RE: Scratches

["Thomas, Barb" <thomas@amgen.com>]

Are we calling two different things by the same name when talking about
scratches?  "Scratches" as I've known them for years are a fungal infection
usually in the fetlock area that crack, weep and are generally gross and
take a long time to heal.  Now, some folks that do desert multi-days talk
about getting "scratches" several days into the ride.  Seems to be as a
result of traveling across the alkali desert soil, mixed with wet legs from
sweat and cooling them off at vet checks.  It gets all gross, cracked and
weepy, too but seems to be a chemical "burn" type of scratches which may
respond well to things like Tammy's ointment.  Is this right??  The answer
for both is to have a Morgan or draft type horse with lots of "feathers"
that water and dirt don't penetrate!!  Think we can breed for that?!

Barb


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