Dermatophilosis - Horse

Also see General Dermatophilosis

Clinical Signs

Three clinical syndromes have been documented:

• Rain scald
• Mud fever
• Grease heel

Typically hair becomes matted and focal lesions develop into crusts and thick scabs covered by layers of yellow-green pus. When scabs are removed the hair is taken with them and alopecia results. Rain scald commonly affects the dorsum, shoulders and neck. It can however extend to lower portions of the body and abdomen. It typically begins as small rough raised bumps and can go un-noticed in long haired regions. Mud fever looks similar to rain scald but affects the pastern and distal limbs. White legs and white skinned areas are most commonly affected. Grease heel is a disease complex which presens in the same way as rain scald and mud fever but over the heels. It produces a grey exudate which feels greasy to touch. The disease complex can involve dematophilosis as well as a number of other conditions including dermatophytosis, pastern folliculitis, pyoderma, photosensitisation, contact dermatitis and chorioptic mange.

Treatment

Horses: Bring affected animals into a dry environment and isolate. Scabs should be soaked and removed. Chlorhexidine and benzoyl peroxide are recommended as topical antibacterials. Tack and any other equipment should be disinfected to avoid further infection. Systemic antibiotics should be administered if secondary infection is present. Owners should be educated about the condition and warned that reoccurence may occur in wet weather.