“My horse is itchy, and has been rubbing himself by his butt and between his front legs at his chest. “…
He has had fecal and blood work done and nothing and now the vet has done some skin biopsies There has been no change to his bedding, food, environment for the past 6 years. He has hair loss in those areas and there are a few very small bumps on the butt area and the skin between his legs is kind of leathery, along with hair loss in those areas. The vet has him on antihistamines and Prednazone, to ease his itchiness, but we have not found the cause. This started in December, seemed to subside and has come back again in the last month.The horse is 23 years old. Everything else about him is fine. Thanks
Dr. Kimberly Gryl’s Answer:
Christine:
It is a bit unusual that your horse would develop an allergy at an such an advanced age, however it is not impossible. An allergy happens because the body is sensitized to the allergen (the culprit) over a long period of time, then the immune system overreacts to it, causing the allergy that you see. Allergies can manifest in a number of ways, including skin (itchiness, redness, hair loss, etc), intestinal issues (diarrhea, etc), sinusitis (more in people), eye problems, and so on. Unfortunately, because of the complicated nature of the immune system, diagnosing and treating the cause can be very frustrating at times. It is often easier (and sometimes necessary) to alleviate the signs or effects of allergies through treating them, rather than spend a lot of time and money diagnosing them. This sounds like what you have done with your horse. The antihistamines and prednisone will treat and help abate the allergies’ effects, however won’t do anything towards diagnosing the cause(s). Diagnosing allergies in horses is limited. We do have a blood test that can screen for a number of allergens, most of them feed-related, but some environmental. You might inquire of your veterinarian about this test. Good luck.
“My 5 year old mare has hives which the vet suspects are from food allergies.”…
Her eyes are also weepy and itchy. Is there an antihistamine I could treat her with? Her 6 month old foal also has weepy eyes but, no skin hives. Any thoughts or experiences would be helpful. Thank you for your time.
Dr. Kimberly Gryl’s Answer:
Laurel:
Recurrent hives in horses can be difficult to diagnose without allergy testing. This is the route I recommend for horses who have this chronic problem. In the meantime, there is an antihistamine, prescribed only by your veterinarian, that may provide her some relief. I do not advocate using over-the-counter antihistamines, nor do I know a dose for them. As for the weepy eyes, they can be due to allergies also, but sometimes simple things as flies, dust, and wind can affect them enough to make them weepy. Try wetting down hay before it’s fed, watering down arenas/rings and paddocks before riding and turn-out, and generalized dust control (spraying aisles, etc.). Also, a fly mask may cut down on some of the irritants reaching her eyes. Good luck.
“I have a 20-year-old Arab. In the last year she has developed a cough. “…
I don’t know if a cough is an age thing like in people but I have tried soaking her food. And I got some over the counter allergy cough medicine. It has helped some and she doesn’t cough all the time, I was going to make her an appt with my vet but don’t want to waste my time if there is nothing that can be done. She had a bad life before I got her and I want her last years to be comfortable. She is on pasture and hay outside year around. I live in Illinois so the weather is fickle but I thought maybe it’s an allergy.
Dr. Jack Sales’ Answer:
Hi Stephanie,
Given her age, the chronic cough could be an old age disease or it could be associated with obstructive pulmonary disease that is associated with an allergic cause in some instances. A Veterinary exam would allow for the proper diagnosis of the problem and once the cause is identified, proper treatment or management of the problem will relieve the cough and give the mare a more comfortable old age. I hope this helps and good luck.
“I have a 3-year-old mare that in the past 2 years I’ve noticed will get a dry spot on her belly and she constantly has to be itching”…
I figured it was the flies bothering her – and getting at a certain part of her belly. It goes away in the winter but is getting worse each summer. This year we noticed two golf ball sized bumps under her jaw – we thought maybe she had strangles – but why two bumps? We called the vet out ASAP and he said she did not have strangles – He asked if we noticed any signs and the only signs she has had is a hacking cough. No fever, No loss of appetite. The vet then told us she has allergies but it is not bad enough to put her on any medication. Personally I feel it is bad enough. I then asked him about her chronic itching problem – and we know she is suffering from it, she has a hard time holding still – feeling the need to itch every minute. He told us its just the allergies and flies. I fly spray my horse – I have tried almost every brand of fly spray (maybe thinking the fly spray could be the cause) She has a fly sheet – We keep swat or wound dressing on the spot on her belly so the flies can’t get to it as bad. This past week I noticed aside from the two bumps she has developed another 2 bumps this time along the jawbone – in the same place as the other two bumps.
Can you please help me out? I don’t know what to do anymore – I asked my vet if it was possible sweet itch – He said no. Just bad allergies – So why isn’t she on medication if they’re “bad allergies” Please, please help me. Thank you so much!
Dr. Jack Sales’ Answer:
Hi Jessica,
Sounds as if you are frustrated with the allergic problem. These can be very difficult to deal with in horses. It does sound to me as if the horse is suffering from a seasonal allergy but to know what exactly is causing the allergic reaction is sometimes difficult. Sweet itch and summer itch can be descriptions for a generalized allergic problem but usually does not indicate the actual cause. I would not see why the Vet is reluctant to prescribe medication for the condition, antihistamines are available as a feed additive and if the allergy is severe, corticosteroids might even be indicated. Sometimes microfilaria (worms in the skin) can be a cause of a summer itch and equivalent can be tried on a weekly basis for 3 weeks in a row to rid the body of these worms.
As far as the lumps, if this 3 year old has lumps on the lower jawbone an inflamed tooth that is trying to grow out and replace the baby tooth could cause it. This is very common and can be seen in the 3 and 4 year old. There is not much that can be done about it and it isn’t thought to bother the horse. I would have to defer to the Vet that looked at the first lumps as to finding that it was not strangles.
“My horse got runny eyes and they seem to itch (he was rubbing them on me). Could this be just allergies?”…
He was just put out in the pasture the day before.
Dr. Kimberly Gryl’s Answer:
Shawn:
This is a big time of year for allergies of all kinds. Certainly horses get allergies that affect their eyes and respiratory system, just as people do. A fly mask may help decrease your horse’s eyes to allergen exposure, and will keep the flies away from weepy eyes. If it persists more than 2 days, you should have him examined.
