After a flood, stalls and paddocks need to be cleaned and disinfected before horses can go back to those areas.

Charlie Stoltenow, DVM, North Dakota State University Extension Service veterinarian, and Carrie Hammer, DVM, PhD, NDSU Extension equine specialist, recommend removing any bedding, feed, manure, debris, or mud and sweeping or scrubbing stall and barn walls and floors and fencing, then using a pressure washer with a strong detergent to wash all surfaces. Some surfaces that are heavily stained might have to be scrubbed by hand.

The next step is disinfecting the surfaces that floodwaters touched. Flood cleanup authorities say phenolic compounds such as Tek-Trol or 1-Stroke Environ might be preferable to chlorine, but chlorine is readily available and one of the most economical disinfectants.

Stoltenow and Hammer said the disinfectant can be used in a sprayer. It should be sprayed on all surfaces and allowed to dry–do not rinse the disinfectant off