Lost Pigment Around Eyes/Muzzle - Please Help

devilwoman

devilwoman

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My 2 year old filly has suddenly started losing the pigment around her eyes and muzzle, this has not happened before, nothing has changed in her feed, the field she is in is surrounded by farmers fields where crops are growing and may be being sprayed, someone suggested it may be an allergy ? - i;ve attached some pictures of her - they are not as pink in the pictures as they are in "real life".

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Thankyou.
 
Our 7yo (now 9) started with this and I thought it was vitiligo plain and simple, but all this talk of copper deficiency has got me thinking I'll try a supplement and see if it shifts them. I'd rather be back to my liver chestnut, thank you.
 
A horse of mine got this at about 2. This was about 30 years ago and I can't remember what the vet said! However, I do know that it didn't last, because I've got numerous pictures of him competing when he was older with normal eyes and muzzle! So hopefully yours is nothing permanent.
 
This happened to my dog, her eyelid went pink and just above her eye the fur turned white, she is a ruby but now looks like she has white eyeshadow on! The skin went back to black after a few months, just the white fur remains. No idea why, vet said it's just something they inherit, some faulty gene.
 
it looks like vitiligo to me... the horse in my sig (ron) has vitiligo.

it's an Auto-immune disease - something goes wrong with their immune system and causes them to become immune to their own pigmentation in places. It especially affects the sensitive skin around the eyes, muzzle, sheath/vulva and under the tail.

It can start at any age (Ron was about 11) and can go completely. It causes no problems apart from an increase in susceptibility to sun burn. Also, it comes and goes, changing about as frequently as they change their coat.

Get a vet to confirm it's not anything else, and then ask them for a letter of confirmation that's it's vitiligo and keep that with the horse's passport.

ETA - copper deficiency only affect hair pigmentation, vitiligo affects both skin and hair pigmentation.
 
the mare at work had the exaxt same thing about a week after she had given birth, we were told a copper defiency. she is back to normal now.
 
Vet hospital said on our horse it is vitaligo and the copper deficiency idea is an old wives tale? There's nothing that can be done and we've found the pigment around one eye goes and then starts to come back, and goes and so on. Nothing to worry about, just a little unsightly.
 
Thanks for all the replies - just incase it is a copper deficiency and I gave her a copper supplement would it do her any harm if she doesn't have a deficiency ??

Vet not seen it yet - got him booked for Tuesday.
 
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Thanks for all the replies - just incase it is a copper deficiency and I gave her a copper supplement would it do her any harm if she doesn't have a deficiency ??

Vet not seen it yet - got him booked for Tuesday.

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The supplement we are giving my share horse is a general supplement with copper in it so that shouldnt cause any harm. I cant think what its called...I think its a NAF one... Ill just check!!

Its Dengie Vitality Leisure Vits and Mins.
Link to whats in it
http://www.dengie.com/pages/products/dengie-supplements/natural-vitality-leisure-vits-and-mins.php
 
I've got a speckly-pink-faced pony to share, too
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click to view a nose pic cos it's a bit wide to post in-message

I've just compared photos from the last eight years and the speckling has changed very little - one more patch has appeared near one eye, and the black dots have got smaller on an area of her top lip. Hers is vitiligo but I don't see it as a health problem, though I know the cause is medical, to look at it's just what makes her all unique and pretty, I like the pink bits
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Hi Devilwoman,

My 6 year old liver chestnut warmblood started to loose some pigment on her face. I had the vet take a look but they said it was nothing to worry about- just a spot of vitiligo.

But, I did notice that the skin round her eyes and muzzle looked a little bit dry - so now moisturise these bits every evening with a tiny bit of vaseline - hey presto - pigment is back!

I dont know if this will help your horse, but a bit of vaseline rubbed into the skin in the evenings certainly cant do any harm!

Hope it clears up,

Gem
 
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Copper deficiency?

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My Connemara acquired pink patches on muzzle and round eyes when receiving a vet prescribed hoof supplement which did not contain copper. Changed to broad spec supplement it gradually improved.
His were pink patches rather than spots losing pigment.
 
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