Is it ok to put oil onto horses dry flakey skin in tropical conditions like Thailand??

I have been helping with some horses in Thailand which have terrible skin problems.The almost dont have any fur left.The skin is dry, flakey and I am sure quite itchy for them.I started to treat them with a medicated shampoo, fungacide, for ringworm and dermatities etc. but the owner of the horses decided to then put cooking oil onto the horses skin.I told him that I did not think it a good idea but he said that the vet here in Thailand said that they use oil on all of the horses in troical Thailand.Anybody heard of this in other Asian countries????

Is it ok to put oil onto horses dry flakey skin in tropical conditions like Thailand??
I have used baby oil on my horses before, but there is a better product, called MTG. It really depends on what the dry flakes are caused by. IF it is just dry skin, then baby oil is fine. But if it is a fungus, rain rot or something similiar, you want to treat and get rid of the Fungus. Is she losing her coat as well as having flakes?
Reply:I haven't heard of it in tropical places, but I do know of some people who use it here (US) on their horses. The oil is worth a try- it is commonly used on reptiles and I don't see why it wouldn't help the same type of problems in horses.


Basically, it works like a lotion. Aloe vera gel (diluted form of the plant) I know can work if that is readily available.





Medicated shampoos usually only dry out the skin more while treating the fungal problems, so you would want to stop using that.





If the owner suggested cooking oil, I would massage it in one section on their skin and see if it helps at all. Make sure that it isn't attracting more insects or causing any other problems. If you have another suggestion, try that on another patch of skin and see which one works better.





In the US there is something called MTG (Mane Tail Groom) that is a sulfur based product. It smells awful but you see results within a couple week- it will get rid of every skin problem I have ever used it on (even the ones the vet's medicine would not work on), and the hair grows back faster than with any other thing I have used.





Here is a link describing it- maybe you have something similar in Thailand:


http://www.shapleys.com/products/index.h...
Reply:i wouldn't think this is a good idea. i know a lot of people who use cooking oil to tan quicker by putting it on their skin because the sun rays magnify as they pass through the oil. i would have thought the oil could cause the sun to burn the horses skin. i used to put palmers body butter(for people) on my arab as he used to get dry skin and it worked really good. maybe the oil is slightly different in thailand but im sure the vet knows what he's doing.
Reply:You can add a few tablespoons of oil to their grain which will help with the dry skin. Be careful though, too much will cause them to get the diarrhea!





It really sounds like they have fungal infections, considering the climate. The oil on their coats will only trap the fungus, and will do NOTHING to get rid of it. It might actually make it worse.
Reply:Use a little bit of mineral oil in the grain...not too much. Also, Flax seed is really good for a horses coat. You would put about a handfull of it in the feed