Vet offers solutions for what ails equine

The 2-year-old Quarter horse backed gingerly out of the steel trailer.
His eyes widened as he surveyed my farm. Horse owners frequently trailer their animals to my place, to save money on a trip charge or for the availability of the stock (a steel holding chute to safely examine horses, do dentals and perform palpations). Mr. S brought Sonny to be examined for weight loss and itchy skin. One brief look at this thin, unkempt equine and I knew he had a multitude of problems.
Once Sonny had settled down, I examined his eyes, heart, lungs and took a temperature.
All seemed fine. His biggest problem was a generalized skin condition that spread from his neck, down his back and down all four of his legs. The best way to describe it was that he had tiny weeping bumps and crusts all over him.
I recognized this as dermatophilosis or what I call 'rain rot.' I explained to Mr. S that this was caused by a filamentous type of bacteria that loved dirt, moisture and damaged skin. Some believe the bacteria is carried on chronically infected animals and when climatic conditions are favorable, the bacteria becomes infective.
The bacteria can be spread from animal to animal. Strict hygiene is necessary to prevent its spread. As you know, the weather was dry all summer. Horses have been dusty from rolling on the dry ground. In September it started to rain. Sure enough, several weeks later, Sonny's skin broke out.
The condition also can be seen just over the back of the horse where circular lesions are seen. Typically these scabs can be torn off with the classic 'paint brush' appearance of hairs sticking through them. Dermatophilosis also can affect the back of the pastern (the area just above the back of the hoof where the leg bends), where it is called scratches.
Upon further exam, I also noted lice along both sides of the horse's neck. Little brown parasites that crawl. I also could see multiple nits, or lice eggs.
Lice attach these eggs to the hair with a type of adhesive secretion. In two weeks, they hatch.
There are two kinds of lice — biting and sucking. Biting lice prefer the top line and sides of the horse. Sonny had biting lice.
Sucking lice favor the mane, tail and fetlocks. Lice are very contagious among the same horse species. This horse was a mess!
'Oh, and by the way Doc, he holds his head to the side sometimes when he eats and he throws his head when I put the snaffle in his mouth.'
Where to start?
I tackled the skin condition first. Betadine scrub is a horse's best friend. I recommended currying the horse, disposing of all of the scabs and loose hair and following up with a bath with betadine scrub one time a day for three days and then twice weekly until healed. Because of the severity of the symptoms, I also recommended Penicillin injections twice a day for 10 days.

The lice should be treated with two doses of oral ivermectin two weeks apart. One dose will kill the adults and one will kill the hatched lice.
We also discussed routine deworming with ivermectin every eight weeks and twice a year (in spring and fall) with a product, such as Quest Plus, that kills tapeworms.
Do not use topical cattle deworming products like Eprinex on horses. These products are not approved for horses and can cause the skin to be irritated and the hair to fall out. There is also a question as to how well the product is absorbed through the skin.
We gave Sonny a mild sedative, flushed out his mouth and inserted the full mouth speculum. I could see that he had a baby tooth or cap that had not come out yet and was infected underneath.
The second, third and fourth cheek teeth have baby teeth or caps that young horses lose between 2 and 4 years old. As these teeth loosen from the adult teeth underneath, food material can get between the teeth and cause infections.
I removed Sonny's lower second premolar cap and flushed his mouth with an antiseptic solution. I also filed or floated (a term borrowed from carpentry, meaning 'to smooth') his sharp outer upper and inner lower arcades of teeth.
Sonny also had two upper wolf teeth in front of his upper premolars. These teeth can be problems when the horse is started with a bit. Usually I recommend removing them at castration, their first dental exam or before they are started in the bit.
I injected a numbing agent into the nerve that innervates the tooth to make the horse more comfortable when the teeth are extracted. With a grunt, I popped them out of his mouth.
When we were done, I thought if Mr. S followed my aftercare instructions, Sonny was going to feel a lot better and start putting on weight.
We also had a discussion about nutrition and a proper mineral/vitamin supplement to strengthen the colt's immune system and overall condition.

Sabine Hartmann is a Loyal-based veterinarian who specializes in horses and equine dentistry. She may be reached at twinoaks@tds.net or (715) 267-7443.