Alfalfa & Skin problem

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Annagain

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My share horse has had a dermatitis type skin condition (only on his back legs) on and off for years which causes scabs and bald patches - much like mud fever, although it can occur in all conditions at all times of year and is usually higher up his legs (top half of cannon bones and inside of hocks) in areas that don't get muddy. We've tried to work out what causes it so many times but never got to the bottom of it. We thought his (very thick) tail was getting wet and muddy and irritating them at one point and although a tail bag improved it, it didn't go away completely. We then thought it was seasonal alopecia until he got it in the middle of winter.

I now have a new theory. This summer he has been doing particularly well so has had no feed at all for the first time in his life. In the past, he's at least had a handful of chaff with a balancer or supplement. He hasn't had any problems with his skin. Over the last couple of weeks, we've re-introduced his feeds - starting with just chaff and a supplement and his rash is starting to come back. He's fed Dengie Hi-Fi Molasses free which contains alfalfa. I know alfafa can disagree with some horses but has anybody heard of it causing skin conditions before?
 
I know several allergic to alfalfa and all have suffered skin conditions. Not easy to avoid the stuff but not impossible, look for a hay and straw chop or use ReadyGrass or similar.
 
OMG I have the worlds itchiest mare and she is on molasses free hi fi! I've never put 2 and 2 together!

Like your share horse, last winter she came out in a load of hives and was so desperate to be itched! she had similar bits by her back legs and I put it down to ring worm! she had what appeared to be ring worm on her face, body and back legs, which took months to heal up! none of the others got it, which is odd! and the vet said she has never seen it in the places she had them, apart from her face! Maybe it wasn't ring worm, maybe it was a reaction to her feed?
 
These days feed is always my first thought for any changes, including behavioural, having had one mare who could not tolerate cereal or sugar and another who couldn't cope with alfalfa or carrots and having allergies to alliums myself!
 
YorksG said:
These days feed is always my first thought for any changes, including behavioural, having had one mare who could not tolerate cereal or sugar and another who couldn't cope with alfalfa or carrots and having allergies to alliums myself!
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Carrots send my youngster through the roof! Really calm placid boy but give him carrots and his eyes are on stalks for the next 24 hours. Same with alfafa too much of something in them for him, they are both on the banned list now.
 
I started feeding alfa A and a few days later my horse came out in lumps. Stopped feeding and lumps have gone, could have been co incidence as might have been mozzie lumps although she has never suffered from insect bites previously.
 
One of my horses is highly allergic to alfalfa. He comes out in little hard lumps all over him when he gets even a handful. In fact he got a few licks of some this morning from licking my other horse's door when I was changing rugs and by lunchtime 1 side of his neck and shoulder were covered in lumps. Annoying as I'm usually so careful. Usually takes about a week till they all go.
 
annagain said:
My share horse has had a dermatitis type skin condition (only on his back legs) on and off for years which causes scabs and bald patches - much like mud fever, although it can occur in all conditions at all times of year and is usually higher up his legs (top half of cannon bones and inside of hocks) in areas that don't get muddy. We've tried to work out what causes it so many times but never got to the bottom of it. We thought his (very thick) tail was getting wet and muddy and irritating them at one point and although a tail bag improved it, it didn't go away completely. We then thought it was seasonal alopecia until he got it in the middle of winter.

I now have a new theory. This summer he has been doing particularly well so has had no feed at all for the first time in his life. In the past, he's at least had a handful of chaff with a balancer or supplement. He hasn't had any problems with his skin. Over the last couple of weeks, we've re-introduced his feeds - starting with just chaff and a supplement and his rash is starting to come back. He's fed Dengie Hi-Fi Molasses free which contains alfalfa. I know alfafa can disagree with some horses but has anybody heard of it causing skin conditions before?
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Yes, very much so. Alfalfa (Lucerne) can cause some horses to develop photosensitisation, their skin burns after exposure to sunlight. Change to a basic Meadow Hay chaff and check all feeds for Alfalfa products. Excess Clover can also do the same thing
 
Yup I have two that appear to have alfalfa allergies - now have an alfalfa free feed room and won't bother with it in future.
 
Mine had exactly the same thing when I used Alfa a oil. It cleared up within days of stopping the Alfa. She can tolerate simple systems Lucie brix though only gets them on a very irregular basis.
 
What feeds or chaff do you recommend if your horse has an intolerance to Alfalfa? Curious as my horse has had a few itchy lumps since I've upped his feed now he grass is low and wonder if it's food related?
 
Interestingly my vet came to treat my WB mare for a skin reaction, which he's positive is down to either alfalfa or soya, most likely the former. He's also had 5 other cases of horses reacting to alfalfa recently, none with any lumps, etc just incredibly itchy.

I have now stopped feeding any alfalfa or chaff, just feeding Topspec All-In-One, sugarbeet and oats.
 
MillionDollar said:
Interestingly my vet came to treat my WB mare for a skin reaction, which he's positive is down to either alfalfa or soya, most likely the former. He's also had 5 other cases of horses reacting to alfalfa recently, none with any lumps, etc just incredibly itchy.

I have now stopped feeding any alfalfa or chaff, just feeding Topspec All-In-One, sugarbeet and oats.
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This is odd. i had actually been feeding alfalfa based chaff for years before our horses had a reaction to it. I put it down to changing the brand and have avoided it completely ever since.
Maybe it's the alfalfa that has changed.
 
cobgoblin said:
This is odd. i had actually been feeding alfalfa based chaff for years before our horses had a reaction to it. I put it down to changing the brand and have avoided it completely ever since.
Maybe it's the alfalfa that has changed.
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It is often the case that horses are not allergic to the alfalfa itself, but to other substances added to it....in the past this was either molasses, or soya oil for the non mollassed versions, but in the last year or so, one company has started using rapeseed oil instead.

My horse appeared to react to an alfalfa product, but it was in fact the rapeseed....he is absolutely fine on a pure alfalfa product. There have been other confirmed cases .
 
Thanks all, will try cutting out alfalfa first and soya if that doesn't work. Can't believe the vet's never thought of it, he's seen it enough times! He just kept saying some horses are prone to dermatitis. It's not a massive problem as it doesn't seem to bother him (we never see him scratching his legs for example and we can touch it with no problems) but it's still something I'd rather wasn't there.
 
Mine gets a scurfy sort of coat with alfalfa too. Surprised me how many chaffs etc contained it - didn't realise until I needed to cut it out, iyswim?
 
Interesting to read - my horse comes up with a strange rash mostly up his neck which sounds similar to some of you guys horses. Can horses develop an irritation over time? He's had Alfa a oil for the last 2 years and has only occasionally come up with hives that I've put down to changes in the grass and reactions to clippers etc but more recently the rashes haven't gone down much? Interesting!
 
Mine always used to react to alfalfa so I gave her fast fibre instead as she is laminitic and I couldn't find a chaff that was sugar free and alfalfa free. On a whim I tried her back on the HiFi molasses free again with Naf pink senior and weirdly she hasn't had hives since - i suspect it is meadow hay (ours has lots of rare wild grasses in it) that was the culprit as she had only had paddock grass all summer.
 
an Arab I used to own couldnt tollerate Alfalfa she had Baileys Golden chaff in her feed its oat straw and honey mix. It was also difficult to buy a mix or nut which didnt contain some alfalfa [ which is also called lucerne BTW
 
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