Allergic to new haynet

[SO1]

Have any of your had an issue with a horse being allergic to a haynet?

I got a very nice fancy continental style slow feeder haynet from a different company than usual. I used to use haywell but they are no longer made and then the horze ones were not being shipped when I looked due I think to Brexit.

So I put it up and pony starts munching away. I put all my tack away and start giving him a really good groom as he is going to be full clipped tomorrow - he has small chaser clip at the moment. I have finished grooming and notice that he has rash on his chest on part of the clipped area at first though perhaps it was due to his rug but it was the same rug as he has been wearing for a while. YO lives on site so I call her to ask for advice and one of the yard staff also happened to be still there. She looked at it and it was strange he had nothing new happened in his routine in today apart from the haynet. The yard staff member also checked his nose at it was fine, YO then comes out to help and I check his nose again and now he has some hives on his nose as well. So we presume it must be the new haynet and that the hives on his nose have taken longer to appear as he more fur on his nose (he is a native pony) than on his clipped chest. He does brush against his haynet with his chest and he was not wearing a rug as I was grooming him.

Apart from the hives he seemed fine, was not having difficulty breathing, did not seem to be itchy and was bright, tucking into his hay. Normally I would have given him his hay and gone it was just luck that I happened to be staying later to groom him.

We have given him 6 piriton as that was all I had and put his hay into one of the old haynets. I stayed with him for two hours to monitor him. I also sprayed him with Leucillin and put sudocream on his nose. YO is going to check him again later and will call the emergency vet if she thinks he needs him.

The only new thing was the haynet, I will contact the company tomorrow to see if perhaps it has been sprayed with something to disinfect it with perhaps due to trying to prevent Covid, though it did go into the hay steamer before he had it so that should have removed anything nasty. Maybe it is the dye on it or the mesh. I have never heard of horse being allergic to haynets before it is very strange but we could not think of anything else it could be, as it looked like contact dermatitis as it was localised hives.

 

[ycbm]

I have a friend whose horse came out in hives with clipper oil and a lot of manufactured things have a coating of oil on them, could it be that? I would give it a good scrub in detergent.

 

[SO1]

He is not normally allergic to clipper oil but that is a good point, I will ask the company that makes the haynets if they are coated in anything, it will be a shame if I can't use it as it was really nice design and expensive and the loveliest haynet I have ever had. I don't think I can risk using it again.

YO has just checked him and said he is fine and tucking into his hay. His nose is looking better but still hives on his chest but they have not got worse.

I have a friend whose horse came out in hives with clipper oil and a lot of manufactured things have a coating of oil on them, could it be that? I would give it a good scrub in detergent.

 

[Birker2020]

I know this might sound obvious but has the pony eaten or come into contact with nettles in the hay within the haynet as this would cause a similiar reaction?

 

[ycbm]

He is not normally allergic to clipper oil but that is a good point, I will ask the company that makes the haynets if they are coated in anything, it will be a shame if I can't use it as it was really nice design and expensive and the loveliest haynet I have ever had. I don't think I can risk using it again.

YO has just checked him and said he is fine and tucking into his hay. His nose is looking better but still hives on his chest but they have not got worse.

I wouldn't have thought the supplier will know, it will just happen as a by- product of the manufacturing process. Its difficult to believe that is the material that the net is made from. Was the reaction mild enough to wash the net and try again?

 

[SO1]

Vet has looked at him and prescribed antibiotics says looks like rainscald rather than an allergy but weird as he has a rug on in the field although it has been very wet and muddy and the path to the field is particularly bad, I can't see how his chest could get that wet or muddy when rugged. He always seem dry under his rug, though he loves a roll in mud. I could understand why his nose might get rainscald as eating grass submerged in water when flooded but his nose is better.
YO has as a precaution moved them to a different field for a bit so he does not have to go up the muddy path.

Vet said it could be the haynet which when I spoke to supplier turned out she does clean all the haynets before they are dispatched but to him it looks like early signs of rainscald rather than contact dermatitis.

Maybe try the haynet again in the summer when everywhere is dry and he is not clipped so all other possibilities all such rainscald, clipper rash can be eliminated.