Allergies/Immune system

[seagrygirl]

Please help! I have owned the most wonderful 15yo Irish horse for just over 4 years. We have been competing with success up to Inter 2 level British Dressage and he previously evented to advanced – so he’s a tough chap!

However in January this year he developed a mysterious allergic reaction, which is just snowballing out of control! It appears as lumps in the skin, that at times have become so large they have caused the skin to tear, the eyes to shut, his whole body to swell – this is serious.

In the past 24 weeks I have done everything in my power to help overcome his symptoms, including moving yards, doing blood tests, trying various steroid courses, homeopathic remedies, being incredibly restrictive of his lifestyle, etc. etc.

He now has a total of 18 major allergies which he is receiving desensitising drops for daily, but he seems to keep developing new allergies on a weekly basis. Therefore I really need to find another way to stop his immune system from being so overly sensitive to everything in his life.

Some days (rarely) he is spot free and feels wonderful, then two days later without any change in his lifestyle he is spotty again. However, he has never once looked like giving up and is always bright and happy to see me. His work schedule depends on the distribution of spots in relation to the areas I would place tack, but needless to say we haven’t been training hard/competing this year. However he was entered up and fit back in January when he first became allergic.

If anyone has any ideas – I would really welcome advice. Thank you! Sophie

 

[henryhorn]

I can't offer a lot of help, but if he were mine I would put him on as big a dose of aloe vera you can, it works incredibly well on my allergies so I can promise I am not suggesting anything daft.
I used to get terrible allergic reactions every summer, and more than once ended up in casualty at 4 am when the itching drove me insane.
I tried homeopathy, steroids etc, cutting different foods out after allergy testing, but nothing worked like taking aloe vera internally and using it on the actual allergy rash.
You have to keep adding it for at least an hour until the skin can't absorb any more, but it takes down any blisters or redness and removes the itch.
I won't say I won't ever get it again, but in my case I think gluten as in wheat caused my problems, can you try him on a wheat free feed?
You never know, that could be the cause..
For now whack lots of AV in his feed and see if it improves things.

 

[scotsmare]

WOW, that's not good - my friends horse did this a couple of years ago and got some steroids from the vet to try and bring it under control. I'm not being rude or cheeky but all the changes (albeit wellmeaning) that you have made in your horses life could well be causing him a bit more stress and might be making it worse? Good luck with sorting it out.

 

[Diggerdog]

Poor Boy!!

Have a chat with the vet at Global Herbs - 01243 773363 and ask to speak to a vet rather than the sales team. They will work with your own vet to come up with a complimentary treatment for your horse.

Good luck getting to the bottom of his problems.

 

[the watcher]

The problem with urticaria is that it is difficult to identify the original cause of it, and then one the body has become sensitive anything can set it off, not just the original allergen.

The only treatment is complete rest, antihistamines and steroids, and reducing temperature as much as possible - I would avoid all work and exertion until you have had at least two or three weeks clear of symptoms. Cool water (with nothing in it) sponging will help to reduce temps - cold water may be too extreme and cause more lumps, leave all rugs off, avoid grooming or anything that rubs the skin at all and keep the diet very, very simple.

Aloe vera can help, but even that may be too much at his stage, although it will certainly be a good thing to use to prevent further problems.

If you think that I am being over cautious imagine that those lumps you can see on the outside are almost certainly present inside your horse too, lining the digestive system and causing pain. If you have been continuing to try to work your horse on good days between outbreaks of lumps it simply hasn't had time to recover properly.

 

[Paddywhack]

Poor boy ...
I would put him on a large dose of Aloe Vera,1 bottle per day for 4-7 days,then 1/2 bottle for 10 days and then 250 ml.
I am an Aloe Vera distributor !
And then I would recommend to put aloe Vera Gel on the lumps
And I agree with Mother Hen that he should be completely off work and that he most certainly got lumps on the inside as well,the Aloe will work on the inside and help to restore his immune system,you need to give him a gentle treatment and and there is no gentler treatment than Aloe,I would give him some piriton antihistamine together with the Aloe.
Good Luck

 

[the watcher]

Paddywack, I am also an aloe vera distributor, and can sing the praises of the product all day. As a tonic there is very little to beat it.

However aloe vera does contain levels of salicylic acid and this can be an allergy trigger in people, so it would be wise to be cautious with animals too. High levels can also cause digestive irritation in people and animals - one reason it is recommended as a gentle long term treatment for constipation. It may simply be too much in the acute stages.

 

[Charlie77]

Sorry to sound like an idiot & hijack some one else's post, but what form of AV should humans take? is there a tablet form? I am intolerant to various things & would like to give it go!

 

[the watcher]

Aloe vera juice is more effective than tablets, and you can buy it flavoured now so it doesn't taste quite so nasty - it may only present you with a problem if you are currently highly sensitised and have a problem with asprin. If you are currently showing no allergic signs then it shouldn't affect you negatively at all

 

[Charlie77]

Ah may be not then, one of the things im intolerant to is artificial flavours! ( Mono sodium glutamate) Caffeine & chocolate, I have hay fever type symptoms all year round.