Ancient one is shedding his skin

windand rain

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I am flummoxed the 30 year old or there abouts livery is not just shedding his coat he has what looks like yellow pus next to his skin and it sheds leaving horrid bald patches. I had to find a food to sort his tummy out so in swapping it to Agrobs he lost loads of weight and this skin problem started I have popped him back on his usual diet and his weight is picking up a bit but his skin is still bad. Is it possible he has suddnly developed an allergy to Alfalfa after nearly 30 years or will it improve as his weight goes up. It is his last summer so want him to be comfortable his owner is miles away and cannot come to say goodbye at the minute. He is very slowly putting on weight on his belly but his hips and shoulders are a 1 on the weight scale so I know he hasnt got long. He eats well and still trots about although he is arthritic and can still get up after rolling but wonder if there is anything else to do for him. His current diet is 2 mugs of micronised linseed, 2 mugs of alfalfa nuts, 1 mug soothe and gain and 1 mug of speedibeet soaked for about 15-20 minutes twice a day.He is now on ad lib spring grass and his tummy is fully recovered as the hay has stopped so has the diarrhoea. His skin is the issue now I just want him to have a happy few weeks/months He will not be given hay again once the grass is gone he will be PTS.
 

cauda equina

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It sounds like an allergy, or a bacterial infection
Allergies can develop at any time
Can you send photos of the lesions to your vet?
 

Pearlsasinger

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Is he being treated for Cushings? My Draft mare got similar sounding skin lesions before we had her tested. I also stopped giving her Brewer's yeast which she had had for years, that sorted it out in the short term.
 

The Jokers Girl

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This sounds very much like a bacterial infection. Several horses on my yard had same symptoms due to the awful wet winter we had. Was treated with 2 antibiotics and bute and lesions were thoroughly washed with hibiscrub and then rinsed and steroid cream applied. After several days this was swapped to flamazine. Took about 3 weeks of treatment for sores to heal over and they are just now growing hair back.
 

windand rain

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No not treated for cushings this is the first time he has shown what might be a symptom. Never had laminitis and sheds his coat easily too readily as it comes out in chunks. He has been washed twice weekly in hibiscrub but havent tries steroid cream just sudocreme which has helped a little but the more he sheds the more the skin is comng off too. I was working on it being like rain scald but he has been rugless for weeks and it hasnt rained. It started where his rug touched his skin a bit like bedsores do but its not ulcerated
 

be positive

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My 30 year old pba has similar, it is a form of rainscald that seems to bide its time and flares up at coat change which tends to happen almost too quickly, mine has it on his shoulders and behind his ears, previous winters it has been a bit worse but this year he was in at night earlier and for longer so although he has some it is not quite so obvious, mine will get some wonder gel on, I will give him a bath this weekend if it is warm enough and expect him to be in his normal summer coat within the next week or two.
 

alibali

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I took over care of some malnourished and neglected horses with condition score less than 2 and similar sounding skin condition (I'm not suggesting your old boy is neglected, please don't misunderstand me!). Vet prescribed Malaseb shampoo and the results were brilliant, bathing every second day, most pus gone by second bathing, well on way to recovery within a week. Perhaps they would let you have a bottle without visiting (given it's not an emergency I doubt they'd come out). Might be worth phoning to ask?
 

windand rain

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He doesnt make life easy I must admit and he costs me far more than his livery but he needs good care I feel awful in that in trying to cure his tummy it seems I have caused him to lose weight and get this skin condition He is in my care and nothing here is allowed to get too fat or thin I thought giving him one of the advised foods and costing me a fortune he would actually improve but his weight plummeted in days on double rations of the Agrobs Mash he was eating a kilo a day plus a kilo of the senior. Recommended amount was 400 grms of mash or a kilo of senior I reckon he would be even worse on that He only had one bag of each as he dropped weight so quickly. I dont think he will last another winter but is such a happy chap it seems a shame not to let him have the summer. He has psyllium in winter costing £90 a month too as it seems the only thing that stops his hay going through him.
 

Chianti

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He doesnt make life easy I must admit and he costs me far more than his livery but he needs good care I feel awful in that in trying to cure his tummy it seems I have caused him to lose weight and get this skin condition He is in my care and nothing here is allowed to get too fat or thin I thought giving him one of the advised foods and costing me a fortune he would actually improve but his weight plummeted in days on double rations of the Agrobs Mash he was eating a kilo a day plus a kilo of the senior. Recommended amount was 400 grms of mash or a kilo of senior I reckon he would be even worse on that He only had one bag of each as he dropped weight so quickly. I dont think he will last another winter but is such a happy chap it seems a shame not to let him have the summer. He has psyllium in winter costing £90 a month too as it seems the only thing that stops his hay going through him.

Does he have the psyllium all the time? I was told they should only have it one week a month.
 

windand rain

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no he has it 3 weeks a month otherwise he does liquid black poo. He is very sensitive to hay/haylage but is fine on grass now the grass is coming a little (hush but desperately need rain) his poo is normal and the psyllium has been reduced to when needed. He is emaciated and his skin is bad but he still gallops over for his meals and to say hello and can still roll and get up just a bit worried about worming him so might get him poo counted
 
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Gloi

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28 year old Fell here had similar symptoms which were Cushings related bacterial infection. He didn't get it again after being on Prascend.
 
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