Losing winter coat in handfuls but no coat underneath

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leeanne

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My horse is 15, Welsh D x TB.
He’s been out of work for a months but is stabled at night and goes out in the sand arena for part of the day for exercise.
He has had laminitis is the past and this winter developed a really long winter coat. He is now shedding his hair, it comes out in handfuls but there is nothing underneath.
I will get him blood tested for cushings but wondered if anyone had any experience of this.
I’ve lived and worked horses all my
Life but this is a new one on me.
Thank you
 
This to me shouts Cushings - which you are already on to. Be aware that the traditional test throws up some false negatives but the alternative ‘stim’ test is unfortunately not available at the moment.
The other option might be that he’s getting too hot and the hair is coming out like rain scald - but you would also feel scabs if that was the case.
 
Where is the hair loss? It's it actually bald underneath or just short? It could be a bacterial infection type thing, like rainscald, or it could be where something has rubbed.
 
Supercalifragilistic said:
This to me shouts Cushings - which you are already on to. Be aware that the traditional test throws up some false negatives but the alternative ‘stim’ test is unfortunately not available at the moment.
The other option might be that he’s getting too hot and the hair is coming out like rain scald - but you would also feel scabs if that was the case.
Click to expand...
Thank you, he has good skin, no scabs and isn’t itchy. It could be overheating but he shouldn’t have as much of a winter coat to start with.
 
meleeka said:
Where is the hair loss? It's it actually bald underneath or just short? It could be a bacterial infection type thing, like rainscald, or it could be where something has rubbed.
Click to expand...
It’s all over his body, he’s shedding his hair as horses do but there’s no new coat underneath.
He isn’t itchy or scabby
 
I would also suspect Cushings. My cushings horse moulted oddly in patches which were bare underneath, that was his only symptom. I am sure you already know the disease makes horses also more prone to laminitis.
 
Thank you, I’ve already got one on presend who’s doing really well but she’s 26.
15 seems young to start on pills but here we are
 
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