Horse rubbing away his face

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13 September 2014
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Glasgow
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Help!

My 8 year old gelding is rubbing both of the sides of his face off on anything he can, it looks very unsightly and is clearly annoying him, I've been trying to take the itch out it for him with sudocrem and aloe vera which does work for a while.
A couple of weeks ago the yard I'm on had an outbreak of lice, and as far as i know the *majority* of horses got treated, (don't get me started on the people who just don't bother), including my own.
I've checked him out for lice and cant see anything, and, re treated him with de louser again last night just in case. I thought it was quite unusual to be just around his muzzle and cheeks? His worming is up to date and in general hes never ill.
Another point worth noting is he just got put back on his feed a week ago, (calm&conditioning and chaff), but he was on that last year with no problems. Can horses suddenly develop allergies to usual foods like humans can?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated :)
 

cobgoblin

Bugrit! Millennium hand and shrimp.
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19 November 2011
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Mine did this on alfalfa based chaff....he'd had it before without any problems. Now I avoid alfalfa like the plague.
 
Joined
13 September 2014
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22
Location
Glasgow
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Is he on straw bedding? I have a pony who did this to his face when we first got him and we found that he was allergic to straw, swapped him to shavings and he hasn't done it since.

He is, and has been for the last year. Not changed supplier or anything.
Anyway the vet was out yesterday and thinks that he has a fungal infection on his face so she's given me an anti fungal shampoo to put on every second day and it had already started to dry up this morning, so finger crossed. She said it was maybe the mud in the field as it's particularly bad just now!
 
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