Horses with photosensitivity

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Annie&Amy

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My friends horse has had this really bad on her two white legs, she has been stabled for a week with no coming out in daylight at all, we brought some equilibrium sun chaps for her. She is now going out at night with them on and in during the day to let her legs have a break without chaps on. Once her legs have healed which they are doing i assume she can go out full time with leg coverings on? Anyone had experience??
 
Do you know how the photosensitivity was caused in the first place? If it is due to liver damage then there is much you can do to help.
 
Annie&Amy - like Llwyncwn says, your friend really needs to know why this photosensitivity has started. Some questions: has this happened to the horse every year or just this year? How long has your friend owned her? How old is the horse? Is she getting burnt in other places too, eg on her muzzle? Does she have any other symptoms such as weight loss and/or depression? Horses usually burn on PINK skin where there is little or no hair covering. The most common site is the muzzle. I'm surprised your friend's horse would burn on her legs but if she is a TB type with thin skin and fine hair then it's possible that it is just ordinary sunburn. If it is, then she will need to be stabled during the day and out at night. (I don't understand why the horse will wear sun protection chaps at night, when there's no sun???) Be careful as UV rays can still damage skin even on cloudy days. When the legs have healed, the horse should be ok out during the day provided your friend can make sure the whole area that burns is protected from the sun. I'd take care over rubs and sores from any protective boots she wears. However, and it's a big however, if the sunburn is a new occurrence or is unnaturally severe or the horse's legs are well covered in hair or other symptoms are present I'd be suspicious and your friend might need to get a blood test done to check for liver damage. St John's Wort and Ragwort poisoning both cause dreadful damage to the liver which then results in terrible photosensitivity. It is cumulative so the horse may have eaten ragwort long before your friend owned her and it is only now showing up. If it is ragwort poisoning, other symptoms include depression, weight loss, loss of interest in life, jaundice, blindness and neurological damage. But if at least 25% of the liver remains undamaged, your friend can do a lot to help her horse. This would include stabling during the day right through the summer months, a low protein diet, and B vitamins and milk thistle to support the liver. The answer really does lie in understanding why the horse has photosensitivity on her legs in the first place. Start there and see how it unfolds. Please, please come back if you need more info as I have a rescued mare who came to me with terrible ragwort poisoning so - sadly - I know too much about it. PM me if I can help further. xxx
 
My old horse has photosensitivity on his back fetlocks where his white socks are. I use E45 Factor 50 sun block on them. It's the most effective I've found as it doesn't run off like other brands, you only have to apply it every few days. The sun block is also good if there are any scabs as it moisturises them and they can come off more easily. He was diagnosed by the vet as having photosensitivity, he thought it may be buttercups which had caused it, he's had his liver tested and it's ok. I've had him six years and some years he's worse than others. The last few years haven't been so bad and last year he hardly had any. The previous owner said he got more scabs in September for some reason.
I've always kept on top of it by using the sun block all summer and applying Green oils ointment if he got any scabs.
Mine lives out 24/7 using this method but it may be a milder case than what your friends horse has.
 
She is a 32yr old part arab, she has had it on her nose for last couple of years but this is the first time she's had it on her legs. Cause seems to be buttercups and she is very very well in herself (she acts like a 2yr old). She wears boots at night because we can only put her back out in field during daylight as at this time of year it doesn't get dark till very late and she can be a nightmare to turnout. Legs are healing very well now and the boots are specially for horses with photosensitivity.
 
A&A - your friend is doing a grand job with a 32yr old acting like 2!!! It could be with such a golden oldie that her hair is getting thinner and if she has a white muzzle and burns there, well, she could start burning on other white bits too. BUT. It could also be that at such a fabulous age her liver is now not as effective as it was when she was younger and so she may start to burn more and more. If she was mine, I'd STILL get a blood test done to check for liver function just to rule it out. Shouldn't be too expensive and at least your pal would know exactly what she was dealing with. Do let us know how ned is doing x
 
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