b'CUT THE LEG CRUDSome skin diseases in horses are asymptomatic and bother the owner more than the horse, says Jeanine Peters- Kennedy, DVM, Dipl. ACVD, ACVP, associate clinical professor of anatomic pathology and dermatology at Cornell Universitys College of Veterinary Medi-cine, in Ithaca, New York. But certain diseases, like allergies and infections, can make horses skin very itchy and uncomfortable. Others can lead to swelling (which can cause the skin to slough and allow harm-ful organisms to enter the horses body) or hyperplastic scar tissue, aka proud flesh, or leave permanent scarring, all of which could interfere with movement, says Valerie Fadok, DVM, PhD, Dipl. ACVD, senior dermatologist with Zoetis Pet Care, based in Bellaire, Texas. She ISTOCK.COMrecommends calling your veterinarian, then starting the hosing or soaking pro-cess (whichever your horse will tolerate),Draft breeds with heavy feathering can be prone to various skin issues, in which case shaving the at any sign of swelling. fetlocks might help prevent or treat the disease.Read on for our sources take on 10 conditions (in alphabetical order) thatlayer of the skin). Fadok says veterinar- Prevention None known.could be affecting your horse, how toians should consider infections such asTreatment There is no cure for this con-treat them, and how to prevent them indermatophilosis (rain rot, caused by bac- dition, but Peters-Kennedy says it can be the future. teria) and dermatophytosis (ringworm,improved with once- or twice-daily appli-caused by fungus), which can also appearcation of keratolytic (keratin-inhibiting) Cannon Keratosis (aka stud crud) in this area, when diagnosing. agents such as a 50% mixture of propyl-Causes Cannon keratosis is a lesser- Signs Crusty lesions of unknown originene glycol and water or once- to twice-known chronic cosmetic condition involv- down one or more hind legs (formerlyweekly shampoos with sulfur or salicylic ing overproduction of the keratin thatthought to be from urine dripping on theacid that will break down the crust.forms the stratum corneum (horny outerhorses legsthus, the nickname).Cellulitis (aka phlegmon)Causes This inflammation of the sub-cutaneous (directly underlying the skins surface layer) tissues frequently results from a Staphylococcus or Streptococ-cus bacterial infection secondary to an injury, such as a cut, scrape, or chemical Topical Application irritation/contact dermatitis (skin inflam- No Surgery Required mation), or from vasculitis (inflammation Targets the Immune System of blood vessels).Signs Redness, warmth, swelling, ten-derness, pain, fever.Prevention Fadok recommends taking care of wounds as soon as they arise and using only nonirritating topical medica-tions on your horses skin.Treatment Peters-Kennedy says treat-ment is cause-dependent, with diagnosis made via biopsy: If theres vasculitis (see page 15), immunotherapy might be required. Otherwise, says Fadok, base treatment on your veterinarians recom-mendation for an antibiotic and, perhaps, 12April 2020The Horse|TheHorse.com'