Burnt muzzle/nose? Allergic Reaction?

[katie_southwest]

This morning my mare has got a very orangey muzzle/nose and all the skin is crusty and peeling off - it literally looks like sunburn but its definately not!! The sun has hardly been out
For the moment iv smothered it in sudocrem, but Im not exactly sure what it is....

Iv looked around the field and I cant see anything unusual - theres nettles and things but nothing she wouldnt of eaten before?
Its made her bottom lip go a little bit orange too

If its a reaction to something shes put her head in (being a pig thats just about everything she can find) is there anything different I could put on it? Or stick with sudocrem and see if it clears it up?
Just to add - a night or 2 ago it literally chucked it down with rain - she did get a bit of rain scald one on her neck...perhaps it could be something like that?


I should of taken a picture - Ill take some tonight if I remember

 

[npage123]

Maybe buttercup burns?

This recent article is worth a read:

http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/news/397/313005.html

Yes, it would be good to add some photos on here - I'm sure you'll get some good advice from other people on this site

 

[Irishbabygirl]

Definitely sounds like butter cup burns - its been really common this year with our odd weather apparently. Best get your vet.

 

[katie_southwest]

npage123- Thanks for the link , it does sound like it but Im sure there arent any in my field!!
Ill have another check around later...

 

[katie_southwest]

Irishbabygirl - Thank you, I wasnt aware reactions to buttercups were so comon but quite a few friends have said the same happens to their horses

 

[Toffee44]

Are you sure its not sun burn that might have tingled and shes then itched it, Samba gets sunburn by just not wearing her muzzle for a day this time of year. I use a equilibrium UV net which is good. But seriously it doesnt even have to be sunny to get sunburn on pink noses.


Really silly onlybecause I freaked out when Toffee first did it, do you have a lick in the field has she got a bit ott with it and got it everywhere??

 

[katie_southwest]

Hehe toffee44 no it's definately not a lick-I gave up on those a long time ago when it got smothered everywhere!!!

 

[Cornish on the Cob]

My mare has just had this. I thought it was a repiratory problem but it was buttercup burn. Moved her to a different field. I used Sudocrem on her nose but it wasn't working so I used Calamine lotion and hey presto! The scabs went!. I also put her on Naf Respirator as she was wheezing and thats gone too!

 

[mulledwhine]

Might still be sunburn, even though it is not sunny, the rays are stronger at this time of year, so are still getting through the cloud cover, my boys nose is getting pink ATM , so have out some sudacrem on is there nothing that this product won't do?

 

[katie_southwest]

There is literally nothing that sudocrem can't cure haha!
Well I'm off to search for buttercups , hope find some then I'll know that's what it is!

 

[Barleyboo]

If you haven't got buttercups have a look for wild parsnip. http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/invasives/terrestrialplants/herbaceous/wildparsnip.html (american website as it was the best picture I could find of the distinctive leaves, but we are on South Downs and have got it).
We have been in our field for 10 years with no problems but this awful stuff suddenly appeared a couple of years ago and badly burnt all our horses. We'd never even heard of it before but it can lie dormant in the soil and then grow when conditions are favourable. The vet thought it was very severe sunburn at first but like you we knew we hadn't had any sunny weather to have caused it, then we found out about the parsnip. We know it was that and not the buttercups because my mum got a scar on her arm from when we were trying to get rid of it all and she accidently touched some of it.

 

[Swift00]

My pony had something nasty a few years ago when his pink muzzle came up in very sore scabs, anywhere and everywhere it was pink, the vet told me it was caused by the same bacteria that cause mud fever, caused by being turned out onto long wet grass after being on short dry grass, i treated it by washing and applying sudocream, and within a week the scabs started to fall off to leave new skin, my YO at the time was convinced it was sunburn, but i followed my gut instinct and contacted the vet, as it was so sore he had trouble eating!
Just thought i'd share my experience incase it's of any help

 

[ester]

It is also possible she has eaten something that has made her photosensitive.

 

[katie_southwest]

Urghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh ok so apparently I HAVE got buttercups in my field ...I really havent noticed them before ....

There are little ones dotted around but a part of the field that I opened up the electric to recently has some really high ones.
What do I do? Get them sprayed?

Shes never had anything like this before, is it normal to have a sudden reaction like that when shes been in the field for 3 months already?

 

[horsey mad matt]

it is probably hogweed ours have had it a couple of times, quite mild and really bad. we always just smother it in sudocrem and within days it has gone. i wouldn't worry about getting the vet out unless it is still there within a week or 2. but it would really suprise me if it was

 

[ester]

I think its too late to spray now (and they are notoriously difficult to get ride of anyway afaik because of the way the 'creep' underground), is it possible to fence her off them temporarily, it can't be too long before they seed and die back now as am sure we don't have any by hay making time!

 

[katie_southwest]

There seems to be little ones all over the place so hard to electric her away from them but Ill put the electric fence back where it was , I opened it up a bit a couple of days ago and then it has blistered up like that, thats where the really long ones are too.

God I never knew they were so bad (shameful) but Iv never had an issue like this the whole time Iv had her!