# Cleaning tack/rugs/boots for a horse that has ringworm



## Polos (29 December 2013)

My horse has managed to catch ringworm from 2 of the other horses on the yard. Me and the YM can't work out why though as he has not interacted with the other 2 horses and anyone handling the horses has had to wear gloves and a suit and has been forbidden from touching any of the other unaffected horses on the yard. 

We are following the same treatment as the other 2 horses had (washing the affected areas daily and applying on ointment every 3 days-Can't remember the name of it!) and the vet is coming out on Thursday to reassess his unsoundness so was going to get the vet to look at him then. 

YM has suggested washing all his rugs/boots/tack as soon as he is in the clear. For now his stuff is being kept separate from all of the other horses stuff. I was wondering if I could just wash his rugs and tack the usual way or do I need to do something special (e.g. disinfecting them beforehand). 

If I was to disinfect them before hand will is change the colour of them slightly? I'm only wondering as when there was an outbreak of strangles in our area and we had to dip our feet in disinfectant before and after leaving the yard, I got some on my trousers by accident and it kind of bleached them. 

Thanks


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## CaleruxShearer (29 December 2013)

Wash them with ivermectin and hot water, can't actually remember if it will change the colour of things or not. I don't think it does, tack just wipe over with a damp cloth, but make sure you get everywhere in the girth and bridle well cleaned. Boots, (yours as well), brushes etc, need to be properly dunked in. It's an absolute ****** ringworm, I believe it can live in the wood in stable walls etc as well,


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## Gloi (29 December 2013)

You can get fungicide sprays at garden centres/diy places that should ill it.


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## Polos (29 December 2013)

CaleruxShearer said:



			Wash them with ivermectin and hot water, can't actually remember if it will change the colour of things or not. I don't think it does, tack just wipe over with a damp cloth, but make sure you get everywhere in the girth and bridle well cleaned. Boots, (yours as well), brushes etc, need to be properly dunked in. It's an absolute ****** ringworm, I believe it can live in the wood in stable walls etc as well,
		
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Thanks, I might just bin his brushes afterwards as I have had them for years and needed to replace them anyway. 

I was told it can live in the wood for about 10 years!


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## Polos (29 December 2013)

Gloi said:



			You can get fungicide sprays at garden centres/diy places that should ill it.
		
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Thank you, I'll have a look tomorrow


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## Radar Lugs (1 January 2014)

I was in your situation this time last year.

Your friend is virkon. Wash stables down with it. All rugs should be soaked for about 30 mins in it then washed as normal. Make sure if you put rugs into a rugwash place you tell them! 
Tack, brushes, headcollars, leadropes, anything in contact with your horse needs washed. I was a tad reluctant to soak my tack but I did wash them down with a sponge soaked in virkon.
Remember to do all gates, fences etc that your horse has had contact with. As you say it lives in wood for over 10 years.

It can be a bugga to get rid of but at least once your horse has had it chances are it won't get reinfected. Don't let your vet give you granules for your horse. Complete waste of money ( about £80 a tub and didn't do a thing).

I also got spray stuff that I periodically used to spray things they rubbed on like stable doors. You get paranoid! 

Also look out for it on yourself. It's contagious not only to you but pets at home esp cats so always hibiscrub your hands before going home and if possible change clothes. Sounds excessive but much better than dealing with it at home as well.

It take effort to do all the above but certainly helps to eliminate it. Good luck.


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## Polos (1 January 2014)

Radar Lugs said:



			I was in your situation this time last year.

Your friend is virkon. Wash stables down with it. All rugs should be soaked for about 30 mins in it then washed as normal. Make sure if you put rugs into a rugwash place you tell them! 
Tack, brushes, headcollars, leadropes, anything in contact with your horse needs washed. I was a tad reluctant to soak my tack but I did wash them down with a sponge soaked in virkon.
Remember to do all gates, fences etc that your horse has had contact with. As you say it lives in wood for over 10 years.

It can be a bugga to get rid of but at least once your horse has had it chances are it won't get reinfected. Don't let your vet give you granules for your horse. Complete waste of money ( about £80 a tub and didn't do a thing).

I also got spray stuff that I periodically used to spray things they rubbed on like stable doors. You get paranoid! 

Also look out for it on yourself. It's contagious not only to you but pets at home esp cats so always hibiscrub your hands before going home and if possible change clothes. Sounds excessive but much better than dealing with it at home as well.

It take effort to do all the above but certainly helps to eliminate it. Good luck.
		
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Thank you so much! Did the virkon discolour your tack or rugs in any way? Apparently the strain the horses had that he must have caught it from does effect humans so I have been putting my clothes straight in the washer and jumping in the shower when I get home from the yard. I'll get some hibiscrub as well then


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## Radar Lugs (2 January 2014)

Polos,

Virkon won't discolour any rugs or anything else washed with it (or at least it didn't with me).
All my tack is black and once dried and then saddle soaped it looked like it always did. Actually that's not quite true it looked clean for once!

Remember when doing your stable to do everything including feed buckets and water buckets, any stable toys and treat balls in fact anything not living and breathing, dunk. Also wash things like forks and wheelbarrows which often get forgotten about but frequently shared between stables. Always wear gloves when using virkon as it is strong stuff.
Another good way to kill ringworm on things like rugs is sunshine. My vet said if possible hang rugs in sunshine as the uv kills the fungus causing it. However as you have it the same time of year I did, good luck finding any sun.

I found washing the horse with a mild solution of hibiscrub and then applying caneston cream on all the effected areas was best. Other people on the yard used something from their vets that was put on every few days and it seemed to work a lot better than the granules I got from mine.

It takes time but even if left your horse will "self heal", although that won't stop the potential spread to others even in years to come. 

Use common sense, wear gloves at all times when dealing with any treatment or touching the infected areas  and don't touch other horses until it's cleared. Hopefully that shouldn't be too long.


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## Polos (4 January 2014)

Radar Lugs said:



			Polos,

Virkon won't discolour any rugs or anything else washed with it (or at least it didn't with me).
All my tack is black and once dried and then saddle soaped it looked like it always did. Actually that's not quite true it looked clean for once!

Remember when doing your stable to do everything including feed buckets and water buckets, any stable toys and treat balls in fact anything not living and breathing, dunk. Also wash things like forks and wheelbarrows which often get forgotten about but frequently shared between stables. Always wear gloves when using virkon as it is strong stuff.
Another good way to kill ringworm on things like rugs is sunshine. My vet said if possible hang rugs in sunshine as the uv kills the fungus causing it. However as you have it the same time of year I did, good luck finding any sun.

I found washing the horse with a mild solution of hibiscrub and then applying caneston cream on all the effected areas was best. Other people on the yard used something from their vets that was put on every few days and it seemed to work a lot better than the granules I got from mine.

It takes time but even if left your horse will "self heal", although that won't stop the potential spread to others even in years to come. 

Use common sense, wear gloves at all times when dealing with any treatment or touching the infected areas  and don't touch other horses until it's cleared. Hopefully that shouldn't be too long.
		
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Thank you for all your help you have been so helpful. I have literally just returned back from a short break so I'm going to start giving things a scrub tomorrow. I have my own stable tools so there is no real risk of it being transferred that way unless someone steals my tools!  

Sadly I'm not quite sure when the sun is set to return so I may not be able to hang them in the sun. (Why didn't he wait until summer to catch it when there is loads of sun!)


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