Bites or diet?

[pastel]

I manage a retirement home in Wales , this TB is 26 and has been with us for 6 years and never had a problem , he has been turned out in the same fields also for the past 6 summers, this spring in late April he overnight developed risen patches that erupted into a sticky pus which we had to clean off and treat with steroid and antibiotics ( vet called in) we have managed him since by putting a fly rug on in warmer weather also used a pour on treatment , but he is still getting the reactions/lumps theses photos are from yesterday, I gave him a steroid injection 2 weeks ago and they went down straight away but don't want to repeat this often , any ideas , I have questioned whether it is a diet related allergy but my vet doesn't think so , no other horses have these in his group of horses and not a different field so any ideas other than midge bites ?

 

[MidChristmasCrisis]

Only on one side?if so I would think he s lying on thistle/nettle or ant nest..to me it looks like an allergy reaction.

 

[pastel]

Only on one side?if so I would think he s lying on thistle/nettle or ant nest..to me it looks like an allergy reaction.

no its both sides

 

[ycbm]

Why do you suspect diet? Have you made any recent changes?

Looks possibly like something caused by contact. New bedding? New plant growing in field? Is it itching?

I wrote this on your other thread. Now I know his age and how severe the reaction has been, I would suggest that it's his immune system weakening. Has he been tested for Cushings?
.

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

I wrote this on your other thread. Now I know his age and how severe the reaction has been, I would suggest that it's his immune system weakening. Has he been tested for Cushings?
.

Agree with this

 

[starbucker]

Looks like an allergic reaction, an allergic reaction can develop at any time / age which I always find interesting.

 

[pastel]

I wrote this on your other thread. Now I know his age and how severe the reaction has been, I would suggest that it's his immune system weakening. Has he been tested for Cushings?
.

not itchy or sore

I wrote this on your other thread. Now I know his age and how severe the reaction has been, I would suggest that it's his immune system weakening. Has he been tested for Cushings?
.

negative Cushings

 

[pastel]

I wrote this on your other thread. Now I know his age and how severe the reaction has been, I would suggest that it's his immune system weakening. Has he been tested for Cushings?

 

[nutjob]

One of mine had something like this, he was allergic to quite a lot of things in his feed. He had to be fed hay or haylage mainly and very limited grass especially when it was actively growing and there were other things he had to avoid. If you want to go down this route you can start by excluding all feeds for a couple of weeks. If this doesn't work and it may be the grazing you can restrict that and try things like timothy only haylage or even alfalfa only.

 

[PurBee]

My young gelding had hives like that, that also had some weep a clearish yellowish serum, after he had ingested buttercup leaves in new haylage for 1 day. It all tasted fermented and sweet so there was no rejection of the feed. The hives started at neck/front chest, then gradually appeared also sides and back/belly, rear legs.

Buttercup is still toxic in haylage because theyre damp, and not fully dried-out. That was the only change of feed so was easy to identify culprit. It actually had a lot of buttercup, many leaves per handful of hay.

The hives joined-up to become massive hives, his system really reacted to them. I gave supportive supplements, charcoal to clear gut/liver toxins, liver support, aloe vera gut soothe, extra mixed vits minerals balancer powder to support nutritional liver/immune system nutrients to help overcome it.

As your horse has been on the same land and no-one else affected, considering his age i wonder if his taste or senses have deteriorated with his age and he’s now eating toxic field plants?…maybe buttercup as theyre sooo common in grazing fields? The leaves are prone to being accidentally eaten when theyre grazing around buttercups for grass, especially if grazing is short, and an oldie with maybe dental grazing issues, or sense deterioration might be more prone than a more agile, alert grazer?

Or maybe he has laid in a patch of buttercups? They can secrete the toxin when crushed, so its plausible for there to be a topical hives reaction, and even maybe due to thin summer coat his skin has absorbed some when laying on them.

Mine have had small round hives reactions to midge bites, or equine sprays, that generally disappear within 48hrs, but the accidental buttercup ingestion brought out massive weeping hives quickly. They took a couple of weeks to clear as the toxin took that long for the liver/blood system to clear it and recover.
Never seen such a reaction before and since, and this gelding is an experimental grazer and has sampled some fairly toxic plants, with no reaction. Ive watched him grazing so often, he never ever goes near fresh buttercup leaves in the field, so their senses are strict ‘avoid’ for buttercup, usually.

 

[pastel]

One of mine had something like this, he was allergic to quite a lot of things in his feed. He had to be fed hay or haylage mainly and very limited grass especially when it was actively growing and there were other things he had to avoid. If you want to go down this route you can start by excluding all feeds for a couple of weeks. If this doesn't work and it may be the grazing you can restrict that and try things like timothy only haylage or even alfalfa only.

he is only on grass

 

[pastel]

My young gelding had hives like that, that also had some weep a clearish yellowish serum, after he had ingested buttercup leaves in new haylage for 1 day. It all tasted fermented and sweet so there was no rejection of the feed. The hives started at neck/front chest, then gradually appeared also sides and back/belly, rear legs.

Buttercup is still toxic in haylage because theyre damp, and not fully dried-out. That was the only change of feed so was easy to identify culprit. It actually had a lot of buttercup, many leaves per handful of hay.

The hives joined-up to become massive hives, his system really reacted to them. I gave supportive supplements, charcoal to clear gut/liver toxins, liver support, aloe vera gut soothe, extra mixed vits minerals balancer powder to support nutritional liver/immune system nutrients to help overcome it.

As your horse has been on the same land and no-one else affected, considering his age i wonder if his taste or senses have deteriorated with his age and he’s now eating toxic field plants?…maybe buttercup as theyre sooo common in grazing fields? The leaves are prone to being accidentally eaten when theyre grazing around buttercups for grass, especially if grazing is short, and an oldie with maybe dental grazing issues, or sense deterioration might be more prone than a more agile, alert grazer?

Or maybe he has laid in a patch of buttercups? They can secrete the toxin when crushed, so its plausible for there to be a topical hives reaction, and even maybe due to thin summer coat his skin has absorbed some when laying on them.

Mine have had small round hives reactions to midge bites, or equine sprays, that generally disappear within 48hrs, but the accidental buttercup ingestion brought out massive weeping hives quickly. They took a couple of weeks to clear as the toxin took that long for the liver/blood system to clear it and recover.
Never seen such a reaction before and since, and this gelding is an experimental grazer and has sampled some fairly toxic plants, with no reaction. Ive watched him grazing so often, he never ever goes near fresh buttercup leaves in the field, so their senses are strict ‘avoid’ for buttercup, usually.

his first reaction like this was in late April before any of the buttercups had flowered so I don't think its that ..

 

[GypsGal1718]

I would try excluding all feed/treats/supplements for 2 weeks and see if they go away, look for anything in his field that could cause a reaction and stop putting any care products on his body such as fly spray and see how it goes. I hope he gets better soon!

 

[PurBee]

his first reaction like this was in late April before any of the buttercups had flowered so I don't think its that ..

The leaves are most toxic, not just the flowers. Buttercup plants are hardy and perennial and the leaves grow more or less all year round, alongside grass.
Its only in late may/june it flowers to show how much of it is in the field alongside the grass.

 

[soloequestrian]

My mare reacts badly to fly bites so she is on 10 antihistamine a day from May to about September. There seems to be disagreement in the literature and among vets about effects of antihistamines for horses but I think it helps her quite a lot. I get them from Home Bargains for 80p for 30! Not sure what they think when I buy 10 packs at a time.