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

 

[Northern Hare]

My first thought would be about the fleece rug - had it been washed since it was last used on him? From the photos it looks like the hives are around the front of where the rug would sit?

When I had my TBx, he had two bad episodes of hives - he had others but not as severe. The first was a reaction to some vet prescribed eye drops - he went like your photos, but absolutely all over. It took only about an hour.

The second time was in reaction to some different shampoo. I only used to use proper horse shampoo on him but the girls at the yard had run out so they used an everyday human supermarket type shampoo on him. Again, like your photo but wherever the shampoo had touched.

On both occasions it took about a week to fully disappear. He had a steroid, and I think an anti histamine injection. It looks awful of course but it didn't appear to be itchy or uncomfortable at all.

 

[Floofball]

My younger horse has had a couple of instances this summer. First one needed the vet as the reaction escalated like your horses did but not as severe. Steroids were given and vet thought as there was one massive hive that he was reactive too, he had been bitten by something in that spot and the rest were just his body over reacting. I thought due to severity it may have been an adder or some kind of spider that he’d rolled on in the field, he did have a fly rug on that night Steroids did calm them down but it did need a couple of days of antihistamines to clear it up fully.
2nd time the hives came up but not as bad, no obvious sign of a bite and they didn’t escalate but were over places where his saddle girth would sit so just antihistamines for a couple of days till they cleared. The only thing I can see different in his day to day keep is some lovely/lazy neighbours seem to have been throwing crab apples into the field from their back garden, I have knocked on but they weren’t in so left a polite note for them not to throw anything out for the horses.
He has had instances of lumps coming up around the front of his shoulders where rugs let water in after a wet night, also after a change of hay supplier, but these usually settle quickly themselves without the need of antihistamines.
I have come to the conclusion he’s got a sensitive constitution!!!

 

[Errin Paddywack]

Just because it was the same hay supplier doesn't mean that last bale was exactly the same. Might have been something in it that wasn't in others.

 

[Xmasha]

My 3yo has had a tough time with hives this year . But nothing like your poor lad . I spoke to our vet who did there been a lot of it around this year . He thinks it’s something to do with spores in the trees / grass etc .
He suggested we tried Duraglo supplement, and so far we have seen an improvement.
Hope you get to the bottom of it