Oldie with an Itch?

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dressagecrazy

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My 27yo TB is suffering some sort of allergic response ATM. He is convinced that something is on his legs. It's only been a problem yesterday & today but today is more serious.

He's not trying to scratch himself, instead he's picking his legs up & running away. He's been bathed scrubbed legs with Hibiscrub & I can find nothing to be causing this reaction. No breaks in the skin no sign of mites.

He does suffer Cushings so has suffered some dry skin but i have it under control or at least I think I do. I have bathed him again today & scrubbed legs again.
Covered him I fly spray & have also done his legs in Hilton Herbs bye bye itch lotion. He's off grass ATM Due to him reacting to grass & he has been for a while. He has a T/O pen & he's in over night.
Yesterday morning I noticed he was upset & spinning round in his stable as if he was trying to get away from something. I gave him a Danilon & turned him out in his T/O pen & he was fine all day.
This morning he's done the same as yesterday morning, today though I didn't give him a Danilon & once he had eaten his breakfast the behaviour carried on spinning & running away. So I think the Danilon may of helped?

He's calmed down now & is happily eating his hay, but he still keeps acting like something is on his legs every now & then. Hes a very OTT horse at the best of times & has always been very skin sensitive.

Any ideas on what might be causing it?

He's fed Pure feeds Pure easy & Topspec Fibre Plus cubes he gets fed 3 times a day. He also has as much top quality hay as he wants. We also do him a mash of Fibre Plus which we use as a partial hay replacer overnight.
 
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My old boy with Cushings has an itchy neck/chest and it's worse in Spring/Summer. He is happy enough in himself and just really enjoys my visits for scratching :o I was thinking of asking for a liver check with his next routine blood test just to be sure that isn't causing the itchy skin.

As yours is the legs, it sounds like an external irritation but it's hard to say.

If yours is distressed, you could try some herbs like chamomile and marigold/calendula. Also neem leaf may be helpful for parasite prevention.
http://www.equinatural.co.uk/epages...hops/BT3755/Products/005/SubProducts/005-0001

obitheboyscratchmay2012a-1.jpg

(that is my son BTW - not me ;))
 
Thanks Oberon, it's very strange I've caught him today scratching his tail so it's looking like SI.
I'm un-sure as to what could cause this tbh as I've not changed anything so it can only be a Cushings related problem.

I've just realised I have a load of Benzl Benzoate in so have done his legs in it, hopefully we will have some joy as im sick of seeing him spinning round today & I'm sure he's sick of it also.
 
Just be aware that SI can get worse with certain feeds.

Cushings makes horses too 'sweet'. Grass makes horses too 'sweet'.

It may be that all three things are making him too 'sweet' an causing skin irritation.

Take him off anything molassed and see if it helps.
 
He isn't on Grass & doesn't get fed any mollased feed. The only other thing I can do is soak his hay.
But we struggle with keeping weight on him & he's very fussy with everything so soaking hay will have to be for the shortest time possible as otherwise he won't eat any of it.
 
Hi there. This is a little odd, but when was the last time you cleaned his sheeth out? I have had many geldings who have behaved in similar ways, scratching bums, spinning, stamping feet, because they were uncomfy down there so to speak. Hope you get to the bottom of it!!!! Good luck
 
Or stop fly spray and see if any changes?

Flies are really bad at the moment - or "something" is, my little girls got open sores on eyes, ears, heels and tail :(
 
When you say the Cushings is controlled do you mean he's on Pergolide/Prascend? If not, or if he's not on the correct dose, then there are some symptoms that owners don't realise are part of the Cushings spectrum. The symptoms include mild ataxia, confusion, inability to regulate body temperature and neurological involvement. Any one of these could produce the distressing symptoms you describe. Be aware also that Pergolide/Prascend isn't a cure and that eventually, Cushings horses will succumb to the pituitary gland tumour. Also, if they survive long enough, ALL Cushings horses will eventually get laminitis but it doesn't sound like lami to me, sounds neurological. If it was me I'd get his ACTH levels tested immediately. You can download a free lab costs voucher from talkaboutcushings.com
 
He's back to being ok again today, the only changes i made yesterday was to cut the Fibre Plus right back. He just had hay overnight.

It came on that quickly it was strange we think it is heat related or feed, but im really not sure tbh. Im keeping a close eye on him, he is managed very carefully anyway. Im more than aware of Cushings related problems but this was odd. He is on 1.5mg of Prascend a day & his last test was 6 weeks ago where he had come down from 39 to 31. I have been advised by my vet this morning just to monitor & if symptoms do come back we will test liver & ACTH again.

He was diagnosed with cushings 2 years ago, so im not a newby to this.
 
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Phew.

Glad he is doing OK.

I am a newbie to all this Cushings lark - so it's been interesting for me to read the replies.

Bloody horses! :D
 
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