HELP!!!! The vet hasn't a clue what this is.

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rayjanie

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Hi, Thought I'd ask for help here as I'm at my wit's end and no-one seems to have ever heard of this before. My 21 year old cob developed a massive sore (sort of dinner plate sized) to one side of her underbelly about 4 weeks ago. I think it was initially a massive blister type thing but I didn't notice it as I wasn't looking for it. It just seemed to suddenly appear and before I knew it was crusty and weeping an amber type fluid. The vet prescribed antibiotics and eventually the scabs fell off and new skin appeared underneath. Yesterday another of these large blisters/lumps appeared and today it is crusted and weeping like the first one. More massive swellings are now appearing all over her underbelly and I am panicking about what happens next. The first vet we consulted said it almost looked like cellulitis but they all admit they haven't a clue what it is and don't really seem to know what to do about it. She also seems to have lots of tiny, crusty pinprick pimples on her skin. These seem to just get bigger and bigger and finally join up to form these fluid filled blisters. Today we had a biopsy done (which was disastrous in itself as she hit an artery and it was really difficult to stop the bleeding). My horse is now on antibiotics again but I have a feeling they're not going to make much difference. Does anyone recognise this? I'd be so grateful for any suggestions as I feel like I'm kind of losing the battle here.
 
I'll get some tomorrow. I couldn't really do that today as the vet made such a mess stopping the blood loss. Have to say that pemphigus is the only thing that sounds like it on the net but the vet seems to be really unwilling to consider it. She says its rare and its unlikely though the biopsy might say different. Do you have experience of pemphigus?
 
I do but unfortunately more in Humans rather than horses- it was your description that made me think of it straight away. I have seen it on a horse before but it wasn't me that dealt with it...although the treatment is probably the same as for humans. Its not as rare as it used to be in horses anymore. How long do you have to wait for the results?
 
kazhar said:
I do but unfortunately more in Humans rather than horses- it was your description that made me think of it straight away. I have seen it on a horse before but it wasn't me that dealt with it...although the treatment is probably the same as for humans. Its not as rare as it used to be in horses anymore. How long do you have to wait for the results?
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don't get them till the end of the week by which time she could be in a really bad way. Am I right in thinking the treatment is steroids?
 
Yes its usually quite a high dose- we used to treat with potassium permanganate soaks as well as this helps to dry up the blisters. Dont panic and google too much though- nothing worse than looking up things and seeing lots of horror stories which is so easy to do on the internet ( and I do know its hard to resist when your looking for answers) the only thing you can do is keep her comfortable and keep the area clean until you get the results back. It might be something completely different.
 
Thanks - just have to hope for the best I suppose. Just really hard not to panic when it seems to be getting more and more widespread. Wish there was something more I could do for her. Thanks for the advice - really appreciate it x
 
My old mare had something that was possibly similar. I can't swear to it but IIRC, she came in from the field with the crusty, scabby, sticky neck and her mane all matted in it. There were a few little patches of it on her side and a big one under her belly, swollen and weeping the sticky amber stuff. Again IIRC, she was fine in herself, the vet gave me some medicated shampoo to wash her with every day and they thought it might be some sort of allergic reaction but weren't sure. I can't remember if she had antibiotics but it cleared up quickly. The patches were bald and a bit raw for a short spell but she recovered fine and it didn't come back.
 
I have seen something very similar once it was in this case on the legs the horse was almost PTS ( this was more than thirty years ago )
In the end it did clear up we changed the bedding box rested the horse and exercised it only on the road it cleared up as quickly as it arrived .
It was thought to be an allergic problem caused by something the horse was coming into contact with most likely in the field .
It started soon after the horse arrived on the yard as soon as the hair grew back the horse was quickly sold I never heard of it again.
 
Just remembered, my mare had whatever it was up one side of her face as well, she looked like something from a horror film with a normal face one side and an oozy, raw mess on the other side. It was scary but in our case amounted to nothing. I hope its the same thing and turns out fine for you.
 
Flame_ said:
Just remembered, my mare had whatever it was up one side of her face as well, she looked like something from a horror film with a normal face one side and an oozy, raw mess on the other side. It was scary but in our case amounted to nothing. I hope its the same thing and turns out fine for you.
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Thanks Flame. That's pretty reassuring. And you're right - horror story is pretty much how I would describe the look of these things. The new swellings haven't gone crusty or started weeping yet so I think the antibiotics might be having an effect as previously they've erupted quickly. I still can't get a representative photo as the vet pretty much mangled the site trying to repair her broken artery. Really hope she's got what your horse had and she's ok. Have to say that this forum is great - other horse owners are such a brilliant source of information....
 
Goldenstar said:
I have seen something very similar once it was in this case on the legs the horse was almost PTS ( this was more than thirty years ago )
In the end it did clear up we changed the bedding box rested the horse and exercised it only on the road it cleared up as quickly as it arrived .
It was thought to be an allergic problem caused by something the horse was coming into contact with most likely in the field .
It started soon after the horse arrived on the yard as soon as the hair grew back the horse was quickly sold I never heard of it again.
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Thanks Goldenstar - again, reassuring. I'm beginning to feel a wee glimmer of hope here. By the way, I'm probably being thick, but what does PTS mean?
 
PTS - put to sleep.

I'd be asking for a second opinion from a different vet personally, hope you get it sorted. I haven't heard of anything like this but would be interesting to see photo's if you don't mind me just being nosy?
 
One of mine reacted to lice a little like this. He got large areas of raw skin that appeared over the course of about 24 hours - they didn't blister, but looked like burns. We didn't ever actually see any lice, but treated him with Switch (and the others, including the one who had brought them to the yard) and his skin cleared up over the next few weeks. I think he had Flamazine ointment on the sore bits too. Is there any chance yours could have picked up lice from anywhere? Or something else that they are allergic to? Might be worth dosing with Switch anyway as long as it wouldn't do any harm to the sores.
 
Can I just say thanks to all you lovely people. I'm finally seeing signs of improvement today as the new blisters (which I expected to erupt today) seem to be subsiding. The original one is still horrible but that's to be expected given the burst artery etc. I think the antibiotics must be doing their job and I'm sooo relieved. I honestly thought I was going to lose her. Fingers crossed that it is an allergic reaction type thing that will just disappear and never come back. :)
 
Glad things seem to be improving, what a worry!
You didn't say if she had been out when you found the original sores?
I ask as once a long time ago I found something similar on my boys rump just at the side of the root of his tail. It looked sort of greeny greasy and was hot and sore, about the size of a side plate. It eventually sloughed all the skin off, wept a bit and then dried up and new hair grew. He only had the one and he's never had it since. Hopefully yours will go quickly and you'll be wondering for ever like me!
I wonder if aliens are to blame - lol! But I did wonder if he had rolled in something in the field at the time.
 
muff747 said:
Glad things seem to be improving, what a worry!
You didn't say if she had been out when you found the original sores?
I ask as once a long time ago I found something similar on my boys rump just at the side of the root of his tail. It looked sort of greeny greasy and was hot and sore, about the size of a side plate. It eventually sloughed all the skin off, wept a bit and then dried up and new hair grew. He only had the one and he's never had it since. Hopefully yours will go quickly and you'll be wondering for ever like me!
I wonder if aliens are to blame - lol! But I did wonder if he had rolled in something in the field at the time.
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She's stabled at night and out through the day. Lets hope it remains a mystery for all of us. Bloody aliens!!!
 
Sounds a bit like the reaction my friends mare gets to harvest mites. Couldn't se but has your vet taken skin scrappings?
 
dianchi said:
Biopsy tends to be actual flesh, but skin scraping is literally that, just skin cells to look at.
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Hmmm. Don't think they've done that. I'll ask them to do so although you would think they might have thought to try that! Can you really get such a severe reaction from these mites?
 
My friends mare is currently non weight bearing due to the pain from the mites, she has 3"x4" patches of the oozy scabs you mentioned all over her lower leg.
They have frontlined the legs, and used a prescription wash then sudacreme once the scabs are off.
 
dianchi said:
My friends mare is currently non weight bearing due to the pain from the mites, she has 3"x4" patches of the oozy scabs you mentioned all over her lower leg.
They have frontlined the legs, and used a prescription wash then sudacreme once the scabs are off.
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Does the frontline go on top of the sores or do you wait till they've come off before you apply it?
 
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