Grass face / Grass glands

[SpanishNeddy]

One of my horses gets the grass glands / grass face thing. He also gets lumpy cheeks as well as swollen glands.

The severity depends on the weather usually and it is hard to know how it will be. But usually after it has rained it gets worse. He is getting it at the moment, although it hasn't rained

It is defo the grass - as people before mentioned does he have allergy to trees etc etc but no he doesn't - he has only ever been in grass paddocks before at every yard he has been at.

When he goes back in his stable, it then goes down over a period of 3 hours plus. He is fine and does not appear to be in any discomfort etc...eats and drinks fine.

Anyway - my question is, it is obviously to do with the fructose in the grass. So with regards to turn out, when is this at its least effective?? night time?? does anyone elses horse get this?? how do you manage it

Thank you!

 

[mynutmeg]

Roo can get huge cheeks. I generally don't do anything but try to ensure she's in for an hour or two before riding to let them go down as I think they must be uncomfortable as well as preventing her from working properly

 

[Daytona]

My horse gets them really bad all year round, I discussed it a few weeks back with my vet as he was out doing his teeth

He said yes it's a allergy to something and he could test for it and then the way forward would be long term steroids but them come with associated risks so I had to weight up is it worth it, no.

He said when large they will be a little uncomfortable so not to expect him to work in a outline when they are big and as long as he shows no other signs of illness not to worry about them

What actually causes them, he said it could be 1 of many things.

 

[SpanishNeddy]

My horse gets them really bad all year round, I discussed it a few weeks back with my vet as he was out doing his teeth

He said yes it's a allergy to something and he could test for it and then the way forward would be long term steroids but them come with associated risks so I had to weight up is it worth it, no.

He said when large they will be a little uncomfortable so not to expect him to work in a outline when they are big and as long as he shows no other signs of illness not to worry about them

What actually causes them, he said it could be 1 of many things.

Thanks for this it is exactly what my vet has said to me previously as well. They again said they could test for it, but could be a billion things! and would not be much help knowing that it is a certain something in the grass

He was not bothered, as your vet, he said as long as he is ok. We do the same with regards to working him. His rider now does not ride him until the afternoon (so he has morning to go back to normal!).

 

[_GG_]

Well, my mare gets this really badly. Discussed with vet as going in foal means no steroids. I have just purchased 500 piriton antihistamine tablets online for £10.89 and vet is going to give me dosage but will be around 8-10 a day.

He says it doesn't always work, but is more likely to work in horses than in people as they have more receptors. One of our dogs suffers really badly through the summer with allergies making him really itchy. I started him on asda own brand non drowsy antihistamines one a day as vet said and he hasn't scratched himself once since the evening that he had his first tab.

I will report back on here how it works when I start Fly on the piriton.

 

[SpanishNeddy]

Well, my mare gets this really badly. Discussed with vet as going in foal means no steroids. I have just purchased 500 piriton antihistamine tablets online for £10.89 and vet is going to give me dosage but will be around 8-10 a day.

He says it doesn't always work, but is more likely to work in horses than in people as they have more receptors. One of our dogs suffers really badly through the summer with allergies making him really itchy. I started him on asda own brand non drowsy antihistamines one a day as vet said and he hasn't scratched himself once since the evening that he had his first tab.

I will report back on here how it works when I start Fly on the piriton.

I have tried Piriton tablets! and you will need to give more than 10 a day trust me. I had him on lots more than that, maybe late teens or twenties but did not do much to him sadly

But do let me know how Fly does? fingers crossed