Rain scald

swaartpaard

New Member
Mar 10, 2009
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Is rain scald contageous?

My mare had rain scald when I bought her about 6 weeks ago. It cleared up within two weeks but was not weaping or blistering. It was in it's first stages so only flaky skin on her back. Now everone on the yard is saying it is contagious and blaming every flie bite or lump on her...I am going mad.
I know rain scald if from the same family as mud fever and linked to a horse being a bit down and in poor condition, which my mare was def in when i got her. The vet said it is only contagious under certain conditions ect. wet skin with cuts and that it's not the actualy rain scald but the secondary infections they get which is catchy and gave her the all clear. So far 3 vets have given her the all clear. The vet who did the vetting, one of my vets two weeks later and yesterday my own favourite vet said she had no signs of it all. I am going mad with all the people treating her funny, especially as she doesn't have any bald spots anywhere and been like that for 4 weeks now.
 
I have never heard of it being contagious, but you are quite right about secondary infection.

I don't believe mud fever/rainscald is to be contagious BUT the conditions in which a horse lives in will obviousley affect the condition. Therefore any horse who lives in similar conditions will have a chance of getting it.
 
its not tell them to leave your mare alone

its caused by a reaction to the bacteria, same as mud fever, now if your mare had mud fever would they be claiming their horses had caught that off her?

rest assured you and your mare are fine
 
It;s not contagious in the sense flu is contagious but it is caused by bacteria the same as mudfever and so horses living in the same conditions will come in to contact with the same bacteria, therefore more than one horse in the same field can contract it and they can contract it from each other i.e. if you were to use the same rug on a horse that had rainscald it is likely you would pass the bacteria over for example.
 
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