Itchy skin and hairloss? (Also in vets)

HollyWoozle

HollyWoozle

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www.farandride.com
As well as Noah being lame (set to have bone spavin operation soon), he has developed a strange skin issue which just started out with some flakiness and then him rubbing a bit, especially around his face. In his boredom in the field (not working due to lameness) he started eating some fencing and I thought the skin reaction might be due to wood he had consumed. When the vet came he wasn't sure and suggested that it could be lice (but couldn't see any signs of them) so he has been treated for that in case. He has stopped eating the wood but his skin is just getting worse and worse!

It's like his body is covered in dandruff all over (inc. face, legs and everywhere basically). He rubs and rubs and now has bald patches. He has a fine coat anyway and has been living out 24/7 in just a rainsheet at night. He has become too warm in that now with the mild weather so is staying naked. There isn't much grass so he has been having 2 feeds a day of calm & condition with dengie chaff, as well as ad lib hay... could it be a food allergy? I think we started him on C&C quite a while before the skin problem but we are changing now as he has plumped up a bit and we want to see if his skin improves without it.

Best photos I could get:

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Obviously we will have the vet look at it again (we are just sorting out the surgery firstly) but I just wondered if anyone here had seen anything similar? Any help much appreciated, poor boy is having a rubbish time!
 
Looks like scurffy skin, so give a good shampoo, you can get shampoos for it and start putting some linseed tea in his food and watch out for sweet itich as that could be the other problem
 
Looks and sounds similar to my pony's symptoms. Very itchy on face and rump. Treated for lice and mites before getting vet out. He immediately diagnosed dermatophilus and prescribed malaseb shampoo. Hair growing back although pony still itching a lot!
 
My mare's skin looks exactly the same as your second picture, just very dry and scurfy, on her chest, belly, under her mane and on her dock, shes been treated for lice and no change, vet thought it was some kind of rain scald type bacteria so advised rugging her (this was in the worst of the wet weather-January) her skin hasnt got better/ worse whenshe was rugged, now un rugged and still the same. vet is our again on wed to have another look. nothing contagious as her field mates are fine and shes retired so doesn't go anywhere, at a loss really but you're not alone!
 
my sisters horse gets this (or something very similar) when he starts to moult and if he gets too hot. We wash him with Head and Shoulders Sensitive shampoo and it clears up very quickly!

obviously, though, don't wash him if his scratching has broken the skin.
 
Thank you for the replies - will look into a good shampoo... though I'm worried to shampoo him because his hair is literally just falling out in clumps when you touch it too much!

catherine22 said:
My mare's skin looks exactly the same as your second picture, just very dry and scurfy, on her chest, belly, under her mane and on her dock, shes been treated for lice and no change, vet thought it was some kind of rain scald type bacteria so advised rugging her (this was in the worst of the wet weather-January) her skin hasnt got better/ worse whenshe was rugged, now un rugged and still the same. vet is our again on wed to have another look. nothing contagious as her field mates are fine and shes retired so doesn't go anywhere, at a loss really but you're not alone!
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Sorry to hear you are having the same problem! Noah is also out 24/7 with another 3, none of whom have any skin issues whatsoever. Maybe we should both try an antibac shampoo... though please do let me know how you get on with the vets. We will be having the vets again v. soon to deal with it, just waiting to hear when his operation can be arranged. Hope your mare's skin clears up soon! :)
 
Flaky skin can be a sign of liver problems, my old boy had liver disease and his skin looked like it was burning off. All over his face and legs too :(

Hoping for the good news for you cathrine22 :)

Fingers crossed.
 
problem is shes 20 now, retired and not insured so will depend on the outcome tomorrow as her long term future but i'm not prepared to keep her as she is so unfortunately theres only one option. will update again tomorrow xx
 
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