Hives?!

[Shoei]

Hiya,

A couple of weeks ago my horse came out with a huge patch of nasty hives at the top of his stiffle in a huge patch and random ones across his side towards girth. These scabbed up pretty quickly and the hair fell off. None of this seemed to effect him at all. He'd been out in a rain sheet and we assumed he had lay in something that irritated him like an ants nest.

Tonight he has lumps on his other side on his flank. Now they may be fly bites if something has got stuck under his rug? I don't think it's heat today. I have just taken delivery of a sweetitch rug so I have popped that on.

I have owned him for 5 years and once... a few years ago we had a few similar lumps at this time of year but not to this extent.

I'm a bit flummoxed to be honest.

Any advice or experience welcome

 

[Pearlsasinger]

Could he have been lying down on the other side this time?
Is there something growing in his field which he might have a contact reaction to?

 

[Shoei]

He could have. Although the padocks are quite sparse at the moment. I wouldn't have thought it would get through his fly rug either but you never know.

 

[Mamamia]

I had exactly the same thing with one of mine a few weeks ago. It took 2 rounds of antibiotics and a pretty hefty vets bill to clear it up. Skin scrape showed low grade infection, but no idea what caused it. Probably worth a chat with your vet.

 

[BOWS28]

This happened to mine last year, almost to this day. She was stabled however. I went to take her rug off in the morning to turn her out and she just lost her head. Put a head collar on her and realised her belly was so swollen the rug was impossible to undo!! Finally got it off and the vet was called. They were huge hive looking lumps all over her belly from her girth to back legs. She was on antibiotics, bute and me rubbing witch hazel in for nearly two weeks. No idea what it was, whether something got stuck under her rug and stung/bit her or what. She was a very unhappy bean. Would defiantly recommend having a chat with your vet.

 

[Hormonal Filly]

Any change in feed? Change in paddock? could be that the spring grass has some through and hes allergic to something.

My gelding comes out in a bad rash if fed any mix, even if fed it once within hours he'll have a rash all over. My old mare came out in a bad reaction and it was buttercups as after changing fields to a bare one, they disappeared.

 

[scats]

We had a horse who was allergic to the sugars in certain types of grass. He would get dreadful hives at certain times of year and in certain paddocks.

 

[Shoei]

Thanks for the replies guys. I have just had the vet out and she has diagnosed desmitis. Not sure what has triggered it so we are going to have to monitor. Hopefully we won't have another outbreak.