Please feel free to correct me if I am wrong. But I run those horses out on the lunge-line into a good sweat, then I bath them in Absorbine veterinary liniment, then I stall them until they are dry, and blanket them with water-proof blankets during turn out time. Also give them horses a chance to dry out every day. eg. in 12 hours out 12 hours. If they don't come in on thier own I bring them in. had to think about that one, haven't had but one case of rain-rot since 1982.

Rainrot is not a fungus , it is caused by a bacterium called Dermatophilus congolensis. It is a bacterium that behaves like a fungus by making a mycelium in and under the skin. It loves warm damp and rainy weather. The trick is to keep the horses clean and dry. Antibacterial washes like betadine do help, however, once a horse is infected with Dermatophilus it will always be infected and it will break out, if the horse is somewhat immunologically compromised or when the weather is favorable for it. It lays dormant when it is dry. There are antibiotic treatments for it, but at different doses than for other bacterial diseases, so check with your vet.

I have found the most effective and inexpensive is to use listerine mouth wash I bathe the horse with it and then spot treat with it in a spray bottle. As rain rot is a fungal bacteria and listerine will take care of bacteria.

This month's issue of Equus had a pretty in depth article on rainrot and their suggestions and ideas on how to handle it. Pretty informative....

Well,speaking from someone who lives in the wet side (western) of the Evergreen State (aka Everwet state) we see a lot of rain rot here. I have used MTG to get rid of the mild case my mare had. She was double blanketed and still got the crud! Only two treatments and we are all well again. Many people here use Listerene because it is more cost effective and it works but takes a little longer.

Vicky,, I had the exact same results with mine.... almost overnight...

FYI - To update everyone on the problem I have had with the rainrot - the sulfur + oil worked great! It cleared up quickly and the hair grew back in a short amount of time. I treated him only TWICE. What a wonder! I won't forget this combination! Vicky

We don't have much rain here in Central Oregon but when one of my horses had some kind of skin issue, I had great success clearing it up with Equine Elite product. Their website is www.equineelite.com or 877-738-2873. If too cold to wash them, or you can spot treat without rinsing. I was very happy with it and their customer service was great. Good luck with giving your horses relief. I've never had to deal with rain rot but it sounds awful.

Ok - this works: Wash the horse with Paraguard Shampoo and spot treat with Shapleys M-T-G mixed with betadine. I buy Paraguard on-line. To spot treat I just put some Shapleys (like 1/4 cup) in a bowl, add a couple drops of betadine and mix together. I then put it on my hand like lotion (stinks!) and rub it over the affected area. If the weather is too cold for horse bath, then just use the Shapley mixture to spot treat. I use this on any fungal type skin problem.

Ima, I've heard Rain Rot called a fungus, but it's important to know that fungal medications won't work on it. {Now, Scratches IS a fungus (like athletes' foot or jock itch), and iodine won't get rid of that. What works best for me, is: soaking the scabs and removing them, and cleaning the skin and DRYING, DRYING, DRYING the skin . . . and THEN applying Zinc Oxide ointment (Desitin) will take care of all but the most horrible cases. Once, in desperation, I squirted Coppertox on a horse that had a terrible case of Scratches all the way up his white-stockinged legs to his hocks and knees. The Coppertox probably burned his skin, but it did take care of the problem. At the time, I had no other medications for him.}