Rainrot: Take Control

 and wipes with antimicrobial ingredients can add an extra bacteria-killing boost to your rainrot treatment. In fact, in very mild or localized cases, a topical rinse or wipe may be all that is needed to control the infection.

• Take sanitary precautions. Remember that D. congolensis can be spread to other horses, so it’s a good idea to wear rubber gloves when working with an infected horse. You’ll also want to avoid using the infected horse’s tack and grooming tools on others. Once the infection has healed, disinfect brushes and other tools in a bleach solution to kill any pathogens they may be carrying, and lay them in the sun to dry. Also wash blankets, coolers and saddle pads that have come in contact with the infected horse and dry them in the sun or in a hot dryer.

To pull or not to pull

You’ll find conflicting opinions on whether it’s better to pull off the scabs and raised tufts of hair typical with rainrot or leave them to fall off on their own. Each approach has benefits and drawbacks.

D. congolensis bacteria are anaerobic, which means they thrive in the low-oxygen environment under the crusts. Gently pulling the scabs exposes the underlying skin to air, which helps to kill the bacteria, and it also allows the antimicrobial products to reach their targets more effectively. On the other hand, pulling on large or tightly bound scabs can cause bleeding and irritation that may lead to complications, and handling them is often painful to the horse, which may cause him to bite, kick or otherwise resist.

Rubbing the crusts with mineral oil or soaking with warm water prior to shampooing may loosen rainrot scabs and help you remove them more easily. The best general rule to follow is to remove crusts that slide off easily, but leave the tight, painful ones until they loosen on their own. It’s not necessary to remove every scab with every treatment.

Call your veterinarian when

… a horse develops an especially severe, widespread infection. If the rainrot causes painful crusts over wide swaths of your horse’s body, your veterinarian may provide you with a prescription-strength antimicrobial treatment as well as a systemic antibiotic and phenylbutazone or Banamine to address the pain and inflammation. She may also want to examine the horse for an underlying illness, such as Cushing’s disease, that may be compromising his natural immunity.

… rainrot grows worse or does not respond to treatment. Drying out the coat and applying antimicrobial treatments ought to lead to improvement within a few days. If not, you may be dealing with something else. Your veterinarian will want to rule out other skin issues that can look like rainrot, such as ringworm, scratches, allergies, insect hypersensitivities or even certain types of sarcoids—which require different treatments.