Re: Scratches

[CMKSAGEHIL@aol.com]

My basic scratches recipe is 1/3 DMSO, 1/3 nitrofurazone ointment (Furacin in
one brand name), and 1/3 one of the "bendazole" dewormers.  (I used to use
thiabendazole paste for deworming cattle, but it is off the market--you can
still get it from pharmaceutical formularies, but the other "bendazole"
dewormers also seem to be fungicidal.)

If the case is particularly bad, I also put the horse on sulfa-dimethatrim
antibiotic orally (SMZ tablets) and if there is a lot of swelling or redness,
I also assume that the horse is having an allergic response to the problem and
needs to be on dexamethasone (Azium is one brand name) or another steroid for
the first few days of treatment.  I don't do these two things routinely,
though--only if there is an indication that the horse needs them.  If horses
have particularly persistent scratches, or if they keep getting it over and
over, I also wonder about them having a less-than-functional immune system,
and I start looking at things like selenium levels (routine here, but not as
much of a problem in some places), stress levels, etc.  Scratches is a complex
problem that involves bacterial and fungal dermatitis, often with an allergic
component; sometimes you get by with only treating one aspect, but more often,
you have to address most or all of them.

Zinc oxide (Desitin is one brand name) is very good for minor cases, or for
keeping freshly healed cases from recurring.  Unlike the above listed
medications, zinc oxide is not absorbed and is legal to use at rides, so it is
the treatment of choice in competition.  For horses prone to scratches, I
recommend slathering their heels, pasterns, and higher up if need be with zinc
oxide before, during, and after rides.

Heidi Smith, DVM--Sagehill Arabians (Oregon)