Best barrier cream to use

Innocence

New Member
Jun 1, 2009
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My filly has rain scald on her chest and i'm trying to treat it.

Currently washing it with anti bac/anti fungi shampoo, rinsing and drying, then applying caneston cream.

It does seem better but is there a cream that i can use which will be water proof, soother and heal the affected area?

I'm looking at Dermisol, H-10 (ebay) and barrier heel to hoof.

Any other suggestions welcome.

Thanks
 
I just answered a question on mud fever, so I'll copy and paste my answer to save my typing fingies :D
The principle is exactly the same as rain scald is basically mud fever but on the body. The bacteria causing it is almost always the same strains that cause mud fever (aka greasy heels, cracked heels etc)

Here's my mud fever answer, instead of avoiding bandaging areas (obv not applicable to rain scald) be careful of rugs. If you need to rug (eg your horse is clipped) then use a cotton summer sheet as a base layer and wash it ever couple of days (every day is ideal if you have a spare).

If your horse already has mud fever, you don't want a barrier cream or you will lock the bacteria in. I used to wonder why my horse got a spot of mud fever so I put a cream on (I've used some of the creams mentioned plus Camrosa etc) and wondered why it never seemed to go away despite me applying the cream regularly.
However, putting a barrier cream on forms a lovely warm anaerobic environment for the bacteria to thrive in, so they multiply and before you know it, it's up their cannon bones and they have legs like tree trunks. The best thing to do is to dry the skin out and heal it - constant wetting and drying of the skin causes it to crack (as it does in humans) so try to avoid washing their legs off every night when they come in from the field. It is much better to leave the mud to dry and brush it off. Feeding zinc also supports the skin and helps it stay stronger and hence less likely to crack and allow bacteria in.
Once the horse has mud fever, you need to thoroughly wash the legs (to remove the mud) with a solution of iodine/hibiscrub etc and warm water. Once you've done this, dry the legs with disposable towels (kitchen roll etc) and spray on an antiseptic spray (I prefer iodine) then use wound powder to encourage the wounds to dry up. Leave the scabs alone - picking them off makes a big open wound and guess what gets in....more bacteria. The scabs will come off of their own accord. After this initial wash, keep the horse stabled or turn out in a dry area (such as a school/arena) until the mud fever has gone. Yes it's a pain, but I find a week or two of being in is better than a whole winter at risk of lymphangitis. Two or three times a day, spray the affected areas with the antiseptic spray and use the wound powder. If it's only the heels that are affected, you may find bandaging the legs is helpful but be sure not to cover the wounds with the bandages/fibregee. Remember to bandage not only the affected leg but also the other(s) for support - eg if one hind is affected, you will need to bandage both hind legs.
Depending on the severity of the mud fever, it should be cleared up within a week or so if you keep the horse in. Be sure to keep the bed clean and dry too - deep litter and horses prone to mud fever is never a good idea.
Once the mud fever has completely gone, and you want to turn the horse back out, now it's time for barrier cream to protect the skin from cracking. Nappy rash creams such as Sudocrem, and udder cream are cheap alternatives to expensive "horsie" creams and work just as well. Personally, I use a nappy rash cream on my horses' heels and it works just fine. I also supplement them with zinc from about late August onwards. This winter is the first year I have fed the zinc, and my grey hasn't even got a spot of mud fever and I am not using a barrier cream yet. Normally by September his legs are covered in it - he is very prone to it. One winter he got it so badly that he suffered lymphangitis (a condition affecting the lymphatic system which can be extremely severe and can, in bad cases, leave the horse with permanantly thickened legs). Luckily it was mild and we caught it in time, with help from the vets he made a speedy recovery but it is not something I ever want to see again - he could hardly walk and his legs were massive - he is predominantly TB and his legs were so swollen that I could not get both of my hands to meet around his cannon bone.
Hope this helps
 
Well i have a 13.2HH TB filly who is 7 months old and a cob who is again 13.2HH at 15 months old. So i would imagine 2 a day should be enough or even one ?
 
I would say two :) Perhaps once it is in their systems you could drop it to one for maintainance ...I'm contemplating dropping Stevie to 3 a day but I daren't incase he gets mud fever lol!
 
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