Mallanders and Sallanders and it’s treatment is a hotly debated topic with conflicting advice as to it’s management. Mallanders is mainly found in cobs and heavy horses but can affect any breed.
Hyperkeratosis, more commonly known as Mallanders and Sallanders, is a skin disease akin to eczema in people. There is no cure, but ongoing management can lessen the outbreaks of cracked and bleeding skin behind the knees.
Mallanders and Sallanders can be painful and distressing for horse and owner alike. Keep reading to find out what you can do to help your horse.
What is Mallanders and Sallanders?
Mallanders and sallanders is a skin complaint suffered by all types of horses and ponies. Cobs and heavily feathered horse breeds appear to be more prone to this condition.
The skin behind the knees grows to excess (hyperkeratosis) causing cracks in the skin which scab over. As you can imagine cracked skin behind the knee can be painful, and the broken skin can easily become infected.
Cracked and weeping skin hidden under feather can be difficult to see and difficult to treat without removing the feather. You may first notice dandruff or scabs in the feather and your horse may be reluctant to be touched in this area.
Is there a cure for mallanders and sallanders?
There is currently no cure for mallanders and sallanders, but there are many treatments available. Each horse reacts differently to these treatments so it’s likely that you will have to try a few different treatments before you notice any change.
Removing the feather is often recommended, but it is possible to treat without removing this protective hair.
Many owners have seen an improvement when making small changes to their horses diet, and washing with medicated shampoo.
It’s important to make sure that the diagnosis is correct before treating your horse. Mallanders is often mistaken for mud fever, or the more progressive CPL – Chronic Progressive Lymphema. CPL is a disease that gradually affects the whole leg, creating thickened skin with folds that may in time lead to permanent lameness and life limiting secondary conditions (source 1).
Mallanders and diet
There is little if any scientific proof that diet has an effect on mallanders and sallanders. That said, the number of owners who state that their horse has improved considerably when diet alterations are made cannot be ignored, even as anecdotal evidence.
The main culprits, especially in cobs, seem to be:
- Biotin: Biotin is often added to feeds, either at the time of production, or as a supplement to improve coat and hoof quality. Unfortunately, it works a little too well in those with mallanders and seems to increase the skin cells production which makes mallanders and sallanders worse
- Wheat: This is difficult to cut out of a diet, but thoroughly checking the ingredient list on your food can help to avoid excess wheat in your horses diet
- Alfalfa: Alfalfa is often a staple ingredient in horse feeds, but whilst it has it’s benefits, it can also inhibit the uptake of vitamins and minerals, and owners have noticed a link between feeding alfalfa and a mallanders flare up in their horses, so it may be worth trying to remove from your horse’s diet (source 2)
- Sugar: Sugar in most forms should be avoided, whether it’s in the form of tasty carrot treats, or mollasses added to feed.
One of the benefits of the above reductions is that cobs tend to be good do-ers anyway, and mollasses and alfalfa removal will help their overall weight management too. Adding linseed oil may help used sparingly on those prone to weight gain.
Treatment for mallanders in horses
Mallanders treatment is an absolute minefield, and different mallanders creams are available readily in horse feed shops and on the internet.
Mallanders equine tonics and creams are all topical products, you need to rub them directly into the affected area and a regular basis to notice any results.
Many products contain sulphur and a combination of other healing ingredients with a powerful scent to overtake the unpleasant scent of the sulphur. One cream I used was a combination of sulphur and rosemary. Rosemary has well-known restorative and healing benefits and the particular cream had rave reviews on the internet. Unfortunately, Fatty absolutely hated it being applied and started to be difficult with her legs.
The most effective treatment that I have found (in addition to an altered diet) is washing her legs with Head & Shoulders itch relief shampoo every couple of weeks, rinsing thoroughly, and then applying sudocrem once the legs are dry. It’s important to leave the shampoo on for 10 minutes to allow the active ingredients to work. Sudocrem can be applied daily or every other day between washes.
Be aware that washing too often can make the problem worse, and you really need to leave the scabs alone and not pick them off. If you pick off the scabs you can give bacteria a route in which can lead to infection and make your horse even less likely to co-operate in future as their legs will become even more painful.
Best cream for mallanders
There are almost as many creams and lotions for mallanders and sallanders treatment as there are horses to try them on! I’m a big fan of Sudocrem, but Farriers mallanders and sallanders cream has good reviews, as does using silver spray on the affected area.
Clipping the feather from the back of the legs can help to apply the cream to the leg, although if you want to show your horse clipping is something you probably want to avoid.
If you don’t mind the legs looking a little unloved with drying cream over a time, then it’s not a problem to apply through the feather. Any cream that dries on the feather can normally be washed off easily, although remember that washing too often can cause more problems than it solves.
Conclusion
Mallanders and Sallanders and it’s treatment is regularly discussed in horse forums. Everyone seems to have their own favourite treatment and regime. Importantly though, it’s a condition that cannot be cured, but can be significantly lessened by topical treatment and small diet alterations.
