Rub marks? Losing hair?

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suz

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My guy seems to be losing quite a bit of hair, and I'm wondering if it is just normal shedding or maybe he has developed a skin allergy/problem?

Near the eye, he seems to have "worn" the hair off, like he is itching or rubbing somehow. The barn lady says that he likes to play with his feed bucket and that is causing the little rub patches.

Also, for the past couple of days, I have been able to pull out (easily) small clumps of mane and sometimes clumps of his tail too.

I'm starting to get worried. Where I board him, the lady says he is just shedding. Only one other horse in the barn is "shedding" this way with his mane and tail. I don't know.... Could he have caught something from that horse?

Also, he seems to be getting little cuts and rub marks on his face and body mysteriously.....

I'm sure these people aren't hurting any of the horses here, but the other place he was boarded at for 3 years, he never had any of these problems...

Oh, the only change in his feed is the barn lady has added free choice minerals, Morman brand, to his sweet feed for about the past month. I'm wondering if he may be allergic to something in these minerals? Again, she said no, as his feet are growing nice and fast, so the minerals are doing him good.

I am going to switch to Buckeye Grow 'n Win tomorrow and will be dropping the minerals (and, of course, the sweet feed), so hopefully, this condition will clear up.

Any thoughts??? I'm beginning to worry.....

p.s. Moving him is not an option, as there is NO PLACE else to board him around here :no:
 
Hm, I don't think it's normal for him to be losing clumps of his mane and tail. I'm interested to see what other people say.
 
Take some hair into your Vet and just get him to run it under an ultra violet light to eliminate the possibility of ringworm.

You never do know what has been in a stall before you.

Even in Florida I would not have though this was the time of year for a horse to be shedding and I doubt it is allergies.

It could be a reaction to having been moved but it does not sound "normal" to me.

Try not to worry too much, though, it doesn't sound life threatening either.

I would try giving him a good bath in an anti dandruff, child (so mild) shampoo, no conditioner, and dry him really, REALLY thoroughly, groom him out whilst he is a little damp as it is easier, then have a real good look.

If you are still concerned I would definitely have the Vet.

Sometimes it is worth the bill just to hear them say "He's fine, I see this a lot around here. Nothing to worry about"
 
Loosing bits of mane and tail isn't a normal part of shedding. Your vet might want to take a skin "scraping" to eliminate mange or ringworm. Our stables are 150 years old and have a lot of timber in them. Ringworm will live indefinately in timber and about the only way to get rid of it is with a blow torch! Short of burning the place down, it can be a problem, especially at this time of year. We also have up to 40 horses sharing the same tack, saddle cloths, rugs etc. We also take the show jumpers all round the country and they're often stabled in temporary timber stalls where cross infection can be a problem. We have a disinfectant here called Vircon which is very effective against ringworm. We even rinse the horses in a mild solution of it if they have any sign of ringworm although it has been known to cause a reaction so care is needed. We've never had a problem with it tho. However, it won't get rid of mange.

Mange and ringworm are all treatable and it's also worth checking for lice. I find with my awful eyesight, the easiest thing to see are the eggs, often under the main at the roots and round the ears. They won't come off the hair like scurf will. I agree with Rabbitsfizz about giving him a good bath. There are some good insectidical and fungicidal shampoos available too. But remember if it is bugs or ringworm, the bedding, walls, floor, grooming kit, rugs etc etc will also need to be disinfected too.
 
Absolutely the first line of defence is to keep all his tack, blankets, bedding etc away form other horses and wash hands and even change clothes before contact with other animals.

Ringworm is contagious to more than one species, humans included, but it does not sound like Ringworm- I think Kate is probably y nearer with mange or lice- let's hope so as both are easily treatable.

Do ask the Vet's advice though, I think you need it.
 
The wrong balance of minerals can also cause hair to come out like that, but I would also check for fungus, since there is at least one other horse with similar symptoms. I would have the vet out!
 
What is sweet itch like?

He doesn't appear to have any scabs or scaliness forming, just small patches of hair missing. Which, I believe, is to him rubbing against something :eek:

I did notice yesterday at the barn, when I tried to pull some hair out of his mane and tail, that it isn't coming out like it did before. Maybe it was just the older hair shedding out.... but I'm not sure... The hair closest to the skin is held in pretty tight, thank God
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Doesn't sound like sweet itch which is confined mostly to the main and tail and send them frantic with the itching. There are a lot of types of ringworm but most form a crust and when removed, the skin is damp and inflamed underneath. I've seen typical hair loss caused by lice and the only inflamation seems to be caused by additional rubbing. It's common to see foals looking "moth eaten" particularly round the head and face, from lice.

We did have one mare in this year for covering who's foal developed irregular shaped bald patches. Quite large patches, totally bald and all over the foal. It looked like the mare mights have been biting her but the skin was never inflamed. It was very odd, almost as if the hair had been plucked out in lumps. Anyway, we dusted both for lice and the problem disappeared and the hair grew back in a couple of weeks. I think the owner thought we'd been shaving her!

K
 
If rubbing the mane & tail & face consider lice. Very common and they 'hang out' along the top line fo the horse. treatment is a 'horse lice powder' from a feed or tack store or the vet catalogs and deworm with an ivermectin product. If other horses in the barn have it reinfection is possible.

Allergies are a possibility, but usually don't come on suddenly.

another possibility is boredom. it sounds like he spends a lot of time in a stall. Can you arrange for him to have at least 12 hours of turn out? Can he see and visit with other horses while in his stall?

I hope this helps....off to feed I go

Charlotte
 
another possibility is boredom. it sounds like he spends a lot of time in a stall. Can you arrange for him to have at least 12 hours of turn out? Can he see and visit with other horses while in his stall?

I hope this helps....off to feed I go

Charlotte

He doesn't get alot of time outdoors due to the rain/storms/heat we have here in Florida. So, I requested him to be stalled most of the time. He does go out in the a.m. from around 7 to 9 am (so I'm told), but lately, just in a round pen. Which, I don't like, as there is no "freedom" which he needs.

It's just hard to talk to the barn lady about these things... as she just brushes everything off like it's "okay" or "it's nothing"......
 
i would doublecheck for lice. in the past we purchased a horse with lice (unknowingly) and itching and rubbing the mane and tail were the first signs. if you look closely you can see them down in the mane. this is just what it sounds like to me....jennifer :saludando:
 
I checked for lice and didn't see anything.

I did notice that on his shoulder area where he was losing hair is where he likes to bite at flies, so I'm guessing he did this himself, it's not a fungus or anything. I'm keeping an eye on it and putting salve on it to help the hair grow back.

I spoke to the vet about the issue and she didn't say much. Said it's probably just summer itch. In order to check the hairs, they would have to send them in at $60 per test! forget that!!

Anyways, the mane and tail are getting better now. Not much hair coming out now, so maybe it was just a shed out thing. A friend of mine told me that here two minis shed out the mane and tail like crazy twice a year and it's just what minis do. So, I feel alot better. But, I will keep any eye out and make sure nothing else happens.

Thanks for all of your posts!
 
With lice you can often see white eggs on the hair when you pull a few hairs out.

Under the mane is a place that they love to be hiding.

And if you bathe them you can often see them as little thingy´s floating on the soap, they can be very hard to detect.
 

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