Hives / Urticaria

[Puglover9521]

Helloooo,

I have a 15.3 ex racer who is an absolute star. This morning he had some mild hives which I thought nothing of at the time as they were quite minor and my dog gets worse hives going through a long grass field.

Then in the afternoon they escalated quite a bit so the vet was called as it was really quite bad and by the time the vet came (only several hours after the hives first appeared - probably 6 hours max) they were absolutely horrific and the vet injected some steroids and said they were the worse case she’d seen and my horse wouldn’t have seen tomorrow as the hives got so bad they were crushing his wind pipe.

Has anyone else had anything similar? Trying to get to the cause of the hives and struggling.. the only ‘new’ things he’s had have been hay (but from the same supplier I’ve always used just a new bale) and a fleece rug which he hasn’t worn for a few months and he was absolutely fine in the last time he wore it (around 2/3 months ago)

Just can’t believe the escalation in sub 6 hours and the fact he could have died so I’m chasing my tail on google and would love to hear any similar experience experiences.

You know when you google a condition (like chicken pox as an example) and the pictures are always worse on google than the what you have? My horse is looking far worse than any pictures I found on Google

The vet did say Uticaria responds very quickly to steroids so I’m hoping he will be vastly improved in the morning but I am very worried and just at a loss for what to do.

Last picture is after the vet steroid injection about 1 hour later

 

[FitzyFitz]

Crikey! Those are big. Glad you got him help fast. One of mine gets hives at the drop of a hat but never like that. All I can say is keep a close eye on him, photos for comparison can help, and follow vets advice. Hope they vanish as quickly as they came.

Was he out when they first appeared? I've known horses to get bad hives from stinging nettles before, although usually from rolling on them so it's an odd location.

 

[Carlosmum]

Mine came up in hives a couple of days ago, absolutely nothing changed in his routine. All gone within 12 hours and he is fine.

 

[P.forpony]

Was he turned out when or before they started?
To me, that looks very much like he's reached into or over a hedge or fence and pushed his chest into a nettle patch....

 

[Barton Bounty]

BB went like that after he had been stung, he took an allergic reaction to the sting , it was an absolute shame, his airways were closing and he struggled to breathe, yours look painful too

 

[Puglover9521]

Thank you all - they have now disappeared and he is like new

He was actually in with no turnout for 1.5 / 2 days prior to them appearing (the first day due to the awful storm and then he is on night time turn out so was due to go out the night he ended up having the vet out for the steroid injection) so definitely not a nettle job.

I think like you Barton Bounty it may be a sting.. no change to his feed, had a new bale of shavings (stable choice) but same brand as normal, new hay but same supplier and nothing new it was just out of the blue. Frustrating as no idea to the cause!

Carlosmum on the first pic I was going to just give him some Benadryl and expected them to disappear however within 6 hours he’d exploded into the elephant man so had no choice to get the vet really but I do think TB’s are so much more delicate and sensitive. I once had a Dartmoor and the only time she saw the vet was for her yearly jabs and teeth… I’ve had this one for 4 months and I’m on my 2nd vet bill

 

[Barton Bounty]

Thank you all - they have now disappeared and he is like new

He was actually in with no turnout for 1.5 / 2 days prior to them appearing (the first day due to the awful storm and then he is on night time turn out so was due to go out the night he ended up having the vet out for the steroid injection) so definitely not a nettle job.

I think like you Barton Bounty it may be a sting.. no change to his feed, had a new bale of shavings (stable choice) but same brand as normal, new hay but same supplier and nothing new it was just out of the blue. Frustrating as no idea to the cause!

Carlosmum on the first pic I was going to just give him some Benadryl and expected them to disappear however within 6 hours he’d exploded into the elephant man so had no choice to get the vet really but I do think TB’s are so much more delicate and sensitive. I once had a Dartmoor and the only time she saw the vet was for her yearly jabs and teeth… I’ve had this one for 4 months and I’m on my 2nd vet bill

I just scoured his whole face and body the next day and he actually had been stung on the mouth, it was a big red lumpy area.

However if you think it may be an allergy, try antihistamines as well

 

[FAYEFUDGE]

Helloooo,

I have a 15.3 ex racer who is an absolute star. This morning he had some mild hives which I thought nothing of at the time as they were quite minor and my dog gets worse hives going through a long grass field.

Then in the afternoon they escalated quite a bit so the vet was called as it was really quite bad and by the time the vet came (only several hours after the hives first appeared - probably 6 hours max) they were absolutely horrific and the vet injected some steroids and said they were the worse case she’d seen and my horse wouldn’t have seen tomorrow as the hives got so bad they were crushing his wind pipe.

Has anyone else had anything similar? Trying to get to the cause of the hives and struggling.. the only ‘new’ things he’s had have been hay (but from the same supplier I’ve always used just a new bale) and a fleece rug which he hasn’t worn for a few months and he was absolutely fine in the last time he wore it (around 2/3 months ago)

Just can’t believe the escalation in sub 6 hours and the fact he could have died so I’m chasing my tail on google and would love to hear any similar experience experiences.

You know when you google a condition (like chicken pox as an example) and the pictures are always worse on google than the what you have? My horse is looking far worse than any pictures I found on Google

The vet did say Uticaria responds very quickly to steroids so I’m hoping he will be vastly improved in the morning but I am very worried and just at a loss for what to do.

Last picture is after the vet steroid injection about 1 hour later
View attachment 145178View attachment 145179View attachment 145180View attachment 145181

Helloooo,

I have a 15.3 ex racer who is an absolute star. This morning he had some mild hives which I thought nothing of at the time as they were quite minor and my dog gets worse hives going through a long grass field.

Then in the afternoon they escalated quite a bit so the vet was called as it was really quite bad and by the time the vet came (only several hours after the hives first appeared - probably 6 hours max) they were absolutely horrific and the vet injected some steroids and said they were the worse case she’d seen and my horse wouldn’t have seen tomorrow as the hives got so bad they were crushing his wind pipe.

Has anyone else had anything similar? Trying to get to the cause of the hives and struggling.. the only ‘new’ things he’s had have been hay (but from the same supplier I’ve always used just a new bale) and a fleece rug which he hasn’t worn for a few months and he was absolutely fine in the last time he wore it (around 2/3 months ago)

Just can’t believe the escalation in sub 6 hours and the fact he could have died so I’m chasing my tail on google and would love to hear any similar experience experiences.

You know when you google a condition (like chicken pox as an example) and the pictures are always worse on google than the what you have? My horse is looking far worse than any pictures I found on Google

The vet did say Uticaria responds very quickly to steroids so I’m hoping he will be vastly improved in the morning but I am very worried and just at a loss for what to do.

Last picture is after the vet steroid injection about 1 hour later
View attachment 145178View attachment 145179View attachment 145180View attachment 145181

My last horse suffered with this, he was actually worse!
We went down the steroid route but it only helped for 24 hours.
I was told by my vet, if the allergy is airborne then antihistamines will help, if not then it’s harder.
Luckily my boy responded well to piriton. I started him on it from about May time and kept him on it until early October.
This regimen kept the worst of his allergies at bay.
If I took him off the piriton his lumps started to appear, so I know it worked.
At one stage he was on over 30 per day!