Betadine scrub gets zinc oxide off no problem ...

Never worked on mine. I did Dawn Dishwashing liquid, Betadine scrub, Nolvasan scrub, all of it and nothing worked. The only thing that worked for me was Ivory Dishwashing liquid. Just a little bit mixed in water to get it sudsy. Was the only thing that would get that crap off.

I battled scratches for months, had good luck with different things for a while then suddenly they'd quit working or the scratches would build a tolerance I suppose. So far, the only thing that's coming close to getting rid of it is Krudbuster by Cowboy Magic. Which is shocking since it's mostly water. Way easy to use and doesn't leave a film on the legs. The zinc oxide mix (triple antibiotic, desitin, hydrocortisone) worked fine for a while and then just wasn't doing anything anymore.

buck22

Dec. 30, 2009, 01:27 PM

Never worked on mine. I did Dawn Dishwashing liquid, Betadine scrub, Nolvasan scrub, all of it and nothing worked. The only thing that worked for me was Ivory Dishwashing liquid.
hmm, I was going to suggest dawn, liquid castile or nolvasan scrub (works great and is gentle as heck, but yikes the price of it!:eek:) good tip on the ivory! thanks!

jaimebaker

Dec. 30, 2009, 02:42 PM

hmm, I was going to suggest dawn, liquid castile or nolvasan scrub (works great and is gentle as heck, but yikes the price of it!:eek:) good tip on the ivory! thanks!

I thought of all things, the Dawn would have SURELY taken it off. Uggggggggggggghhh...it just smeared it in. I was really at a loss and had some ivory and thought, well, why not. Took it clean off. I have no idea why that worked and the Dawn didn't. This horse had been wearing desitin mixtures for about 5 weeks when I finally decided it just wasn't clearing it up. So, that was 5 weeks of build up. Prior to trying to get it off, I just wiped with a paper towel and reapplied.

buck22

Dec. 30, 2009, 03:01 PM

how odd? original blue dawn is my go-to for any grime cutting :) maybe something about the ivory specifically works on whatever is in the crud you were dealing with

at any rate thanks for the great tip! ivory dish soap I would not have though to have had in my arsenal :)

CrossWinds81

Dec. 31, 2009, 11:43 AM

Glad the Ivory soap worked to get it off...I always have it on hand for washing up my mares' hineys...so that's what gets used for everything else.

I had a new mare with a TERRIBLE case of scratches this summer (she came from CA, and was not yet used to our KY bluegrass). It was DEEP and gooey, really not good. I tried several different remedies to try to get rid of it to no avail, but what turned it around finally, after 2 wks of minimal success, was a diaper cream I found at the grocery store...cannot remember the brand but a tube of it was like $2 it had cammomile and lavender EO's and I think 40% zinc oxide (it was in a purple white and green squeeze tube)...then, the kicker, I "melted" 1-2 tabs of SMZ's and mixed it in with the diaper cream, bandaged the mixture over the offending area...it was healed completely in a matter of 10 days