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Vet Clinic Newsletter

RAIN SCALD

Rain scald, or dermatophilosis, occurs when naturally occurring skin bacteria ("dermatophilus") flourish. Dermatophilus bacteria love wet, softened skin as occurs in heavy or continuous rain. Signs of rain scald include areas of hair loss, with scabs of matted hair which when pulled, leave moist pink to grey, and damaged skin underneath. Rain scald is usually distributed in areas that get continuously wet such as the neck, backline and rump.
In severe cases, or cases that are not treated, there may be an associated inflammation and perhaps bleeding or infection of the skin but there is usually no itchiness or irritation involved.

It is a good idea to get advice from a vet as to whether your horses condition is actually rain scald or another skin condition such as Queensland Itch ( caused by a hypersensitivity reaction to sand flies) or ringworm (a fungal infection).

The best ways to treat rain scald is to thoroughly clean and scrub the skin with a weak iodine solution (e.g., Betadine). This may need to be done every few days until the condition resolves. Tufts of loosened coat and skin need to be gently removed to prevent skin infections establishing under the scabs. Your horse may appear bald for a few weeks but the hair will regrow! You can help your horse get his glossy coat back by feeding a well balanced diet including oils (e.g., Corn Oil or Vegetable Oil).

Sometimes sever cases of rain scald will need to be treated with an antibiotic injection

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COLIC

COLIC

Colic is a major killer of horses, and is estimated to occur in one out of every 10 horses. The term "colic" means only "pain in the belly". There are many causes for such pain, ranging from the mild to the life threatening. One of the problems with equine colic is that it can be very difficult in the early stages to distinguish the mild from the potentially fatal. This is why all cases of abdominal pain should be taken seriously right from the onset.

Colic can originate from the stomach, the small intestine or the large intestine - any malfunction, displacement, twisting, obstruction, swelling, infection, or lesion of any part of the horse's complex digestive system is what we recognize as colic.

Signs of colic will vary according to the severity of the particular conditions. With mild to moderate pain signs may include loss of appetite, pawing, sweating, restlessness, lying down and looking at the belly, distension of the belly and abnormal gut sounds.

With more sever, unrelenting pain, horses may paw the ground violently, sweat profusely, have muscle tremors or straining, have an increased breathing and heart rate, have few or no gut sounds, lie down and get up frequently, roll or lie on their backs, and have an elevated or below normal (with shock setting in) temperature.

A horse showing severe signs of colic should be seen by a veterinarian immediately If the signs of pain are acute and the cause of the distension is not removed, death may occur within 12 to 48 hours. Rapid diagnosis and treatment are vital.

Avoid administering drugs because certain drugs can mask clinical signs of colic, making an accurate diagnosis difficult. A horse does not need to be walked constantly if it's lying quietly and not attempting to roll.

Diagnosis

Your veterinarian will perform a clinical examination which includes assessing the horse's level of pain, his cardio-vascular and metabolic status, and will listen for the presence or absence of intestinal sounds. Usually your vet will perform a rectal exam as intestinal contents and their position can indicate the presence or absence of intestinal activity and the location of an obstruction or impaction. A stomach tube may be passed as stomach contents or gas can help the vet decide on the type of disorder and the severity of the condition.

Depending on the findings your vet will advise you if it's important that your horse be sent immediately to a referral hospital (possibly for surgery), or whether treatments may be administered at your stable or paddock.

Some Causes of Colic

There are many cause of colic, and it may not always be possible for you vet to determine the cause at the time of examination. However, it is important that you are a ware of some of the possible causes in order to try and prevent colic from occurring in your horses. Some of the most common causes include:


• Overeating or gorging,
• A sudden change in diet,
• Mouldy feed,
• A heavy meal before work,
• Feeding or watering before proper cooling after work,
• Constantly swallowing air ("wind sucking").

Intestinal obstruction may result from sand impaction, foreign bodies, and impactions cause by poor quality hay. Horses kept in sandy envirnmonent and fed on the ground or over grazed pastures are prone to consume more sand, predisposing them to sand impactions. Foreign bodies' consumed by the hordes may provide a nucleus where minerals are deposited until a large foreign body is formed. This foreign body is often referred to as an enterolith (intestinal stone). Water deprivation and stagnant warm water may also contribute to impactions.

Twisted intestine is a condition in which a portion of the small or large intestine is twisted on itself partially or completely. Twisting may result from rolling or from anther cause such as a build up of gas causing the distended intestine to twist. A twisted intestine colic may present early on as a mild colic - that is why all colics should be treated as serious.

It is important top remember that colic can occur secondary to an infection or illness, in cases where the horse is not eating normally or drinking enough.

There is no simple 'cause-effect' explanation of colic, because many of the effects on the stomach, small intestine and larger intestine are related. For example, blockage or impaction at the junction of the small and large intestines may be due tor educed blood flow because of the movement of worm larvae, or it may be due to sand impaction.

Colic Prevention

You can help keep the incidence of colic to a minimum by following sound management practices such as:

• Make dietary and other management changes as gradually as possible,
• Ensure your horses feed is fresh and of good quality,
• Provide as much pasture grazing time as possible (the horses digestive system is designed to be constantly feeding, not to have only two-three large meals a day,
• Add dietary oils as an energy source to reduce the amount of grain concentrate needed in the diet,
• Reduce stress - horses experiencing changes in environments or workloads are at high risk of intestinal dysfunction,
• Put your horse on a regular worming programme with good quality wormers,
• Check the teeth routinely and float file, if necessary, and
• Know what is normal and abnormal for your horses.

Following the recent rains it is suspected that many of the colics occurred due to horses eating rank grasses, drinking stagnant water, eating mouldy feeds and from stress caused by changes in the horses routine (e.g., no work, kept in stables, changes in diet) etc.

Whatever the cause, colic is to be ALWAYS treated as an emergency, and it potentially fatal.


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