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RE: [RC] Scratches question for Vet Heidi - heidi
Sorry to be slow in replying. Been hectic the past couple of
days.
Whether or not I would wrap would depend on the circumstances. If
it is nice and dry with no mud, I'd rather have the drying effect. If it is sloppy out, I'd wrap.
Keep in mind that scratches is due to a bacterium that behaves very
much like a fungus. That's why the mix of the nitrofurazone (a broad-spectrum antibiotic) and thë "bendazole" dewormer. The DMSO helps to get both deep where they are needed.
This bug is also an opportunist, and often there is some immunosuppression or other immune issue in horses that are affected. In our selenium-deficient area, giving selenium is helpful--both to horses that already have it, to help them recover, and to horses that get it chronically, to help to prevent recurrence. Horses that have been undernourished (like many rescues) are obviously more susceptible.
In some really severe cases, a systemic antibiotic is also needed--oral
sufa-trimethoprim was always my drug of choice when that was necessary.
There is also sometimes an allergic/inflamatory component to the
problem--if there is a lot of swelling, I will either add some dexamethasone to the topical mixture or give either one injection of dexamethasone or one dose of oral prednisone. Really seems to help to initially get the really bad cases under control, but don't keep it up, because steroids are also immunosuppressive.
Heidi
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