Rainscald
Misery
Q: My Thoroughbred mare suffers form rainscald. I have tried a supplement
and a couple of creams for hair re-growth.

I keep
a rug on her as much as possible and have her rugs cleaned regularly.
I have also stopped giving her garlic as someone suggested that
this may help. However despite all my efforts, nothing has helped.
A: A
rainscald is a bacterial infection of the skin. Normally cases are
cured quickly with antibiotic washes but it sounds as if your horse
if having a particularly difficult time.
The main problem
may be a depleted immune system, which is unable to fight off superficial
infections. When the immune system is weak it can be almost impossible
to get rid of even relatively simple problems.
My usual recommendation
in such cases is the use of Cedar based supplements which provides an excellent action
when combined with other herbs which help the skin.
Ringworm and
other fungal infections also respond well. There are many other
herbs which have a strong effective action against such bacteria
but, in my experience nothing beats cedar in such cases.
We use a combination
of four products: a powder as a food supplement to tackle
the problem from the inside and a wash in a strong liquid form
to tackle the bacteria from the outside. We also use
specific creams
for local spots helpful with more severe problem areas and immune system support formulas. I would not worry too much
about garlic. Although not all horses are suited to the plant, only
a very small number will experience a worsening of skin conditions
it fed too much garlic.
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about Rainscald (2)
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