Mare with hives

[river]

I went out to check horses this afternoon and one of my broodmares has had an allergic reaction to something and has bumps(hives) all over her head, neck and shoulders. She is still eating like a little pig and has no breathing problems. I do not have any dexamethasone(sp) - is there anything else to give her? I have left a message for the vet but he is out on an emergency and will probably not be back until late this evening. I am going to call all of the neighbors to see if they have any dex. Any other suggestions?

Thanks, river

 

[mizbeth]

You can use Benadryl. Not sure of the dosage, I use the childrens liquid. 1cc on a weanling and 6cc on an adult mare about 280 lbs. Don't know if that is too much or too little, but the dosage on the weanling came from the Vet advise so is correct for her. In my case the filly was having alergic reactions from the mares milk I think - as the mare was having the alergies. Odd......no other explaination for what happened. When the mare got better, so did the baby-treating the baby alone was not working.

Unless you are familar with giving DEX I would wait until I spoke with the Vet on the dosage of that, how often etc. It is steriod and dosage should be decreased on each day after the initial shot, for a specific amount of time.

B

 

[Miniv]

When we have used the Benedryl, we go by the approximate weight of the horse. If it's an adult, you can be pretty sure that the horse weighs as much as an adult human.

 

[backwoodsnanny]

For my filly who just had hives it was recommended by the vet to give 2 capsules of benedryl twice a day and just put it in the grain she eats them just as she does the grain.

 

[river]

Thanks. WE took 2 capsules and crushed them up and put them in applesauce and then gave itt o her in a syringe. ALso took the hose to her for about 15 minutes - then of course she rolled and now she looks like a giant mud ball. I actually think the mud will help - I know it does me and bites.

Thanks for the help.

River