Hairy pony is itchy and rubbing a shoulder bald...

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PopStrop

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Poppy is incredibly hairy, there are so many layers in her coat that it is near impossible to get down to her skin. She's quite itchy all over, she loves being scratched anywhere and will curl herself around and lift legs up so that you can reach the right spot but in the last few days, she's done this...

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No one's seen her rubbing
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At first I thought the YO had been putting a T/O on her & she'd got hot, but she's been naked everyday.
It started as a patch of hair that was damp and a bit curly for a couple of days, and I thought she'd been laying on it, but then yesterday when I got up there she'd obviously been rubbing it, there was loose fluff wound round her mane and loose hair all twisted up like sheep's wool.
She's rubbed all the long hair out, down to the fluffy undercoat, and the white flecks are bald skin, but it's not red or sore, just bald spots.
We've been through her coat several times with a torch and a comb, and can find no evidence of anything living in there.

Any ideas please?!
 
Have you tried any lotions or anything? Maybe just some cool lotion like sudocrem or something just to keep it cool as its probably because shes hot like you say, it should take some of the heat out and settle it down a bit. Or some sweet-itch cream although its not that. Maybe if she gets really itchy then maybe do a little bib clip on her or something, just incase she keeps itching it you dont want her to get red rore lol. I hope you find something for her! Shes so cute
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xx
 
Not much help from me, but if you find out can you let me know please? Our elderly black and white cob has done the same thing, started just like yours too. We wondered if it iwas a vit and min supplement that we gave her (now stopped of course) and she has been better since, but still a bit itchy. She is always a hot little body and always has been, with an enormous coat.
 
Hmmm interesting YorksG! I do think she's probably getting hot, she can be quite active in the field.. but the damp curly hair was a bit odd, and a strange place for sweat! Is your's in the same place?

I haven't tried any lotions, I didn't want to go slapping stuff on it not knowing what caused it. Might try some aloe vera gel, see if that stops her itching. I joked to YO that I might just clip her, will see how it goes, she may end up with a bib/belly.
Vet is up fairly regularly for others on the yard so I'll get him to glance at it when next up. Will let you know if I find a cause YG!
 
Working on the premise that common things are the most common, bet it's lice! Right time of year, right sort of pony, right sort of itchiness, right sort of rub. You have to look very, very carefully to spot the tiny rice-grain sized lice that creep slowly through the coat. A good way to test this theory is to lean on your ultra-cute pony for about 15 mins. Then leap away and immediately poke through the newly-warmed patch of hair. Or skin. Then check your own arm/sweater as they aren't picky lol x
 
Well that's what I thought, and I must have been through her coat half a dozen times in the last 2 months with a torch, because she's itchy I keep searching through her coat looking for lice but just can't find any - on her chest, shoulders, round her ears, back, hindquarters or under her back legs (admittedly the last is a little hard to do without laying down underneath her
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) - there's nothing moving in there!
Will try leaning against her tomorrow though.
Aaand, look how lovely and shiny the rest of her coat is.... if it was lice would she not have a dull scurfy coat?!

It's the damp patch before she rubbed it that's bothering me, it's a bit of a coincidence that that spot was damp for a couple of days, and then she's rubbed the exact same spot, and nowhere else? If it was fungal or bacterial would the skin still look normal?
 
Our little furry shetland does this sometimes - she was exceptionally itchy in the spring - I think they just get too hot as there was no sign of lice on her either.

Try the aloe gel - it won't do any harm - I used a combination of Lavender Wash and Gold Label Wonder Gel which did trick. The Lavender wash doesn't need rinsing out so good to use anytime of year and the Wonder Gel is aloe based as well has having other stuff in it to help soothe and heal.

She is looking fab and it sounds like she has settled in well!!
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