Skin problem - need some ideas

[MiLo Minis]

I just got a horse in that has a skin problem. He is extremely itchy on his face, particularly his eyelids and sides of his muzzle which he has rubbed raw. There is no sign of lice. His hair coat is glossy and healthy looking and there are no other spots that he has been scratching. His eyes are clear with no discharge of any kind. His hair is completely gone from his eyelids and muzzle only. Any ideas on what I am dealing with? I will be taking a skin scraping in tomorrow to the vet to see what I can find out but just curious to see if anyone else has had this and if so how was it treated? I am assuming some kind of mite.

 

[mel]

Sounds like it could be ringworm, its the right time of year for it and showing up in the right places on your horse. If it is ringworm it is contagious. Hoping for a speedy recovery.

 

[My2Minis]

Ringworm sounds like a good possibility.

The horses next door to us have it on their faces. The vet should be able to diagnose and treat it. Good luck!

 

[RhineStone]

My mother took in a dog that had ringworm once. BE VERY CAREFUL, as it can spread to your whole barn. Even her barn cats got it! Wash your hands before you handle ANY other animal. It's not a deadly ailment, just a really big pain to get rid of!

 

[Genie]

We had a papillon do that once and it was a tiny mite of some sort. It looked almot like pepper but was raw underneath. It was the tips of his ears that were affected. We clipped it clean and washed it well with iodine soap.

Will a high fever cause the loss of hair as well?

If he started with the problem about at his arrival time there may be something he's allergic to in his stall.

Just thinking out loud

good luck.

 

[Ellen]

Maybe allergies? Ringworm is a good thought but generally shows itself in circular patches.

But an allergy to something can certainly cause rub spots and lost hair.

 

[MiLo Minis]

He came to me with the condition and I immediately thought ringworm so have taken steps to avoid spreading it just in case but ringworm is not ordinarily so itchy and he is quite itchy with it. He was kept indoors quite a bit though so it just could be ringworm although overall his skin and haircoat seems to be in quite good condition. I have cleaned it with strong iodine and started him on a vitamin A supplement so hopefully that will take care of it. Took a scraping in to the vet this morning so should know for certain fairly soon. Thanks for your opinions!

 

[Filipowicz Farm]

Hi Lori hope that the horse gets better. I am interested in learning what it is. so I can keep this information on file . Take Care Frannie

 

[MiLo Minis]

Thanks Fran! I hope so too

I will let you know as soon as I hear back from the vet.

 

[Loess Hills]

[SIZE=10pt]Lori - there is a possibility that it could be a fungal condition. We had a horse with a similar problem, and iodine has no effect on it. Once you get the results from the lab, your vet will know how to treat.[/SIZE]

If I remember correctly, we used a type of anti-fungal ointment which took effect quite quickly. Hope it's cured and your guy will soon be on the mend!

 

[MiLo Minis]

[SIZE=10pt]Lori - there is a possibility that it could be a fungal condition. We had a horse with a similar problem, and iodine has no effect on it. Once you get the results from the lab, your vet will know how to treat.[/SIZE]
If I remember correctly, we used a type of anti-fungal ointment which took effect quite quickly. Hope it's cured and your guy will soon be on the mend!

Thanks Rose! This is something I haven't seen before and you could well be right. That is why I took the skin scraping but just incase it is ringworm I doused him with the iodine cause I sure don't want it to spread if it is. I would assume if it is a fungal infection it may be just as contagious though

so I want it diagnosed ASAP.

 

[Ellen]

I sure hope the vets results come back soon. You poor thing. Please let us know. If you feel comfortable, will you show us a picture? I know it is alot to ask, but away for us to learn.

Thank you, and Good Luck.

 

[Blue rose]

[SIZE=12pt]I have a full sized mare that got some kind of fungal infection on the side of her nick, big round spot cracked skin, very nasty. Had the vet out several times treated her with every ointment around, ended up putting her on a systemic fungicide that worked for a while. Then it came back, at wits end called a friend who does a lot of natural medicine and she recommended raw honey. It is very mess but has worked, much cheaper then the other med and easier on the horse. Some one also told me to try apple cider vinegar, although I am not sure I would use that around eyes. Hope you find something that works. [/SIZE]

 

[Charlotte]

A fungus/ringworm type infection would be a good guess, but also consider an allergy including food allergy. I have seen that before which looked like you describe.

Charlotte

 

[MiLo Minis]

Well Charlotte you may be on the right track because the vet found NOTHING. No fungus or virus or bug - nada. He is just plain itchy and the raw patches are from scratching. I had his owner put him on a low carb diet because he is going to be shown and is a bit on the cresty side and I am thinking perhaps the feed disagrees with him. Soooo, now he is going to get just hay and we will see if that clears it up. Meanwhile I have given him an antihistamine to help with his itching and put some salve on the wounds he has made. I will get a picture or two tomorrow in the daylight. I'm just really glad it isn't anything contagious

and hopefully I can get him right, quickly.

 

[Charlotte]

I'm glad to hear nothing really bad showed up. Allergies can be a problem to get figured out sometimes but are usually easy to fix once you do get it pinned down. Please let us know what it is when you get it figured out....and I hope it's soon.

We've had one allergic to bermuda grass, one to corn and one to alfalfa. Actually, they usually showed up in the allergy testing as allergic to a number of things but highest to just one or two and once we eliminated the 'hot' ones the horse had no problems.

Charlotte

 

[My2Minis]

Glad it's not contagious! I hope it clears up.

 

[Ellen]

Fianally, something know about. Allergies. My arab is allergic to certain kinds ok bedding. The compressed pellets to be exact. Also to certain types of grass bother her. The new wood in her stall bothered her for the first two years. She was a hairless Arab. We fed oil, rice bran, only provided tested hay and reseeded the pasture. Changed her bedding, give her anihistamines and she hasn't had an episode in 15 years.

Oatmeal shampoo works great!

Good Luck!

 

[Loess Hills]

[SIZE=10pt]Interesting that nothing was found on the skin test. Sure hope you get the problem solved soon![/SIZE]

 

[Meadow]

I had 1 yearling this Spring who had an allergy, to what we never did find out. He had already started with his winter coat but I clipped his head and neck anyway. The vet had come out for something else and checked him. Told us it was an allergy and to treat it with Batadine Solution and OTC Caladyrl. It WORKED. We had not changed anything in his feed, etc., so I'm going along with the Vet that it was some sort of environmental allergy.

Good Luck,

Meadow