I've got a horse that has had flare ups off and on in the year or so that we have had him and over the weekend the worst flare up ever. My vet has been involved and through a process of elimination and trying different treatments has diagnosed him as being allergic to bugs and/or flies. Sometimes he is OK but then when it flares up he gets bumps all over his body and then gets all itchy and will rub on things making it all worse. This weekend it just went out of control and all over he had bumps. When he starts rubbing and scratching it looks more like a rash or some sort of fungus so we tried all sorts of topical treatments for those as well.
She said the only thing we could really do is put him on steroids and that would be a temporary fix but he would have to be on them until the buggy season is over. We are trying to get extra weight off him right now because he is going to Nationals and she said the steroids would make it hard for him to get the weight off. Right now we are at the height of the icky hot humid buggy weather and she said for now except when I am working him or exercising him I should keep him in his stall with a fly sheet and fly hood on, a box fan blowing on him 24/7, spray the barn and the horse and I should look into getting the door screens or barn curtains so that I can leave the barn open for the breeze but keep most of the flies and bugs out. She doesn't feel there really is any fly spray on the market to use that really truly would work well enough to protect him.
SO......I am doing everything the vet says, I am just looking for any additional "natural" things I can do to help him out. I feel like there must be something more I can do, plus I have to order the fly sheet and hood today and I won't get those for severals days.
JUST WANTED TO EDIT TO ADD.....we've looked at his feed too, as a culprit and he currently gets a little beet pulp, Buckey Gro N Win, ground flax, BOSS and limited hay. Vet says what he is getting is fine and the flax should help with the allergies.
She said the only thing we could really do is put him on steroids and that would be a temporary fix but he would have to be on them until the buggy season is over. We are trying to get extra weight off him right now because he is going to Nationals and she said the steroids would make it hard for him to get the weight off. Right now we are at the height of the icky hot humid buggy weather and she said for now except when I am working him or exercising him I should keep him in his stall with a fly sheet and fly hood on, a box fan blowing on him 24/7, spray the barn and the horse and I should look into getting the door screens or barn curtains so that I can leave the barn open for the breeze but keep most of the flies and bugs out. She doesn't feel there really is any fly spray on the market to use that really truly would work well enough to protect him.
SO......I am doing everything the vet says, I am just looking for any additional "natural" things I can do to help him out. I feel like there must be something more I can do, plus I have to order the fly sheet and hood today and I won't get those for severals days.
JUST WANTED TO EDIT TO ADD.....we've looked at his feed too, as a culprit and he currently gets a little beet pulp, Buckey Gro N Win, ground flax, BOSS and limited hay. Vet says what he is getting is fine and the flax should help with the allergies.
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