Scratches in Horses

The very beginnings of scratches.

What is Scratches?

Scratches is a rather generic term for a type of EPD. Equine pastern dermatitis is a broad phrase describing skin infections and problems of the horse’s lower leg. It includes mud fever, scratches, and all of the synonyms for it, and other causes like UV sensitivity.

Scratches describes an infection caused by bacteria and fungus, supported by moisture and hair that creates a petri dish on the legs.

Early detection will accomplish a few things – smaller vet bills, more effortless healing, and less pain for your horse. When you diligently complete your daily leg inspection and find a little bump or scab? That’s the time to act. If you check your horse’s legs daily, you will likely catch scratches before significant damage happens.

Causes of scratches in horses

The tricky aspect of EPD and scratches is that there are many causes. EPD can be triggered by:

• bacteria
• fungus
• a liver problem
• UV sensitivity
• allergies

Scratches, specifically, involve bacteria and fungus, and there are definite contributing factors that create the perfect petri dish for skin infections to brew:

• A muddy environment harbors tons of microbes.
• Dirty shavings and bedding contribute to unsanitary conditions that also harbor microbes.
• Harsh chemicals like detergents and some horse shampoos will strip the skin of their natural oils, allowing infections to take hold.
• Unpigmented legs where the skin is pink are more susceptible to infection.
• Draft breeds and other feathered horses trap moisture and microbes in that hair, although scratches can also happen in horses without feathers.
• Underlying allergies, mites, or lice that irritate the skin may invite microbes to invade.

Finding the cause is always in your horse’s best interest as the clinical signs worsen over time.

This horse’s scratches have healed nicely, with a little bit more to go. 

Signs of scratches

Every horse may show clinical signs differently, but most commonly, you will see early signs of infection show up as:

• Hairless patches with irritated skin
• Small scabs that often morph into more extensive scabs that travel up the leg
• Swelling of the skin
• Crusty sores that may crack open and ooze
• Soreness in the leg
• Lameness
• Itchiness or sensitivity to being touched in the area

Complications of scratches

Secondary infections, besides the infection spreading up the cannon bone, are a concern. Other microbes can hitch a ride and complicate things.

Swelling may also increase and split the skin, creating open sores.

Lameness can be minor or quite disabling in severe cases. These situations extend the healing process and cause your horse undue pain.

How is Scratches Diagnosed?

Your vet needs to gather a few things to make a diagnosis of your horse’s skin condition.

This includes a physical exam to check the skin and observe for lameness. If you have been treating the area yourself, sharing the products and topicals used is essential, as this helps your vet narrow down the causes.

Your vet can perform a skin scraping, where cells are scraped from the affected areas and examined microscopically. This simple test checks for Chorioptes mites and other ectoparasites that invade the skin.

Your vet may want to take samples of the area for cultures, which are lab procedures to duplicate the offending microbes and determine the best treatment. It’s sometimes called a culture and sensitivity test, where the samples are exposed to different medications to gauge their sensitivity to treatment options.

There’s the option for a biopsy to examine the tissue further and root out any other possible causes. Hopefully, it will never get this far, but it might.

This case is cracked, oozy, and the scab is quite large.  

Horse Scratches Treatment Options

Ideally, you can keep your horse’s lower legs clean and dry.

On top of that, you have many treatment options, all of which must align with the cause of the skin problem. There’s no use in treating your horse for a bacterial infection when the real culprit is sunlight or liver problems. You can try:

• Topical and systemic antibiotics
• Prescription shampoo
• Steroids, topical and oral
• Horse socks cover the lower limbs and protect the area. They can get wet, and silver-infused socks have antimicrobial properties, too.
• Topical concoctions can include zinc oxide, topical antibiotics, or other medications mixed in.

YUCK YUCK YUCK… but then it gets better!

Should you pick the scabs?

Your vet should advise you about picking the scabs. The wild world of the internet tells us two things about this method when treating skin infections – it helps or hinders.

Yes, pick the scabs when:

The scabs prevent topical meds from reaching the area.

Now – the conundrum – how to do that without making the already irritated skin angrier!

It’s recommended that you use an oxydex shampoo or malaseb shampoo to start. Lather those legs, and let it sit for 10 minutes.

Then, massage off the scabs carefully with either your fingertips or a pimple mitt. The real trick is doing all this without making the skin angrier.

Gently rinse the shampoo, and don’t use the “jet” setting on your hose’s nozzle.

The case for leaving the scabs alone:

Some horses may respond better if the hair and scabs are left alone. Scabs allow the skin to heal properly and will fall off when ready. There is some logic to leaving them alone.  

Picking scabs is also painful! Why do this to your horse?

This case is healing nicely, and new pink skin is starting to grow hair. 

Clipping the area

Anything you can do to help your horse stay clean and dry is excellent. That includes clipping! You will be able to see the area better and track progress.

With extraneous hair removed, you remove any hairy obstacles to applying topical meds and hopefully put the petri dish moisture-farm out of business.

Preventing Equine Scratches

The best way to prevent skin problems and possible secondary skin infections is to keep your horse’s legs clean and dry.

Some tips about your horse’s bedding and paddock:

Clean and strip stalls and outdoor sheds regularly to maximize the cleanliness your horse stands and rests in.

Do your best to keep their favorite areas a dry environment.

Practice good turnout, pasture, or paddock rotation to minimize mudding conditions.

Dry legs after bathing or turnout in heavy dew or wet pastures to minimize moisture on the skin.

Grooming tips:

During your grooming routine, keep your eyes and fingers on your horse’s legs daily. Your primary defense against scratches is careful observation of your horse’s skin.

Clip the lower legs to facilitate the drying of the skin.

Use gentle shampoos sparingly to preserve your horse’s sebum, those natural oils that protect the skin.

Talk to your vet about special shampoos, like antifungal shampoo, or other topical treatment options if you notice a skin irritation brewing.

Dietary support:

Feed your horse a well-balanced diet that is forage-based and filled with appropriate vitamins, minerals, and fats to ward off scratches in horses.

Omega-3 fatty acids support skin and coat health. They also add shine and bloom to the coat. Flax, chia, and fish oils are great options.

These Silver Whinnys keep the scratches infection clean and dry. You can absolutely get the Sox gross and muddy and wet.

Risk Factors – Which Horses are More Susceptible?

Draft horses and feathered horses are most susceptible to developing scratches. Horses with white hair and pink skin are high on the list, too.

Then you have horses with poor nutrition, diseases that affect skin health and immunity, muddy conditions, and improper grooming.

Horses with allergies, hypersensitivity to insects, a general tendency to develop minor cuts and such on the lower legs, and any way to irritate the skin of the lower legs are also more likely to cultivate scratches.

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