Hair loss in patches - alopecia?

[tinker88]

hi,

Any ideas???

One of our horses that a got last april was in very bad condidtion. underweight (full clipped, turned out with no rug), scabby coat, etc)
we got him looking good and has turned out to be a great horse (16hh, 6yr old imported warmblood), i put the scabbyness down to rain scald.

but he has always had this skin/hair problem.

one month its ok, the next month like now his hair is coming out in patches. it dosn't hurt him, looks a but scurffy when the patch of hair has come off but no itchy ness.

it occurs on his neck, face, under his belly and now starting up his flanks?! it sort of looks like another horse has been biting hair from him. but they arnt.

my vet looked at it said its causing him no worries and if i want to try hibiscrub it might help.

so.... iv tried hibiscrub, tea tree oil, coal tar shampoo with no luck.

Any ideas. Iv tried reseraching it but all i can find is alopecia.

help and thanks

 

[Enfys]

Frustrating for you and it sounds alarmingly like the hair loss my horse has, but my vet puts it down to the weather conditions here and not being able to wash it yet, so probably not a cause for your horse.

Have you noticed any pattern to this hair loss? Change of feed/field/routine/rug etc, etc, even the smallest thing that stresses him may start this reaction if it is alopecia or similar.

Does the hair grow back again?

Camrosa perhaps?

A friend of mine has had alopecia for many years, recently she has been having reflexology and now, after 20 years, she has hair again.

Teeny bit difficult giving reflexology to a horse though! *If you'll just lie back and wriggle your toes please*

There are other massage techniques that could be looked into though if you thought it might help.

Good luck,

 

[tinker88]

hi, thanks for the reply.

it seems to have got really bad now. the only change in the last 6 weeks or so is he has a new combo rug with neck before he just had a usual standed turnout rug?

it was bad last april when i bought him so maybe its spring time?!

he has always had it but not to this extent just a few patches of hair loss about a 50p size but at the moment they are bigger, and lots more all over his neck.

the hair does grow back and to his usual colour too.
I though it was where he has been clipped it was worse (he has a high trace) but its now starter on his flanks.

Everytime i think 'ha' thats it then something else happens.

the only thing i can think is there is hardly any grass in his field so maybe he is stressing about that (and he was nearly starved when i bought him)
The best his hair has been was when he was turned out fully on good grass.

Do you think stress through not much grass could be causing alopecia?

 

[annaellie]

A friend of mine has a pony who vet diagonosed alipica, tbh i did not think horses got it but apparently so the vet said through the pony having to be kept in due to him having a bad attack of laminitis and he does get streesed when stabled as she has a laminitic paddock for him so he goes out all day everyday this was the cause or most likey the cause he advises to try her best were poss to cut out anything that will cause the pony stress.

 

[tinker88]

ok thanks.

it all seems to make sense now.

Iv aranged with the yard owner to move him to a better field thats been rested over the winter so it has grass in!

hopefully this will help.

 

[guisbrogal]

A pony at our yard is in the process of being diagnosed with a similar condition. The vet called it something like 'walking dandruff' or something.

He took a scraping and blood test and told them NOT to groom it because it spreads it.

I will try to find out more and let you know

 

[rcm_73]

My horse has been losing hair but only in small new 5p size patches on her neck and chest. She has been treated for lice and is being treated for ringworm, both as possibilities (2new horses on yard did have lice although they have a separate field together, mine did touch noses with them). Vet came the other day and said if no improvement do a skin swap and hair pluck to see what they grow back at the lab.

 

[guisbrogal]

Typically I haven't seen the girl to ask her about this again. But this pony has recently been treat for lice too