Bleeding Tail - Horse Rubbing - Any Suggestions?

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Watty

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I am waiting for vet to call back but I am wondering if anyone has any ideas. Horse is a 19 year old fell.
History: This horse arrived here in July/August as a re-home. Did a worm count which was fine. But had feather mites and lice so he was injected with dectomax and shampooed with an insecticidal shampoo twice - each a week apart. (Cant remember which one). Stamping and itching stopped and i thought phew, dealt with.
Then about 5 weeks ago he started rubbing his tail, rubbed it badly and made it bleed so I called the vet again. This time - was a different vet - he said was most likely a parasite that was laying eggs outside of the body and making horse itch. Horse had some sores under tail. And vet said there were still some signs of fungal infection on leg. So, clipped off all feathers, treated legs with Malaseb for fungal infection and that seems to have cleared. Bathed horse with Hibiscrub to see if could stop the low grade itch. Also injected again with Dectomax. Thought that all would be well. Hmmm.

Re parasite, wormed with strongoid P. Fuciderm to stop the itch. One week later wormed again with a different wormer. More fuciderm as still scratching tail. Another week later and double dose of Strongoid P and more fuciderm.

Thinking must know have dealt with everything stopped applying fuciderm on Sunday and this morning, poor old soul has itched tail worse than ever and has open bleeding wounds.

Am at wits end.

I am reasonably sure vet is going to say is still worms because he is very attached to that idea but there is no evidence of them under a microscope and this fellow has now been wormed 3 times so I am doubtful.

Any ideas anyone?
 
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Thanks for sugggestion but tail hasn't been washed since we did the Hibiscrub wash about 2 or 3 weeks ago. So that rules that idea out.

I haven't changed anything in his diet either so I don't think it can be a food reaction either. He has hayledge (COPD) and hi fibre cubes with yea-sacc as a supplement as he has terrible wind! Added garlic when we started tackling the mites, lice, parasites as thought that might help.
 
I have been told that Pin worms are not usually killed with usual wormers because they live at the anus end of the intestine not near the stomach, they come out and lay eggs under the tail and cause itching. Perhaps ask the vet if this could be the cause.
 
We had reoccurant problems with pinworms - they don't always show in normal worm tests. The vet can do a selotape test and we then did a very intensive worming programme and had something (which escapes me currently) to paint under the tail - sucess after about 2 weeks!!! Also have individual grooming kits, creosoted anything at itch height and general hygine etc.

Test is simple and inexpensive - selotape, slide and microscope!

Could be the cause - we only knew we had a problem because one of our lot kept itching tail.
 
Wormers with the active ingredient, Ivermectin or fenbendazole (panacur and Eraquell contain these) claim to be effective against pinworm if that was the problem. Definately better to confirm whether they are actually present though before giving him even more wormer.
Is he itchy anywhere else on his body?
When my horse has rubbed her tail raw (a particular hobby of hers!) I bath it in a mild solution of hot (obviously not scalding) salt water and then put tea tree oil on it or Wonder Gel which contains, aloe vera, tea tree and something else. The salt water disinfects and helps draw out any 'poisons' 'foreign bodies' without adding chemicals to the area and the tea tree also disinfects, soothes the itching and helps keep flies and other insects away from the wounds. This will usually calm the itching and rubbing for a little while.

Hope you get to the bottom of the problem soon!!
 
Well got a different vet out as I needed my elderly pony checked for something. This vet looked at pony and heard history and says if it were pin worms the amount of wormer we have given plus all the scrubbing down of stables etc should have shifted it. He said that it was most likely something common so assume is atypical sweet itch or something similar and gave me some cheap suggestions. So thats what I am going with now.
Thanks for suggestions.
 
[QUOTE
Am at wits end.

I am reasonably sure vet is going to say is still worms because he is very attached to that idea but there is no evidence of them under a microscope and this fellow has now been wormed 3 times so I am doubtful.

Any ideas anyone?[/QUOTE]


5 day panacur for pinworms.... despite regular worming at correct dosage etc... it was the only thing that shifted them. It was amazing how quickly it worked within 24 hours he was a lot happier and his poos were loaded with dead pinworms. Need to disinfect everything and anything he rubbed on
 
Avon skin so soft has moisturised the area and (touch wood) seems to have resolved issue. Was atypical sweet itch so new vet says. Phew.
 
Hi - check out the post I just put in the pinworms thread. It could be something similar. I have been researching this subject a lot recently and discussed it with a number of vets/worming distributors etc. This warm November has caused all sorts of issues with bacterial infections and worms. I have one with mud fever problems whos never had it before and its been a struggle to control it. Also, we have had one with a real itchy tail etc and sicharge.. seems to be pin worms. This horse is regularly wormed and it would seem some wormers only kill the adult pin worm and not the larvae and then these seme to be hatching early and causing problems. Perhaps have a look at what Strongid P does and doesn't kill orr. I alternate between promax and equest and found that promax (the last one I'd used) doesn't kill pinworm larvae so mine got an equest last night..
 
Friends horse had something that we thought was quite similar - but I can't quite tell from your description.

After vet consultations, course of antibiotics, etc it seems like a type of mud fever on tail - could it be that? The best management seems to be to keep it the dock 'clipped' (pulling would be too intrusive), very clean, use a cream and if it gets bad use perscribed antibiotic cream (& oral antibiotics if v bad).

Don't know if this helps but thought would throw it into the mix!
 
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