Itchy face possible cause?

Snowy Celandine

Snowy Celandine

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My elderly Highland mare has developed a very itchy face over the last few days and has begun rubbing it so that the hair is coming off and showing sore skin underneath. She doesn't have sweet itch but has always been quite itchy and I wasn't worried at first but this doesn't seem normal now. The only thing that has changed in the last few days is her hay and haylage because my regular supplier let me down so I've had to source hay from elsewhere. It's lovely hay and the horses and sheep love it. I have also got some small bale haylage and have given all the animals a small handful over the past few days so I'm wondering if it could be either the new hay or the haylage, or both that are causing this itching?

I do have a little bit of 'old' hay (this years from my previous supplier) left so I am going to put her back on that but it isn't going to last long and I will then have to feed her the new stuff. I've just washed her face with an antibiotic wash from the vet to see if that helps but I'm wondering if anyone else's horse has experienced this and what was the outcome? Thanks.
 
I've known horses react to rich feed by getting itchy - presumably sugar or protein intolerance of some sort, but you'd probably know if yours was that way inclined. My current itch-abod is triggered by temperature - have you experienced a warmer rug/weather recently? Constant damp weather causing a rainscald type effect? (Seen that often!) Mites in the hay that the others don't react to? (I wonder if you'd see anything if you could look at it under a microscope?!)
 
Thanks everyone! My eyesight isn't up to finding lice but my daughter can't see anything obvious. I've begun washing her face with Malaseb for the last two mornings and I've just bought some aloe vera gel to put on at night when I bring her in. It looks better today than it did yesterday and I'm trying to keep her out as much as possible so that her hay ration is kept to a minimum. Actually, I have just thought, I bought her a new hay net last week. It's a remote chance I suppose but perhaps that has something on it that she's reacted to?

She has always been quite an itchy pony so I'm not overly worried re Cushings but I will definitely bear it in mind nickib, so thanks for that :)

She's unrugged now but I did put her rug on two days last week in the daytime because it was raining and windy and she's an old girl who likes to stand at the gate asking to come back in if the weather isn't great. She's arthritic though so she doesn't do well if she doesn't move around a certain amount during the day so I normally put her out for several hours, normally all day if its not a howling gale out there. I'm trying to get some less 'rich' hay but not having much success because everyone is after it at the moment.

Might take up some sellotape later and see if I can capture any possible lice and get the 'junior scientist' kit out if I can find it. The microscope worked pretty well as I recall.
 
Granny horse always got an itchy face, rubbed raw itchy, after any major stress. Like a yard move or a new companion she didn't like. The vet recommended Preparation H! We did think it was an allergy at first but eventually saw the pattern.

I'm sure it's not relevant to yours if everything has stayed the same recently though.
 
Thanks everyone :) It's definitely not ringworm because I know what that looks like and this is completely different. I'm still using the Malaseb and aloe vera gel as advised by the vet after sending her some photos. It's not got worse on the existing patches but it's not got better either and she's now got a third hairless patch which she's rubbing raw. It seems to be confined to her face because I've not seen any patches on her body when I've been grooming her so I'm still unsure what is going on. If there's no improvement in a few days I will have to ask the vet to call and have a look.

I should add that the hay has been great this year so no buttercups as far as I can tell and I don't think she's stressed because nothing has changed. It remains a mystery for now :confused:
 
Quick update - those of you who suggested that lice were causing the itching. You were right!! After using Deosect the problem seems to have been resolved. I will use it again according to the instructions and then, hopefully, they'll all be fine. Thanks HHO :D
 
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