If you find a problem:
• Wash the area daily. A gentle soap/shampoo is usually effective in killing many organisms. Choose one free of a lot of additives, like Corona from Summit Industries (www.summitinds.com 800-241-6996), which is also one of our best buys in equine shampoos. Uckele's Green Shampoo (www.uckele.com 800-248-0330) is an old-fashioned "green soap" based product that also cleans effectively but is gentle. The EQyss Micro-Tek Shampoo and skin spray combination (www.eqyss.com 800-526-7469) is also extremely effective for problems like these and combines a shampoo with an antimicrobial spray.
For spot washings in difficult areas like the head, or when problem is well localized, try using a tea-tree-oil-based sheath cleaner like Triple J's Sheath Cleaner (www.triplejproducts.com 888-778-8100), which is excellent for dissolving crusts, easy to use for spot treatments, has good antimicrobial activity but is gentle.
• Use an antimicrobial product. For a broad- spectrum topical to try as a first line treatment after washing, use Animal Legends Tea Tree ADE cream or spray (www.animallegends.com 800-399-7387) or the EQyss Micro-Tek spray in combination with their shampoo we discussed with bathing.
• Keep the area dry and allow it to get plenty of sun.
• If there's no improvement in 24 hours, go to a generic human antibiotic cream, alone or in combination with Lotrimin Athlete's Foot cream. Areas that don't show improvement within three days should be seen by a veterinarian.
• Do not cover areas of problem skin with tack or a halter until they have healed.
• Keep tack clean and use clean, fresh brushes and saddle pads every day until the skin has healed to avoid re-spreading the organism. Don't share equipment between affected and well horses.
