Scratches

photo submitted by Lorah

Also known as pastern dermatitis and grease heel, scratches is a skin irritation commonly associated with draft horses and other breeds with long feathers, though it may also occur in those with very little fetlock hair as well. It occurs most commonly as scabs on the back of the pastern and fetlock joints, and occasionally up the legs on the hocks or knees. These scabs may be sensitive if picked at, and depending upon the severity, may break open and ooze serum and blood. These scabs and open sores can be painful and some horses may go lame with serious cases, as well as show heightened sensitivity around the area(ie: watch out when picking hooves and bending the afflicted area). Although not a rule, it often is worse in those horses with very thick fetlock hair. Signs that a horse may have scratches include itching the afflicted area with the teeth, or with a hoof (often you will see them rubbing one back leg against the other).

In Friesians it is acknowledged as a common complaint and most will likely contract it at some point, though it occurs in varying severity depending upon the individual. The actual cause of scratches isn’t known with any real certainty, though there are varying theories, and the most likely explanation is that there are multiple causes for variations of the affliction. Many believe it is associated with a wet and unclean turnout or stall area where the horse must stand in unclean mud or muck for a long period. It may also be caused by mites or bacteria.

Just as there are many theories to it’s cause, there are many theories on how to clear up a break-out of scratches. If scratches is a chronic occurrence and needs treatment regularly, it is often recommended to shave the back side of the pastern to allow the area exposure to air and easy treatment. (Don’t worry..if the horse has thick enough hair, this can be done without shaving off those trademark feathers. Shave only the center of the pastern where the scratches occur and leave hair on the sides to cover the patch.)

Check out this handy info-graphic on scratches from The Horse.com:

9 thoughts on “Scratches”

  1. Hi I am in England, and I have a Friesian who gets itchy from time to time. I have never experienced any sores or scabs, but what I do over here is use a product called ‘Pig Oil’. This is not from Pigs I might add and don’t know where the name comes from, but it is basically thin vegetable oil mixed with a small percentage of Sulphur.
    I always massage this into his Feathers on a weekly basis winter or summer. In winter it waterproofs the hair, and heels, and when it dries it brushes out keeping hair soft and silky, it also makes it grow. In summer it prevents against Mites as they hate anything thats slippery.
    I am sure this can be obtained on the Internet for overseas.
    Dek

  2. “The product I have found to be excellent for rain rot, scratches, etc. is EQyss Micro Tek. Two or three treatments, and you can see a difference. I’ve never used it on my Friesian, but my trainer said she used it on a horse she tried everything on,for scratches, and it’s the only thing that worked. My Walker had rain rot, and it cleared it up quickly. Good on other skin problems, also.” — Jeanne Belcher [itz2spirithorses@aol.com]

  3. “When I got Apollo he had terrible scratches. The vet said the only way to cure it was to shave his feathers. Well, that’s why I got a Friesian! A friend said that at her barn all the horses (not Friesians) are treated once a week to prevent scratches. They use Dawn anti-bacterial dish soap and a brush and put the soap on the brush and with the feet wet, scrub each leg. So for about a week I used Dawn on his feet each day and it cleared up! On the one leg that was really bad with oozing, I didn’t use a brush because I didn’t want to hurt him. Also, you can spread it (I read) from one foot to the other, so I did the worse area last, then bleached the brush for the first couple days. It’s been 1 1/2 years and it has never come back!” — Cynthia [curlywillowranch@comcast.net]

  4. “I was given this advice from an “Old-timer” Draft horse breeder: To cure outbreaks of Scratches, simply wet a sponge and apply Phels Nafta Soap till sudsy. Then lightly apply to the affected areas.” — Lynn

  5. “Hi, My name is Jeanine and I have a friesian cross…Not until this year did we experience itching, he will be 5 years old in the spring. I thought it was the no-seeums, as we have had a ton of rain this year in NW Ohio, and you can see the gnats when the sun is setting, he itches thru the chest, legs, I have tried everything including a steriod paste from the vet, didn’t seem to work, he does seem to be clearing up, but it’s hard to give baths this time of year, and then the bugs are drawn to wet bodies… Any other ideas for my buddy, Bravo, he sure could use some guidance. Thanks for trying to help.” — Jeanine [friesianheaven@udata.com]

  6. “The friesian I ride gets scratches on a semi-regular basis (mostly in the summer with increased sweating & bathing). The best solution I’ve found so far is to keep antibacterial mouthwash (like Listerine) on hand and a tube of diaper rash ointment (or any other zinc oxide cream). As a solution, often just dousing the scratches with the Listerine once or twice a day will clear it up, and as prevention in the summer I douse all the feathers right after bathing & let it dry before I put him back in his stall. Also, if one does get bad to the point that it’s opened up a bit, the zinc oxide can help dry it up and help it heal (though it’s gets a little messy in the feathers, so only a minimal amount is necessary). But I usually use the listerine once per day, and the zinc oxide later in the day if using it as a cure. Good luck! ” — Alisa [alisarose@gmail.com]

  7. “Hi,I’ve owned my Friesan gelding for over 9 years and found our best solution for scratches is to wash the legs especially heals and feathers in an anti-bacterial wash like hibiscrub then thoroughly dry the area. I managed to buy FrontLine Flea spray from my vets that you use for cats and dogs, and applied this to his clean legs. This I do around 3 or 4 times a year and has helped extremely. The treatment was recommended by my farrier who has other owners with Friesians.” ” — Patricia [emnm775@hotmail.com]

  8. “My FSH hasn’t had scrathes (thank goodness!) but my TB got scratches a couple years ago. I tried everything! And the best remedy for me was to GENTLEY wash his legs with Anti-Bacterial dish soap. Let them dry and then apply Panalog (topical ointment, usually used on dogs) then apply a clean bandage. And it heals in no time at all. Really wish I had known that combo a lot sooner! I really did try everything out there! Store bought and home remedy. My vet said like Parvo (in dogs) the bacteria can live on the ground or other areas of contact. So if you are at a boarding facility (I was at that time) so be sure to check daily and attack it at the first signs of out break!” — Mishka[mln1977@myway.com]

    1. I recently had a horse that sttared out with a severe case of scratches. We treated her with daily cleaning/soaking, topical ointment and even oral antibiotics. Despite our best efforts the infection went deeper and got into her tendon sheath. We then doubled up on the oral antibiotic dose and tried feeding a vitamin/mineral suppliment as well just to give her the best fighting chance. She seemed to perk up and was doing well then one day I came home and she was down and unble to get up. She had gone septic. We were forced to put her down. She was an old horse (29 yrs) and I believe this to be the cause of her infection getting so severe but I had never heard of scratches being fatal until now. The vet was shocked at how deep the infection went and did not forsee the end result.

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