This is about a horse at a barn where my friend boards her horse, I will leave all names out...

A horse at her barn got hurt and is on stall rest and had to be wrapped. After about 2 weeks the horse had scabs/sores on his front fetlocks. The hair was coming out with the scabs and leaving some pretty sore looking/raw like sores. He was wrapped all around but the injury was to a back pastern and so that fetlock has vetwrap over it and the other back fetlock has only a tiny spot of the sores.
I assume that they are from the wraps, the owner of the horse is very experienced with bandaging and horse care in general, and doesn't seem too concerned, she just told my friend that they are sores from being wrapped. She stopped wrapping his front legs and the sores haven't really gotten better, if anything there are more of them now. Once the scabs come off the skin still isn't normal looking.
I have never seen anything like this and neither has my friend. The horse hasn't been wrapped for two weeks now.
Has anyone seen anything like this before?? I am curious as to what may have caused them??
I have never seen anything like them before.

Thanks
horseresource@hotmail.com

This message has been edited. Last edited by: FirstLady,

My horse injured her front left and hind right legs a couple of months ago and had to wear wraps for a while. She got "mud fever" from her skin not breathing under the wraps. Sounds very much like what you are describing. I've been trying to get rid of it ever since! I'm adding cider vinegar to her food, I have clipped her legs, washing them with a special solution and applying a special cream on top of that.

If possible, it is better to let wounds heal without wrapping but sometimes there is no way around it.

It could be scratches, mites or a list of things, I would have someone look at it (a vet) if it does not go away.

I agree with HorseyHorse. If moisture stays underneath, and the skin isnt breathing, you get rot, some horse are just more senstive to getting it. Washing with an antibacterial soap, or ointment can help. But if she is experienced and had this horse for awhile, chances are she has dealt with it before and knows how to manage it, and all should be good. Letting the skin breath is most important to start and sounds like that is what she is doing. But I see your concern most definately!

Hi

Thanks everyone!! As soon as I read Horseyhorse's post about scratches the light went on over my head and I though of course that is what it looks like!! I couldn't place where I had seen similar looking sores until I read the post.

Luckly I have never had this happen to my own horse.

Thanks again