Horse, dog, cat organic herbal natural products, and information for animals with skin problems and general health care.

Pastern Dermatitis

(Umbrella Term For)
Scratches, Dew Poisoning, Greasy Heel, Mud Foot, Mud Fever, Foot Rot, Cracked Heels

What is Scratches?
Common scratches is a problem of the pastern region. If allowed to take hold, and without proper treatment it can be one of the most difficult skin problems to conquer. Treatment should begin as soon as symptoms are noticed. Scratches start with red, moist, horizontal skin cracks in the back of the pastern. The moisture comes from blood or serum (the watery part of blood) seeping through the cracked skin that dries into a tough, hard scab. Removing the scabs is quite painful for the horse so care should be taken. Scratches start at the back of the pastern and can spread to the sides of the legs, the front, and higher up on the leg to cause swelling. Damaged skin (scar tissue) can develop if left untreated and can lead to lameness.

What Causes Scratches?
Pastern Dermatitis has many causes. It cannot be attributed to one single cause, but rather a combination of contributing factors. For example, shaving a horses legs, training on sand, exercises like sliding stops cause the initial insult to the skin allowing dermatophilus bacteria, dermatophytosis fungus, chorioptic mange, or contact allergies to move in and set up shop. Moisture plays the biggest role as bacteria and fungus thrive in dirty, wet environments. Horses spending a lot of time in mud or in a wet stall are more likely to develop pastern dermatitis.

How is it Diagnosed
In most cases it is apparent by horizontal wounds, and the crusty inflamed areas that develop. If necessary a diagnosis is made by taking a skin biopsy of the affected area, and sending it off to a lab to determine which pathogens are present.

Treatment
Keeping your horse in a dry, clean environment (stall or pasture) is essential to treatment.

Equiderma offers a three way course of treatment that addresses common pastern dermatitis. EQUIDERMA ANTI-BACTERIAL ANTI-FUNGAL treatment is a very thin leave on lotion designed to wick deep down into the skin layers to attack the offending organisms. This can be used alone or in more advanced cases along with EQUIDERMA ZINC OXIDE PASTE for SCRATCHES. In some cases ( white legs) sunblock is necessary and the zinc oxide provides this protection. It also creates a barrier against dirt and water.

First and foremost, remove the scabs. It is very important to debride the area so you can expose the causal organisms. This can be achieved with warm water and washing with EQUIDERMA NEEM SHAMPOO. Our Shampoo is soap free and chock full of natural ingredients like Neem, Arnica, Chamomile, Basil, Pine bark, and Cherry bark all of which promote healing and skin health. Scabs that are very tough can be covered with EQUIDERMA LEAVE ON SKIN LOTION covered with plastic, a leg wrap and left overnight. This will soften the scab, make removal painless and much easier on your horse (and on you). . When all scabs have been removed, the skin should be dried thoroughly.
Apply EQUIDERMA LOTION and/or EQUIDERMA SCRATCHES PASTE. If your horse is turned out on wet grass or has sunburn to the area apply EQUIDERMA SCRATCHES PASTE over the top. Reapply daily. It is not necessary to wash the pastern(s) every day to remove scabs; once or twice a week with Equiderma Shampoo will be enough.

EQUIDERMA LEAVE ON LOTION and EQUIDERMA SCRATCHES PASTE will kill the bacteria, fungus or causal organism thereby promoting healing. This should be applied daily. It is important to continue treatment of the affected area until the lesions have healed completely. If treatment is stopped prematurely, chances are that the scratches will return.

HEALING

With this treatment your horse will recover from scratches uneventfully. Be mindful that serious cases left untreated can develop scar tissue and chronic lameness.

Unfortunately for many horses it is a recurring nuisance. Don’t forget to continue treatments until the lesions have fully healed, and keep your horses environment clean and dry.

A WORD ON HORSES WITH FEATHERS
Friesians, Shires, Gypsy Vanners, Clydesdales

Horses with long hair on their legs (feathers) are more likely to develop this problem. Heavy feathers promote pastern dermatitis. When feathers get wet, they keep the underlying skin moist, and wet skin is a huge risk factor. EQUIDERMA ANTI-BACTERIAL ANTI-FUNGAL SKIN LOTION is a thin leave on lotion that easily reaches through thick feathers to treat the problem.

**Getting and keeping the skin at the pastern dry is essential to treatment.**

WATCH OUT!
Pastern Leukocytoclastic Vasculitis - This problem looks very much like common pastern dermatitis/ scratches... It is not. It is important to know which problem you are dealing with.

There is a little known condition called Pastern Leukocytoclastic Vasculitis (inflammation of the blood vessels) that initially represents as common scratches. This problem is a relatively common, but poorly understood disease. It generally affects mature horses and causes lesions strictly confined to the legs that lack pigment. Lesions are multiple and well defined to the pink skinned areas only. Initially red, oozing, crusty sores develop. Chronic cases may develop a rough scarred appearance. The cause of pastern leukocytosclastic vasculitis is not yet known, but an immune component is suspected. The fact that the lesions are limited to non-pigmented areas of the skin suggest a role for ultra violet radiation. Drug reactions causing sunlight hypersensitivity may also be a factor. Recent studies have implicated Staphylococcus bacterial infection as a possible cause. Diagnosis is made based on skin biopsy of the affected area, which would show P.L.V., inflammation of the blood vessels with vessel wall degeneration and clots involving the small vessels of the superficial skin layer. Treatment consists of systemic corticosteroids at relatively high doses for two weeks and reduced doses for another four to six weeks to stop the inflammatory response. A reduction in ultra violet light exposure may be helpful by using Equiderma Zinc Oxide Scratches Paste. This treatment will provide sunblock, and has anti- bacterial anti-fungal properties thereby providing external treatment from all angles. Diagnosis is made by taking a skin biopsy of the affected area, and sending it off to a lab to determine which pathogens are present.

In the case of a horse with excessively thick feathers strategically trimming the overly “luxurious” feathers is a must. Too much growth prevents air and sunlight from reaching the skin and clipping feathers in the pastern - mid-line from fetlock to coronary band, helps to facilitate healing.
DON'T WORRY ... You don't have to take it all off! Remove about a one inch width of feathers, from fetlock to just above coronary band as a curative/preventative measure. The feathers from the fetlock fall over this area, and no one will know it has been done. This method makes it easier for the skin to “air” and prevents progression of the disease.

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