Unknown Disease?? Please help..

[shebas_pride]

I have a major question. Please help as much as you can, over 200 horses lives are at stake!! My friend owns a ranch for Abused Horses and such. It's a great place and the horses are extremely well taken care of, but now there is some sort of strange disease going around the stables. It has a mix of symtoms, and one of the main symtoms were hives on the skin and their fur keeps falling out. Please forgive me if I sound like an idiot, I'm new to this site and I'm just trying to help my friend.. Anyway she said,
"It first started that they were lame, which I didn't really find odd because in training they are worked a lot so it's not to strange for them to get lame. But then their fur started to mult like hives, and I called the vet, well they gave them the medication for hives but it didn't do anything.
"Now their fur is falling out and none of them want to get up for anything, they don't want to eat, drink, nothing. They aren't rolling but they snap at their stomachs like they do with colic, but I know it couldn't be colic because no one comes and feeds them anything other then the grain and garss. Our grass is never cut, almost no flowers are in our pastures, and their water is cleaned everyday.
"I also don't think it's sand colic because the only places we have sand and raw dirt are the arena's.."
I've looked everywhere for horse diseases of all kind and found nothing. She's had about 5 vets over to check them all out every day, and they have no clue what's happening. Any information, any words or prayers of hope will be so great. Remember, over 200 horses are at stake here, so please don't hold back..give us any and all suggestions on what this could be..Thank you..
P.S.
there are also signs of alittle bit of swelling in the legs. No temperature or sweating.

[edward]

Regarding the 200 head of horses.
Anytime you have a group of horses where a number of horses start showing similar symptoms of illness, and infectious disease would be one of the most probable things to suspect. In this case, the symptoms do not seem to correspond to any well known or common contagious diseases that I am aware of. Another possibility would be the exposure of the horses to some toxic or poisonous agent. This should be looked into. Blood samples and skin scrapings should be used to try and figure out the possible cause. It is also a possibility that more than one problem might be involved.
I wish I could be more specific, but you should keep working with the Veterinarian that shows the most interest and seems to want to pursue the case in order to come up with some answers.

I hope this helps and good luck.

Dr. Jack Sales
Veternarian
All About Horses.com
Panel of Pros

[kiakat]

You mentioned that these horses are on pasture. Not aware of your area, but in mine (Texas) when it gets humid there are ALOT of mosquitos and other bitey bugs (especially fireants) in the pasture grass. The horses do get what look like hives (fireant bites) and the horses will rub their hides off scratching on fence posts, corral pipes ect. if the pasture isn't mowed about twice a month. I'm also thinking that if that is the case if they eat any of the bugs, especially lava, it would probably cause the stomach upset. If it is alfalfa there is a specific beetle that is VERY toxic if eaten by horses. As mentioned before there is also the possibility of a toxic plant mixed in with the pasture grass, what the oldtimers used to collectively call "loco weed".

[WildHorseSpirit]

I agree with Dr. Sales, these horses need blood workups immediately.
With them being basically rescue type horses you could have a variance of illnesses combining.