"Scratches" is a name commonly given to a skin problem on the lower
legs of horses, caused by a fungus (and sometimes complicated by
bacteria). The affected area becomes crusted, scabby and thickened,
creating bumps and sometimes open sores. In severe cases the affected
skin may ooze or the whole lower leg may swell, and the horse may
become lame. This skin condition most commonly affects the white leg
markings (unpigmented skin) more readily than dark skin, since the
unpigmented skin is not as tough-and more apt to chaff and scrape,
opening the way for infection.
Scratches is an inflammation of the skin (dermatitis) and the most
common cause seems to be the fungus Sporotrichum schenki. Some horses
seem to be more susceptible than others, just as some seem more
vulnerable to other fungal infections such as ringworm and girth itch.
The fungus lives in organic matter and enters through breaks in the
skin when the horse walks through contaminated pastures or muddy,
swampy areas. Under nourished horses and horses of poor
health seem to be more suseptable to "Scratches" but healthy horses
have been known to develop this condition too.
The dermatitis that results is basically an inflammation of the deeper
layers of the skin, sometimes involving the blood and lymph vessels.
The most common site of inflammation is the pastern and fetlock area,
often in the heel and back of the pastern where the foot bends. The
involved skin becomes warmer, reddish and thickened. Then the skin
surface becomes scabby and cracked, and if the condition is not treated
it usually becomes badly cracked and oozing and spreads to include
larger areas. Infection may also spread to the inner tissues and is
sometimes complicated by bacterial infection as well. The thickened
skin may come off, leaving bare spots covered with rough skin, or raw
areas.
Traditional treatments for scratches were astringents like methylene
blue, iodine mixed with glycerine, or ointments made with zinc oxide,
nitrofurazone and steroids. But a better treatment, recommended by
several veterinarians, is a mix of nitrofurazone, DMSO and Panacur
wormer. I have recently had great success using
this mixture after trying for several months using various other
treatments including iodine mix's, clorox mix's and soaking her legs in
clorox water. The nitrofurzone (i recomend trying the
fura-free that is now on the market), DMSO, & Panacur mixture
really worked well for my horse. (directions to follow)
Some of the paste wormers that should work for this treatment
are fenbendazole (marketed as Safe-Guard or Panacur), cambendazole,
oxybendazole (marketed as Anthelcide EQ), oxfendizole (trade name
Benzelmin) and mebendazole.
The area on the horse's leg to be treated should first be scrubbed
thoroughly to remove all dirt, then the mixture can be applied to the
affected part of the leg. The day prior to appling the
panacur/dmso/nitrofurozone treatment I applied fura-free to my mares
legs and covered them with saran wrap and vet wrap. 24 hours
later when I removed the wrap most of the scabs pulled off with the
saran wrap and it seemed to be much less painful for my mare than
trying to scrub the scabs off.
The mix should be one part nitrofurazone ointment (an antibiotic salve)
or similar product, one part dewormer paste containing thiabendazole or
any of the other benizmidazoles, and one part DMSO. These ingredients
can be obtained from a veterinarian.
The DMSO (dimethyl sulfoxide) helps reduce swelling and inflammation,
and also helps the fungicide (the wormer paste's active ingredient)
penetrate the area deeply and thoroughly, taking the medication into
the underlying tissues. The nitrofurazone combats any bacterial
infection that may accompany the condition, and it helps buffer the
DMSO so it won't burn or irritate the tissues. The wormer paste kills
the fungus.
The dewormer is the safest type of fungicide to use in conjunction with
DMSO, according to our veterinarian, since it is an oral medication,
safe to use internally in the body. Harsh or poisonous fungicides like
iodine should never be used with DMSO because the DMSO carries the
medication into the body and could cause serious problems.
The affected area should be well cleaned before applying the
medication, so no dirt or outside contaminants are carried into the
deeper tissues by the DMSO. Warm water is usually adequate for washing
the leg, and a handy way to apply it is with a well-rinsed dishwashing
detergent squeeze bottle, using your fingers to remove any dirt that is
clinging to the leg from the ointment applied at the last doctoring
session.
After the area is washed with warm water and is very clean, it should
be dried it with a towel. The skin should not be wet when the mixture
is applied. A mix can be made that will be enough for several
doctorings, or it can be mixed up fresh each time-just the amount
needed for one application. It can be easily stirred up with a finger,
in a small wide-mouth jar. If a person doesn't want skin contact with
the DMSO, rubber gloves can be used to mix it and to apply it to the
leg.
Mixed with nitrofurazone ointment, the DMSO doesn't burn or irritate
the skin or raw tissues like it can when used by itself, but a person
may still "taste" it if your skin comes into contact with it. If using
bare fingers to mix or apply the medication, hands should be washed
immediately afterward. (I frequently end up with DMSO on my
skin and the taste has never bothered me)
If applied daily, this mixture usually clears up scratches faster than
traditional treatments. Bandaging, even in severe cases, is
unnecessary, and can actually be detrimental to fast healing. The
moisture should not be held in.
With this treatment a bad case of scratches can be cleared up even if
the horse must be ridden and continues to get the area wet and dirty
when traveling through mud or on a dusty trail. The leg should be
washed and medicated each day after the ride. For a really resistant
case that has bacterial complications, you can also give the horse oral
sulfa tablets to help combat the bacterial infection, and dexamethasone
to aid in reducing the swelling and inflammation, according to our
veterinarian.
The best prevention for scratches is to keep white-legged horses out of
muddy pastures. The fungus, once introduced into a pasture, remains
there indefinitely, and horses are apt to pick it up when there are
cracks or breaks in the skin. Pink skin chaps, cracks or nicks more
easily than tougher, darker skin; that's why the problem is most common
in horses with white leg markings. If a horse must walk through mud or
water often, the skin may tend to chap or crack more readily, and the
fungus may be picked up from the mud. Scratches can also be a problem
in winter pastures, and even dry summer pastures if the fungus exists
in the dust and dirt and is introduced through breaks in the skin. But
if caught early, a few treatments will clear scratches right up. A more
serious, neglected case will take a bit longer.
Before and after 2 treatmens of the Panacure/ DMSO/Nitrofurozone
Treatment.
