Photosensitivity triggers??

[05jackd]

I have had two horses go down with what looks very much like Photosensitivity in the past 24 hours. All white legs effected and a couple rubbed raw. One fine last night and then open sores this morning. BUT we have little to no sun and clearly its fast acting. There's no buttercups in the field and nothing obviously toxic.

Does anyone know of other triggers?

The arable fields have just been sprayed so thinking possibly that? Clover?
Note- other horses without pink skinned legs are absolutely fine!

 

[Tiddlypom]

How odd.

I'd phone the vet and ask for advice. I'd be suspicious of the recent spraying, it can make horses go footie, but I've not heard of it leading to photosensitivity before.

Can you keep them for now?

 

[05jackd]

How odd.

I'd phone the vet and ask for advice. I'd be suspicious of the recent spraying, it can make horses go footie, but I've not heard of it leading to photosensitivity before.

Can you keep them for now?

Vet has already seen it and equally stumped as to the cause.

 

[ycbm]

St John's wort can do it. Have you changed feed at all?

 

[05jackd]

St John's wort can do it. Have you changed feed at all?

No feed has changed, no medication. Moved to a new paddock a few days ago but it is the same grass as previously on. It is one big field just split with an electric fence. I am a bit stumped.

 

[Pearlsacarolsinger]

Do you feed linseed. .my black skinned cob suddenly developed a sensitivity to it, although she had been eating small amounts in a balancer for months. It took quite a while to work out what the problem was

 

[cobgoblin]

I think clover can do this.

 

[Burnttoast]

Liver issues can cause it, which can themselves be caused by a wide variety of things. Given the weather mycotoxins might be a contributor.

.

 

[brondevareJames]

sorry for your horses, so clarify whether their diet has changed dramatically lately, if over a longer period of time, how exactly?

 

[Barton Bounty]

I have had two horses go down with what looks very much like Photosensitivity in the past 24 hours. All white legs effected and a couple rubbed raw. One fine last night and then open sores this morning. BUT we have little to no sun and clearly its fast acting. There's no buttercups in the field and nothing obviously toxic.

Does anyone know of other triggers?

The arable fields have just been sprayed so thinking possibly that? Clover?
Note- other horses without pink skinned legs are absolutely fine!

My mare had this 20 years ago, it was s nightmare. They had sprayed the fields and I have no idea what with

 

[05jackd]

sorry for your horses, so clarify whether their diet has changed dramatically lately, if over a longer period of time, how exactly?

No change really. Out 24/7 on no hard feed. Just moving between paddocks but its the same field just split into smaller plots via electric fence.

 

[05jackd]

Liver issues can cause it, which can themselves be caused by a wide variety of things. Given the weather mycotoxins might be a contributor.

.

That is interesting. I dread to think of liver poisoning but I'm hopeful that if two have got it in 24 hours its more of a reaction than something internal.

 

[poiuytrewq]

I’ve banged on about this for years, apologies! It’s the bane of my life and I hate summer for it. Harvest/grass mites?
Just a possibility.
This summer has been like heaven, I’m assuming the rain and colder weather isn’t ideal for them so my horses have been much better.
However last night, suddenly warm and dry and the combines and tractors disturbing stuff in adjacent fields it’s all started with avengence.
The poor pony who’s worst effected is raw and bleeding over his muzzle and chin, white legs are chewed and bleeding/scabby, his face looked like he has mange.
The others are decidedly bumpy looking and irritated but they don’t get it as badly as this one pony.
Might be nothing but might be something?

 

[Highmileagecob]

Ask your vet to check a blood sample for liver function. If this comes back normal, then I would agree with other posters that it is likely to be a contact thing. Has anyone sprayed a field in the area? It can drift a fair way....

 

[Burnttoast]

That is interesting. I dread to think of liver poisoning but I'm hopeful that if two have got it in 24 hours its more of a reaction than something internal.

The liver issue would be pre-existing and can predispose to photo damage in the presence of a trigger (eg buttercups, though not in your case perhaps) so it's worth doing bloods tbh. Most liver damage is treatable.

 

[05jackd]

I’ve banged on about this for years, apologies! It’s the bane of my life and I hate summer for it. Harvest/grass mites?
Just a possibility.
This summer has been like heaven, I’m assuming the rain and colder weather isn’t ideal for them so my horses have been much better.
However last night, suddenly warm and dry and the combines and tractors disturbing stuff in adjacent fields it’s all started with avengence.
The poor pony who’s worst effected is raw and bleeding over his muzzle and chin, white legs are chewed and bleeding/scabby, his face looked like he has mange.
The others are decidedly bumpy looking and irritated but they don’t get it as badly as this one pony.
Might be nothing but might be something?

That's really interesting - do you have any pictures? It sounds exactly right.

 

[05jackd]

Ask your vet to check a blood sample for liver function. If this comes back normal, then I would agree with other posters that it is likely to be a contact thing. Has anyone sprayed a field in the area? It can drift a fair way....

Yes the fields next door have all just been sprayed two days ago.

 

[Birker2020]

I have had two horses go down with what looks very much like Photosensitivity in the past 24 hours. All white legs effected and a couple rubbed raw. One fine last night and then open sores this morning. BUT we have little to no sun and clearly its fast acting. There's no buttercups in the field and nothing obviously toxic.

Does anyone know of other triggers?

The arable fields have just been sprayed so thinking possibly that? Clover?
Note- other horses without pink skinned legs are absolutely fine!

My horse had weird marks on her skin above her coronet band, at first I thought she'd made them with molasses from her feed but when they didn't wipe off I thought maybe photo sensisation marks due to the all the buttercups in our field.

We'd been on a fun ride two days before and gone through a water complex on a XC course that was part of the fun ride and the water complex had a big layer of white foamy stuff on top. Wwhen the vet came out she said it was very likely a bacterial skin infection due to contaminated water that was in the water complex, so gave her a steroid injection and antibiotics and I had to wash the legs in a sulphur wash and cream up well with some mud fever cream.

I hadn't realised when we'd entered the water and although I'd washed her legs down after the ride and gave her a bath on arrival home the water had caused her legs to slightly swell and have this sticky sebum coming off them just like mud fever in fact.

I gave the XC course owners a ring on both the husband and the wife's voice mail and left a message but neither got back to me.
It cleared up after about a week of treatment.

 

[poiuytrewq]

That's really interesting - do you have any pictures? It sounds exactly right.

Pictures of the mites or pony?

 

[Pearlsacarolsinger]

Do you feed linseed. .my black skinned cob suddenly developed a sensitivity to it, although she had been eating small amounts in a balancer for months. It took quite a while to work out what the problem was

Sorry should have said back legs affected more than fronts, from coronet band to the inside of her thighs. Looked like mud fever at first and she chewed at it because it was itchy. I finally got it cleared up with silver spray.

 

[05jackd]

Pictures of the mites or pony?

Hi @poiuytrewq - sorry I meant pictures of your pony when he reacts. Harvest mites are a reasonable suggestion.

 

[poiuytrewq]

Hi @poiuytrewq - sorry I meant pictures of your pony when he reacts. Harvest mites are a reasonable suggestion.

Normally by this time of year he’s had this going on a long time, this year he’s had the odd sore but had been doing amazingly well til now.

His slower legs are worse this morning, Forman old pony he’s very flexible and stands chewing his hinds for ages.

 

[poiuytrewq]

Sadly if the forcast is warm and dry next week this will worsen quite a lot.
He does have pink cream on his hind legs

 

[Birker2020]

Normally by this time of year he’s had this going on a long time, this year he’s had the odd sore but had been doing amazingly well til now.

His slower legs are worse this morning, Forman old pony he’s very flexible and stands chewing his hinds for ages.

Yes this is not a bacterial skin infection clearly. Hope you get it sorted.

 

[poiuytrewq]

Yes this is not a bacterial skin infection clearly. Hope you get it sorted.

All I can do is manage it as best i can. It will go as quickly as it came, this is the only good thing. I have spent a fortune on various lotions and potions. I could stable him 24/7 and he'd be fine skin wise but an emotional wreck otherwise. It would be cruel.

 

[05jackd]

Normally by this time of year he’s had this going on a long time, this year he’s had the odd sore but had been doing amazingly well til now.

His slower legs are worse this morning, Forman old pony he’s very flexible and stands chewing his hinds for ages.

That's really helpful to see. Not quite the same as what we have which is very typical photosensitivity scabs on the legs and a very little patch on a brown face.

They have been removed from the good grass and put in a almost bare paddock with hay. Frontlined and sudocreamed and thankfully there has been no new scabs and the constant itching seems to have stopped- perhaps helped by the overcast and damp days meaning a lack of flies? A bit of a weird one! Hopefully it goes away as quick as it came!

 

[lamlyn2012]

Is there any Common Hogweed in the grazing?