Photosensitivity / pastern dermatitis

[paddy555]

I went through the exact same thing with my mare's white stocking (you can just about see the stocking on the photo in my avatar) this year. Vet diagnosed leukocyte vasculitis and prescribed oral steroids for a fortnight, it was a kind of paste which I added to her feed, and steroid cream. It's looking much better at the moment but even a day of winter sun makes it more sensitive to the touch.

not singling you out but chose this to reply to because of your final sentence.

Many years ago, possibly around 2010 several on here had LV. Started in around Aug (as mine did) so not mud fever etc etc also not diet. They did the usual vet, steroid, anti biotic,, flamazine cream mix etc etc. It took a long time to make progress, horses legs sore, they wouldn't cooperate etc etc
Someone wrote to Dr Knott who very kindly replied to her. Sadly I have lost a copy of this and it is too far back to come up here on searches.

The reply basically was about light. You had to keep light off. Not only in summer but also in winter. There is a lot of sun in winter. Cause may be auto immune but no definitive answer. He mentioned the size of the molecules regrowing and you had to keep light off for a YEAR. That was how long it was going to take. He also mentioned the importance of zinc (supplemented) keeping it dry and not picking the scabs off but just leaving them until they sloughed off after being softened by the cream.



I followed this advice to the letter and put the legs in silver whinnies for a whole year. It worked perfectly. Before doing that I had done the cream thing but it kept coming back and I kept getting kicked. keeping the light off brought obvious relief.


I got silver whinnies from Sweden but I think now they have to come from the US. Pain to have to get them, pain to have to use them and pain to have to wash them (you need more than one pair) but they and Dr Knott's advice worked perfectly. Removed them finally the following Sept after a year and perfect. No recurrence. and that was several years ago.

 

[Pearlsasinger]

not singling you out but chose this to reply to because of your final sentence.

Many years ago, possibly around 2010 several on here had LV. Started in around Aug (as mine did) so not mud fever etc etc also not diet. They did the usual vet, steroid, anti biotic,, flamazine cream mix etc etc. It took a long time to make progress, horses legs sore, they wouldn't cooperate etc etc
Someone wrote to Dr Knott who very kindly replied to her. Sadly I have lost a copy of this and it is too far back to come up here on searches.

The reply basically was about light. You had to keep light off. Not only in summer but also in winter. There is a lot of sun in winter. Cause may be auto immune but no definitive answer. He mentioned the size of the molecules regrowing and you had to keep light off for a YEAR. That was how long it was going to take. He also mentioned the importance of zinc (supplemented) keeping it dry and not picking the scabs off but just leaving them until they sloughed off after being softened by the cream.



I followed this advice to the letter and put the legs in silver whinnies for a whole year. It worked perfectly. Before doing that I had done the cream thing but it kept coming back and I kept getting kicked. keeping the light off brought obvious relief.


I got silver whinnies from Sweden but I think now they have to come from the US. Pain to have to get them, pain to have to use them and pain to have to wash them (you need more than one pair) but they and Dr Knott's advice worked perfectly. Removed them finally the following Sept after a year and perfect. No recurrence. and that was several years ago.

Can I ask a bit more about the zinc? I am convinced that my mare's problem is food related but I did notice a few pinpricks on the worst leg that still isn't completely covered in hair on the very sunny day earlier this week. Her legs are all dark but I am wondering if the sun exacerbates her problem.

 

[paddy555]

Can I ask a bit more about the zinc? I am convinced that my mare's problem is food related but I did notice a few pinpricks on the worst leg that still isn't completely covered in hair on the very sunny day earlier this week. Her legs are all dark but I am wondering if the sun exacerbates her problem.

he was simply saying about making sure it was supplemented. He didn't give amounts. It tied in very much at t he time (with me) because of supplements for BF horses. The importance of both copper and zinc.
I use equimins AC but I studied the 3 main BF supplements at the time ie equimins, PE and FP and their levels of zinc and copper were way above what was included in the normal bog standard supplements.

I had more success googling this using "pastern dermatitis" than Leuco vasculitis. I think this below is what he was meaning.


Nutrition

Feeding a balanced diet including zinc and vitamin E to support skin health. Zinc helps immune cells respond to infections. [13]

A zinc deficiency in horses can cause skin abnormalities such as slow wound healing and may leave them susceptible to equine pastern dermatitis.



If you have a google of "Dr Kellon zinc" there are several hits and also if you search FP site looking at zinc there may be something interesting.

 

[Pearlsasinger]

Thanks, I'm wary of premixed supplements since she very obviously reacted to the linseed base in Forage Plus but I will look into feeding zinc, she already has VitE added to her feed (Agrobs Weisencobs with Aloe Vera juice).

 

[Carrottom]

When I couldn't get Filtabac, I bought some biteback products sweet summer relief cream which I found very effective.
It has sunscreen in with the added advantage that it deterred the midges from around the heels/pastern.

 

[frannieuk]

not singling you out but chose this to reply to because of your final sentence.

Many years ago, possibly around 2010 several on here had LV. Started in around Aug (as mine did) so not mud fever etc etc also not diet. They did the usual vet, steroid, anti biotic,, flamazine cream mix etc etc. It took a long time to make progress, horses legs sore, they wouldn't cooperate etc etc
Someone wrote to Dr Knott who very kindly replied to her. Sadly I have lost a copy of this and it is too far back to come up here on searches.

The reply basically was about light. You had to keep light off. Not only in summer but also in winter. There is a lot of sun in winter. Cause may be auto immune but no definitive answer. He mentioned the size of the molecules regrowing and you had to keep light off for a YEAR. That was how long it was going to take. He also mentioned the importance of zinc (supplemented) keeping it dry and not picking the scabs off but just leaving them until they sloughed off after being softened by the cream.



I followed this advice to the letter and put the legs in silver whinnies for a whole year. It worked perfectly. Before doing that I had done the cream thing but it kept coming back and I kept getting kicked. keeping the light off brought obvious relief.


I got silver whinnies from Sweden but I think now they have to come from the US. Pain to have to get them, pain to have to use them and pain to have to wash them (you need more than one pair) but they and Dr Knott's advice worked perfectly. Removed them finally the following Sept after a year and perfect. No recurrence. and that was several years ago.

Thanks Paddy - stupid question, but did you keep the socks on when they were in the box, or just turned out?

 

[paddy555]

Thanks Paddy - stupid question, but did you keep the socks on when they were in the box, or just turned out?

in winter I brought him in at night and shut the door or I opened the door so he could wander in the dark and shut him in again before daylight and on those times the sox came off. (He lives outside my back door so very easy for me) I tried to get as much air on his legs as possible.


I was especially careful with snow because of the reflected light. If it poured down all day in winter and I would have kept him in anyway they would have come off.

When the nights got lighter I was a lot more careful and they only came off in the dark. That meant if he was out at night in summer the sox stayed on and basically stayed on just about all summer.

Total PITA but it did work.

 

[frannieuk]

in winter I brought him in at night and shut the door or I opened the door so he could wander in the dark and shut him in again before daylight and on those times the sox came off. (He lives outside my back door so very easy for me) I tried to get as much air on his legs as possible.


I was especially careful with snow because of the reflected light. If it poured down all day in winter and I would have kept him in anyway they would have come off.

When the nights got lighter I was a lot more careful and they only came off in the dark. That meant if he was out at night in summer the sox stayed on and basically stayed on just about all summer.

Total PITA but it did work.

Thank you!