Photosensitisation?

[Tiddlypom]

Not my horses. As yet I do not know who the owners are, am monitoring to see if this gets treated. I only noticed it today. The flies are onto it, especially the sore on the pastern, so it will get worse soon if not addressed.

Youngster, otherwise in good condition. Field is more weeds than grass, they've not long been on it, all sorts could be growing in there. Two other horses there who look ok.

 

[Meowy Catkin]

Yes looks like it. I will say though that when my gelding had LV photosensitivity, every time it was touched it got worse. I spent a small fortune with the vet and in hindsight I should have stabled him during daylight hours, turned out at night and left it alone.

 

[Pearlsacarolsinger]

That could be a reaction to Giant Hogweed, which grows near water, usually. Either the horse should be removed to a different field or the plant should be dug out.

 

[PurBee]

The best treatment is to get the horse out of UV light and grazing at night, and also stop feeding the offending sensitising agent - either a plant or medications causing the initial flare-up in the first place.
Topical treatment might soothe soreness but wont stop ot happening if the cause isn't addressed:

https://aaep.org/issue/sunburn-photosensitivity

“The skin condition photosensitization (a sensitivity to sun exposure) is different from sunburn in that it often affects both pigmented and nonpigmented areas of the body. Some photosensitizing agents include, but are not limited to, St. John’s wart, ragwort, buckwheat, perennial ryegrass, sulfa antibiotics, and tetracycline. Clover (mostly alsike and red) as well as alfalfa are linked to secondary photosensitivity due to liver damage, which can occur from heavy ingestion of these plants. Photosensitization also can secondarily result from liver damage due to bacterial, viral, or fungal infections and even liver cancers.“

I think we’re seeing more photosensitivity in horses due to the increase in ryegrass we’re now getting in hays.

I researched this topic a while back when my grey got a flare up skin condition. The article misses out other plants/medications found to also contribute to PS .
The interesting thing about ryegrass is that it contains flourescence cells which when ingested then contribute to the horse being more sensitive to UV light. Thats very roughly layman outlining its cause rather than a scientific explanation!

It’s seen in cows too as most cow pastures are 100% ryegrass leys these days. I cant recall if diploid or tetraploid are worse / better than the other for inducing uv sensitivity. Diploid is lower in sugars is all i recall.

So its not ‘classic’ sunburn from exposure to direct sun rays - its the exposure to uv light, i.e.daylight will bring it out....even in a cloudy environment there’s uv in the light. Just worse in sunnier climates due to higher uv levels when the sun is shining.

 

[Tiddlypom]

Owner is aware, apparently ?. Buttercups, apparently.

Will monitor very carefully.

There are no stables or field shelter there, so nowhere to keep the horse in out of the sun.

 

[AdorableAlice]

Owner is aware, apparently ?. Buttercups, apparently.

Will monitor very carefully.

There are no stables or field shelter there, so nowhere to keep the horse in out of the sun.

Mow the buttercups, filtabac and full face shield and silver whinney's on the legs. Pray the other legs don't follow suit. Hope the owner realises the potential disaster she is facing with the horse.

 

[brighteyes]

I was about to say buttercups - not mentioned in the comprehensive list above! Face and nose masks are required and someone made leg coverings like bell-bottoms for the white legs.

 

[Tiddlypom]

Mow the buttercups, filtabac and full face shield and silver whinney's on the legs. Pray the other legs don't follow suit. Hope the owner realises the potential disaster she is facing with the horse.

I fully agree. Its a tatty rented field on a short lease, so I doubt that anything will happen.

Owner is apparently applying a cream.

It's not yet a welfare case, but I think could rapidly become so. Hope owner bucks up ideas now been told that it has been noticed. I don't know the owner.

 

[nikicb]

My previous mare had a tendency to get that on her heels. Filtabac will help prevent it, but I found the best thing that cleared it up was Pink clay. It cleared up in about a week with that - she went from having to be restrained to get it on her, to allowing me to put it on when she was just grazing, so I assume it feels soothing as well as doing the job.

https://www.evetdrug.co.uk/medical-...MIvK3uwsOS8QIV8v3VCh3ULQvNEAQYBSABEgK3j_D_BwE

 

[Follysmum]

I had a grey Arab that had this and as he got older it got considerably worse. Vets think it was possibly related to liver problems

 

[SEL]

I had a grey Arab that had this and as he got older it got considerably worse. Vets think it was possibly related to liver problems

My mare used to react like this to alfalfa (& it took me ages to work out that was the trigger). She later developed an apparently unrelated liver problem which took a year to recover and hasn't reacted to alfalfa since - so I've often wondered whether the liver was bubbling away with an issue for some time before it showed up in blood results

 

[Gloi]

Mine had photosensitive white socks the first year I had him which worried me but has never had it since. Whether it was the change of grazing or that he was put on a vitamin mineral supplement I don't know.

 

[Tiddlypom]

Horses still in same field tonight. No stable or shelter.

This is tracking up the face, isn't it - 32 hours between pics.

Sat am




Sun eve

 

[Meowy Catkin]

Mmm.

It's almost getting too high to put a fly mask on. While I wouldn't use one with a mesh nose cover over those scabs, I have sewn a soft fabric nose cover on a standard fly mask to provide shade before.

 

[Pearlsacarolsinger]

It certainly looks to be spreading. The horse really needs to be taken off that field.

 

[Meowy Catkin]

Have they topped the buttercups?

 

[Tiddlypom]

Owner has visited horses tonight and is going to remove them from that field.

Phew.

 

[Casey76]

Photosensitistation can also be an indicator of liver issues.

 

[Tiddlypom]

Photosensitistation can also be an indicator of liver issues.

Chiro vet told me the same thing yesterday .

Horses are still on the ruddy field , though some cream has been put on the sores and last night they looked less angry. The horses weren't close enough to the gate for me to see them this morning.

Another hot, sunny day here today.

Owner is clearly in no rush to remove them. Some people should steer clear of owning animals.

 

[Goldenstar]

They really should .

 

[ester]

Needs a liver function test really. Was only sign of frank’s and smaller than that/no legs involved.

 

[Tiddlypom]

Horses were finally removed from the field this morning, thank goodness. I hadn't seen them close up since Monday, so I don't know how the scabby one was faring.

 

[Melandmary]

@Gloi that is interesting about the vit and mineral supplement. I have an elderly loan companion that I noticed was licking soil and the breeze blocks so I bought a rockies mineral lick which she went kind of crazy with and the results were a scabby nose like this. I have been putting sudacrem on twice a day and it is healing and hair growing back now but the only thing I could pinpoint it to was either nettles or the mineral lick

 

[Gloi]

@Gloi that is interesting about the vit and mineral supplement. I have an elderly loan companion that I noticed was licking soil and the breeze blocks so I bought a rockies mineral lick which she went kind of crazy with and the results were a scabby nose like this. I have been putting sudacrem on twice a day and it is healing and hair growing back now but the only thing I could pinpoint it to was either nettles or the mineral lick

I suspect it was probably something in his previous grazing because he hasn't had it again.

 

[Jim bob]

When my boy had LV he was too stressed stabled by himself on the yard so he lived in Rambo turnout boots and I got a few pairs so I could swap them over. He also had a hat that covered his muzzle with 70% uv protection. Though it mainly affected his hind legs.

My boys liver was ok. However he had been on steroids for a Long time and they were starting to affect his liver.
Rambo boots and Dr Knottenbelt from Liverpool saved his life.

I did alot of digging on LV and found for my horse it was : alfa, yellow flowers, uv and stress. All them 4 had to happen at the same time for LV to strike. However treating it wasn't easy. What works for one horse doesn't work for others. I found the best way for my horse was to put uv boots on take away the alfa, yellow flowers as much as I could. Keep the legs clean ( but no washing ) very light brushing to get any mud off and try not to touch or remove the scabs as it annoyed them. I also found that his immune system had gone into overdrive. His body thought he was fighting something hence the scabs but there was nothing to fight. So whenever I tried to pick them they would come back. 6 weeks of the above management I was told. By week 3 no progress, week 4 the scabs started to very slowly crack and break off. Week 6 barely any scabs left, if any.

 

[NOISYGIRL2]

When my boy had LV he was too stressed stabled by himself on the yard so he lived in Rambo turnout boots and I got a few pairs so I could swap them over. He also had a hat that covered his muzzle with 70% uv protection. Though it mainly affected his hind legs.
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My boys liver was ok. However he had been on steroids for a Long time and they were starting to affect his liver.
Rambo boots and Dr Knottenbelt from Liverpool saved his life.

I did alot of digging on LV and found for my horse it was : alfa, yellow flowers, uv and stress. All them 4 had to happen at the same time for LV to strike. However treating it wasn't easy. What works for one horse doesn't work for others. I found the best way for my horse was to put uv boots on take away the alfa, yellow flowers as much as I could. Keep the legs clean ( but no washing ) very light brushing to get any mud off and try not to touch or remove the scabs as it annoyed them. I also found that his immune system had gone into overdrive. His body thought he was fighting something hence the scabs but there was nothing to fight. So whenever I tried to pick them they would come back. 6 weeks of the above management I was told. By week 3 no progress, week 4 the scabs started to very slowly crack and break off. Week 6 barely any scabs left, if any.

I know a product that will help the legs 100% sox for horses silver whinnys

 

[Jim bob]

He know longer suffers from LV thank God!

 

[Meowy Catkin]

He know longer suffers from LV thank God!

I think it's hard to explain just how awful it is to have a horse with this issue. I'm glad that your horse recovered.