My mustang Artista gets some funny scabby sores every summer.  First they pop up around his ears (made worse since he itches them with his hind hooves like a dog) and then pop up around the base of his tail as well.  The scabby spots on his tail are not caused by scratching as they always start almost underneath the tail and the hair starts to fall out at the base where his tail bone brushes against his rump.  It looks almost like it is caused from sweat or heat?  Does anyone else see this in their horses?  I had the vet look at his ears and he said that there is nothing inside them and he has never seen anything like it. 

madel_equestrian:

 The scabby spots on his tail are not caused by scratching as they always start almost underneath the tail and the hair starts to fall out at the base where his tail bone brushes against his rump.  It looks almost like it is caused from sweat or heat?

 

Madel,

Are you sure it's not itchy?  Even though you don't see him scratch his tail/butt, he may still be itching this area on a fencepost/tree, etc. when you are not around.  I am asking about the itchiness because it sounds to me like sweet itch, an allergy that some horses get to the saliva of the female noseeum (biting gnat).  My horse has this and the symptoms sound very similar to yours.  It also sounds like he could have sweet itch in his ears as well.  If this is the case, you could use Panalog (sp?) and rub it on the itchy area in his ears (the vet told me to do this for my "second" horse, Emblema, who gets sweet itch in his ears).

For addressing sweet itch on the tail/hind end, the following products have helped my horse so much that, as long as I keep applying them during sweet itch season, his symptoms dissappear and do not come back:

Toad Juice (the spray); Toad Stick (the waterproof stick); Endure fly spray (not sprayed but wiped on, against the direction of the tail hair and coat hair).  These products also work well on the face, around the mane/neck and other areas (besides the inside of the ears) where sweet itch occurs.  

Even if Arista's problem is not sweet itch, I still recommend The Toad Juice products for fighting general fungus and bacteria.  I would talk to the vet over the phone at least, about his ears and see if he/she thinks Panalog will help because I think you have to get the Panalog from them.

I hope this helps.

Thanks for the tip on the panalog!  I think I have some toad juice samples somewhere i'll have to see if I still have them.   I know for sure that he isn't scratching his tail though.  Where the scabbies are on his tail there is no way for him to itch on anything without there being itch rubs all over the dock of his tail.  It is almost in the crack between bum cheek and the very top of his tail bone.  I know for sure that he does itch his ears sometimes though as I have seen him itching at them with his back hooves.  It seems like this week however they have gone from being just itchy to being painful as he will no longer let me touch them at all.  The vet is coming back out this week and I will have to have him look again.

Ugh, I am having this same problem! I know you recommended the toad products already, I'm going to order some right this moment! I've been putting MTG on for a week and its still getting worse! The gnats here are horrible, so I bet that's it exactly! Digger has little bumps all under his tail and he's rubbing all the hair out at the top of the tail bone. He's so miserable with the bugs I can hardly work him. I have been using equispot, putting vinegar in his feed, spongeing him with vinegar, citronella, and skin so soft, fly spraying him CONSTANTLY. Now that we're in rainy season I cant keep his fly sheet on him! Its just a nightmare! He has SUCH sensitive skin he goes nuts whenever a bug just lands on him, and I know his bum is bothering him so much, he even scratches it on the washrack. I cant get the faces now since I downloaded Chrome, but I would definitely put several crying/frustrated faces on this post if I could!!!!!!!!!!! 

talked to vet and he said to try an experiment of Listerene mixed with Vitamine E.  Will let you know what happens.

FocusCalmPatience:

Edited to add: Cafl, do I need to buy both the toad juice and the toad stick or should I get one or the other?

 

I would start with the Toad Spray first by itself.  That seems to be the best thing to t to sooth a present irritation/itch (use it twice a day and when you see him scratching his bum and then immediately go back over the area with fly spray).  The Stick works really well once the spray  has started to take away some of the itching and is good for staying put during rainy weather but may flake off a little in the sand.  I also like the stick for areas with open sores (protective coat forkeeping fungus and bacteria out).

madel_equestrian:

I know for sure that he isn't scratching his tail though

 

Hmmm... I have never tried Listerine but have heard that it works well..If it does not work for you, you may want to try scrubbing (gently) the area with either betadine or chlorahexidine.  These are good products for killing fungus and bacteria (especially if what he has turns out to be some sort of ringworm-there are several varieties )

 

I hope that the panalog is working well on his ears and that the listerine and vitamin clear up his dock area problem.  Also, keeping that area clean by hosing off sweat that accumulates there will probably help a lot too.

The Toad Juice seems to have stabilized it Digger's tail situation, Thanks Cafl! It doesn't really seem to be getting any better though, unfortunately : ( .. (I can't get the graphics using Chrome for some reason).  We are keeping him in with a fan during the day, poor guy I just know he's miserable.  And his beautiful tail! Ugh, what a nightmare! Its still all scabby and crusty and gross, I have to give him a bath today (any thoughts on a good healing/antimicrobial shampoo??) and then try to find something I can put on it that will help it heal. Such a mess, I haven't been able to work him because of it, he just has  no get up and go, and that's totally not him, so I know he's uncomfortable and have just been going out and giving him treats and hanging out. 

Eqyss Micro Tek Shampoo is a good one.  If he tail doesn't start getting better soon I would call the vet.  His sounds even worse than arty's!  Ouch!  Poor guy!  I have been trying the Listerene mixed with vitamin e and so far it seems to be helping a bit.  I am going to repeat the treatment again today and then I will really see when I get back from Colorado next week if it is making a difference.

Thats actually the second recommendation Ive gotten for micro tek. Ill have to check it out.

 FCP,

Keep using the Toad Juice.  It will probably take about 1 month to completely clear up, but Digger will start feeling better sooner than that, and once you get rid of the tail problem, as long as you keep using it, the problem won't come back (Heineken has been free of his similar problem since February).  Avoid using vet steroid injections like Dex or Vetalog (sp?).  I tried vetalog last year and it took care of the problem for about 2 weeks and then it came back 10 times worse because Heiney's immune system went nuts when it wore off!  That's the time when someone recommended Toad Juice to me and I started using it until sweet itch season was over.  Then sweet itch season (along with flea season) started early this year, in February and I combatted the problem before it got out of control.

 

I don't mean to sound like a Toad Juice salesperson.  I am just so relieved/greatfull I found this product and would love to be able to save you from some of the grief I went through and help your horse feel better.

 Madel,

How's arty doing?  Is the Listerine/vitamin E mix working?

Down here in Miami, we have TONS of problems with the "summer crud," lol. Daily apple cider vinegar scrubs usually help, but the silver bullet seems to be feeding a combination of whole flaxseed and Stop Itch herbs. I am also a huge fan of either Calm Coat or the generic version, Cut Heal's Derma-Calm. That stuff clearls up everything (plus, it's all-natural, pretty much just soothing & antimicrobial essential oils).

Thanks for the supplement tips! He's on flax seed and I do sponge him with apple cider vinegar daily. I think it is getting better now, I gave him a good bath yesterday with an antibacterial shampoo.

Have you ever had friction or sweat in an open sore?  I'm not surprised that he reacted that way!!!  I'd let him be until you can at least get it closed over.