Rain Rot Thanks

[BeckeG@aol.com]

Gosh, thanks to all who posted.  What great information.  I have copied most
of it.
	Our rain rot started last summer.  We were doing a lot of 100 milers to get
ready for the ROC. This horse had a lot of problems and I was having him
Chiropracted once a month.  He is 15 and he was shot (yes, with a gun) three
years ago and still has the bullet in his shoulder. It was interesting that
Heidi mentioned immune suppression.  His selenium is at 190 and E is normal.
Don't know what his Zinc is.  May be worth looking into. He was really ridden
hard when young (owner just didn't know) and maybe the miles, age and early
racing have caught up to him.  I will keep EPM in the back of my mind.
	We did consult a vet last year and their advice was to give penicillin. Did
that twice, once in the fall and once in the spring. No change. Second vet
said to use straight Betadine on scabs until it was gone.  Three weeks later
there was not much change.  This was a continuous case and I was at my wit's
end when I posted.  Why this horse and not the other 3(1 bay and 2 chestnut,
yep, he is a chestnut, too).
	Thank-you all who posted!!! I have sifted through most of the wonderful
advice and condensed it.  Most of you agree there are 2 steps to this problem:
cleaning & treating.
1) Cleaning - Horse needs to be washed with some sort of
antibacterial/antifungal stuff. Some recommend a dandruff shampoo, Captine,
Hibiclens, Betadine scrub, fungus powder, etc. All of you agree that you must
first soften the scabby area and scrap the scabs off before the "soap" will do
any good. 
So we've washed a couple of times with an antifungal wash and really scraped
the scabs off. Some of them are really tough! I've had to soak and brush them
well.
2) Treating- it will not go away on its own.  You must get it under control
with some cream, powder, lotion, etc. I have use Ttree & vinegar, so far.
Also recommende was Calindala spray (I'm off to the health food store again).
Excaliber Sheath Cleaner (I have two bottles of this), Captavet, Tinacin,
Lotrimin, and Gentocin are some of the others to use.  I should be busy
experimenting for weeks if it doesn't go away.

Thank-you all again for this great information.  It will save me weeks in
research and the horse, too.  I will keep you posted.

Becke Grams & Rocky the wonder horse (it's a wonder he is still on the trail)
MW
Tin Cup Spring Ride