Just want to scream! :(

[Equine_Dream]

If she improved whilst on antibiotics then there is obviously some infection present, it may be a superinfection on top of another condition or the infection may be the primary cause of the condition.
Antibiotics work with the immune system...either her immune system is suppressed for some reason, or the wrong antibiotics have been used. I would suggest a scraping for culture and sensitivity....if no significant pathogen is found then at least you know that the problem lies elsewhere.

This is the confusing thing. It does seem to improve with antibiotics and a different vet at the practice suggested switching to injectable antibiotics as they prove more effective in severe cases. I had phoned because the oral antibiotics she had previously been given didn't seem to be making much difference. He said to give it a few more days and of still no huge improvement then phone back and they would prescribe injectable antibiotics (penicillin I assume). There was still no great improvement but when I phoned I spoke to me usual vet who said she wasn't prepared to prescribe the injections until after she'd been on the oral antibiotics over a week. This was the beginning of last week. She finished the course of antibiotic sachets but there still is no real improvement :/ she finished the course on Wednesday and Tbh I'm sick of the "wait and see" attitude. It's going into the 7th week now. I'm £500 out of pocket with a mare still in the same condition she was in when all this started hence my decision to use different vets.

 

[Summer pudding]

I would def ask the Tuesday vet to send a picture to a specialist ASAP. While they probably wouldn't commit to a diagnosis on the strength of a picture your vet might get some better informed suggestions as to what to try next. Good luck.

 

[windand rain]

looks very like a pollen allergy possibly a contact rather than ingested one. Steroid injection would probably be first port of call. I had one very allergic to horse chestnut trees, pollen, leaves and sap

 

[Bertolie]

Looking at the photo I would also say some sort of allergic reaction. I had a gelding that reacted to a dodgy flu vaccine that came out in hives remarkably similar to your picture. Anti-inflammatories and steroids did the trick for him. Hope you get some answers on Tuesday.

 

[lamlyn2012]

Mine suffers with this. Rain scald/sweat scald caused by dermatophilis bacteria. Has the skin scrape confirmed this? (Sorry haven't read all posts as in a hurry). Mine is a Sec D too. Had it really bad once. Vet advised antibiotics, hibiscrub (to remove scabs which should take about 3 days, followed by flamazine ointment. I was also advised not to over wet the coat so shampooing may not be best thing to do. This bacteria thrives in warm, moist environments. If you do use hibiscrub dilute half teaspoon in 200ml warm water. Bathe with cotton wool pads and towel dry or under lamps if available but don't leave wet for long time.

 

[Kezzabell2]

Can I just ask if the bumps are bothering her? are they itchy? Also, how old is she?

My mare came in with bumps like that about 3 yrs ago! started on her bum then moved all over! she had steroid injections and steroid tablets but she still wasn't right.

In the end we blood tested and she came back as having cushings! I decided to clip her to try and soother her, as it was October time, so she was fluffy and I discovered that she actually had a fungal infections, possibly ring worm but the vet said it was in an unusual place, inside her back legs but its likely she had caught it because her immune system was lowered due to having cushings!

 

[Equine_Dream]

Can I just ask if the bumps are bothering her? are they itchy? Also, how old is she?

My mare came in with bumps like that about 3 yrs ago! started on her bum then moved all over! she had steroid injections and steroid tablets but she still wasn't right.

In the end we blood tested and she came back as having cushings! I decided to clip her to try and soother her, as it was October time, so she was fluffy and I discovered that she actually had a fungal infections, possibly ring worm but the vet said it was in an unusual place, inside her back legs but its likely she had caught it because her immune system was lowered due to having cushings!

They are itchy yes. She's only 5

 

[cundlegreen]

Has she had a flu vaccination in the last 6 weeks? I had a reaction like this twice after flu jabs. Mare came all over spots which then swelled to haematomas. I would have thought a feed change and something to boost the immune system would be in order.

 

[Kezzabell2]

They are itchy yes. She's only 5

then i'd get some anti fungal shampoo and treat her for a skin complaint

not saying she has cushings but as a youngster she could still have a weaker immune system than some horses, so might be more prone to getting ring worm etc!

there is no harm in treating her for that anyway

 

[ester]

If there is a bacterial element it is likely secondary to an allergic reaction IMO so unless that is dealt with (removal from allergen and steroids) you will likely only see a slight improvement.

 

[lamlyn2012]

They are itchy yes. She's only 5

If they are itchy I would def say rain scald. As I said before be very careful shampooing unless you have good drying facilities. It is caused by any type of moisture in the coat , not only moisture from rain!
I had antibiotic by injection followed by two courses of orals.

 

[Equine_Dream]

If there is a bacterial element it is likely secondary to an allergic reaction IMO so unless that is dealt with (removal from allergen and steroids) you will likely only see a slight improvement.

To be honest ester this was my thinking to I'm not saying there might not be some sort of bacterial infection there as like people have said the antibiotics do help. But I think the primary cause is something different and I would most likely think it an allergic reaction to something.

 

[Equine_Dream]

If they are itchy I would def say rain scald. As I said before be very careful shampooing unless you have good drying facilities. It is caused by any type of moisture in the coat , not only moisture from rain!
I had antibiotic by injection followed by two courses of orals.

This is why I asked for the injections as the courses they are prescribing just aren't cutting it. Also I did wonder whether bathing was the best idea if it is rainscald but the vets insisted :/

 

[Flyermc]

my friends horse had something that looked similar. it was protein lumps, that we worked out was likely from feeding alfa a. if you have a google there are some pic's of horses with it.

 

[AmyMay]

I'm in south Wales. The vets that are coming Tuesday have an excellent reputation. Everyone I've spoken to can't speak highly enough of how good they are. Also they specialise in equine and agricultural animals rather than a general vets. If I had known about them sooner I would have gone straight to them but wasn't aware about them until a friend recommended them

Which practice did you initially use, and who are the new ones?

 

[Fiona]

Our mare gets an allergic reaction occasionally and presents with urticaria similar to your pic. It is treated with steroid injection if bad plus piriton.

If she rubs any of the spots they ooze yellow and can need antibiotic cream to clear up.

We have a pony who gets rainscald, and its never presented in an evenly all over fashion like this..

Fiona

 

[Equine_Dream]

Which practice did you initially use, and who are the new ones?

The vets coming Tuesday are B W Equine who I've heard nothing but good things about. I don't want to name and shame the first vets on here but I can pm it to you if you want

 

[Princess16]

Ouchy they look painful ! Hoping you get some answers and she gets some relief very soon . Let us know how it goes.

 

[AmyMay]

The vets coming Tuesday are B W Equine who I've heard nothing but good things about. I don't want to name and shame the first vets on here but I can pm it to you if you want

B&W are absolutely fantastic!

 

[scrapster]

My boy had the same bumps (I can't post a picture ) I have b&w vets and I was given steroid cream and aloe Vera gel, they went down in days. His was an allergic reaction though x

 

[anguscat]

I think I commented on your last post. We have a mare that comes up with similar rash (but frequently much worse than in your picture) all over her body most years late summer/early autumn. For her it is an allergic response. Finding out the trigger and limitation/removal of the trigger is the key but not always possible (we had ours patch tested to determine her triggers: for our mare they are dust mites and alfalfa acting synergistically I believe). Steroids control but need to limit their use.

 

[cally6008]

The mare is "stuck in the stable" so maybe there's something in the stable that is irritating her.
Have you tried putting her on different bedding (if this is possible) ?

It's not nice seeing our horses when they are poorly, good luck for tuesday and hope she improves soon

 

[Peregrine Falcon]

If it is all over her body I personally wouldn't say it was rain scald more like an allergic reaction which has now got a secondary infection. I see quite a bit of rain scald on the forest ponies here.

My friend's mare had urticaria once, which we diagnosed before the vet came. We were cheeky and said as we'd already told them what it was could we have the examination fee waived - vet laughed and did so!!

I hope you get some answers soon. I would be cutting out molasses/alfalfa/sugar from diet too.

 

[Equine_Dream]

The mare is "stuck in the stable" so maybe there's something in the stable that is irritating her.
Have you tried putting her on different bedding (if this is possible) ?

It's not nice seeing our horses when they are poorly, good luck for tuesday and hope she improves soon

She's only been in for the last 2 weeks. Under the vets advice I had left her out in the paddock previously. The weather turned so I brought her in and vets then said to leave her in :/
Thank you cally. It's horrible not being able to do anything for her. Feel so useless

 

[Equine_Dream]

UPDATE vet came earlier. She believes my mare has dermatitis which most likely has started as an allergy. She's prescribed antibiotics, steroids and aloe vera shampoo. Absolutely lovely lady who seemed to really know her stuff

 

[MuddyTB]

I've just seen this thread and afraid I can't see the picture but wondering if it is similar to my horse. He loses hair and comes out in itchy, scabby patches in June every year unless I totally cover him up. I've never got to the bottom of the cause, but a really good covering rug means he lives out normally now and only gets odd patches around the rug edges.

The point of all that rambling was to suggest that when she is better and back out see if a rug helps control it.
Hope she's feeling much better soon.

 

[Sallyfinn]

I'm another one who's horse gets nasty itchy lumps on alfalfa.

 

[Peregrine Falcon]

I am pleased that you have a diagnosis that seems to fit the symptoms. Hope the drugs do the trick.

 

[ester]

All very logical! with the steroids you should start to see an improvement pretty quickly OP

 

[MagicMelon]

I would also think possibly allergy. One of my horses would itch the lower half of his mane out all year round, I assumed sweet itch so had him in a Boett etc. to no avail. Then one day he came out with big welts all over his chest and neck, my vet suggested getting him allergy tested so I took him to the vet in my area who did it - they injected tiny amounts of various things into his neck and basically waited to see the reaction. He was allergic to most types of grass, mould in hay and dust! It can be ridiculous what some horses are allergic to. But I would definately be wanting this sort of test done on the horse if it were mine. After the test results, they were sent off to a lab in Holland who made a "vaccine" specifically for him which I injected over some months, they said it was 50:50 if it would cure him or do nothing. Sadly for him it did nothing but luckily he could live with it, his reactions weren't that bad.