Lumps on my mare - allergy?

[Twinkletoes]

My idxtb 6yo mare has lumps down her side somtimes they come up on her tummy but are mainly on her side, the vet thinks that its a reaction to someting in her food so has told me to keep her on a fibre diet. I would like other peoples advice if you have had similar. She has been on steroids and antibiotics but these do not stop them from reoccuring. She becomes very agitated when hot. Rugs are washed in sensitive washing powder & have put lighter rugs on incase being overrugged - nothing works. The vets have no idea. She is on rubber matting with Hemp bedding and is eating ad hoc haylage. Lumps as I say are always ribcage/shoulder area and occaisionally her cheeks. They scab and have superficially scarred. Advice would be great or link to similar posts.

 

[Lozz1uk]

Hi,
I had something similar on my mare - are they small lumps but a lot of them?

After a lot of trial and error i still haven't worked out exactly what caused them but having cut out all mix they disappeared. I now feed topspec balancer, Hi-fi chop and sugar beet and they've gone. It could have been excess protein as it got worse when i tried feeding oil.

Know someone now who has her half brother and he's had similar lump issues. She got him tested and he's allergic to grass so can now only eat straw and not be turned out. Might be worth getting an allergy test done if it's causing discomfort (mine didn't seem to which is why i never bothered).

 

[Twinkletoes]

ok thanks - we're going to experiment re changing feed, but allergy tests have come back as a secondary skin infection to an allergy of some kind but inconclusive other than that. . . Could well be protein which is now something we are monitoring closely, also poss dust mite aller. with bedding/haylage - unsure. Yes small and lots of them.

 

[collie]

I have a horse with lumps on her back that are very hard and not caused by the saddle. I have posted this on the forum a while back i was worried about them for a long time, now i have just accepted that they are here to stay. They dont cause my horse any discomfort or pain, i have tried every remedy under the sun. The funny side of it is that since i have stopped worrying and treating them the now appear to be getting smaller, i suppose that is sods law after spending money.

 

[_daisy_]

ive PM'd you

 

[merlinsquest]

Merlin also gets pea size hard lumps in the saddle area..... I was told to always wash the saddle patch off after exercise and guess what??? they only came back when I couldnt wash off due to the winter!!!

I was told they were sweat related rather than allergy (I think they tend to be flatter when allergic)??

 

[Emma27]

is she turned out? i had a horse who used to come in covered in lumps turned out it was urticaria due to nettles in his field according to the vet