**Pics**Following on from fly bites tracking along veins

muff747

muff747

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I was interested to see the other thread on the same vein (forgive the awful pun) because my 25 yo gelding has something wierd going on with shedding his winter coat.
Now last summer it was so wet, he had a rain sheet on quite a lot when it wasn't too warm, and when it was warm I never saw any different flies around. And he never came up in any fly bites/lumps etc apart from a small group of largish lumps which I think where horse fly bites just behind his elbow. These were very itchy at the time and took months to go down.
This spring his coat has come out in a strange formation and seems to have followed these dark streaks that have appeared in his summer coat. So about half an inch around these spots or streaks the hair has come out sooner than the rest of it. It looks like something has burrowed under his skin and here and there are scabby small lumps, like bites but the skin is smooth and unbroken over the darker wavy lines.
There are non on his neck or shoulders but lots on his flanks and his upper thighs where there are streaks as if someone had scraped their nails along his skin. I have never seen anthing like this before. I have another small mare who is in another field with no contact with my gelding and she has had a few of the scabby bites but that's all. I have seached several times at very close quarters for anything moving but there's just lots of scurf.
Has anyone seen this before or seen it this year?
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Not seen anything like this but have been keeping an eye on the thread because I was hoping you might get a reply.

The only thing that came to mind when looking at the way the winter coat is shedding is the aftermath of rain scald.
 
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I would ask your vet, but if I was to hazard any slight guess if it was my horse, I would consider an allergic reaction, which has looked more serious because of your horse's age and coat thickness whilst shedding, if that makes sense.
 
Thanks very much for the suggestions both.
It's very strange the way his coat is coming out, it has shed as normal either side of the dark "vein" marks but is firmly stuck inbetween. Since the pics were taken, more has shed so now he's left with the strange darker wiggly stripes! I don't think it could be rainscald as the hair hasn't lifted off and no sore or weepy bits, only the odd scabby bite mark.
Vet is coming Tuesday to do Cushings test.
I did wonder if it could be strange effects of withrawal of Pergolide. He had been on it since June 2009, and then come off January this year as his AcTH has been normal or thereabouts for the last three years. I've been testing since and so far so good, no return of PPID symptoms,(except he lost his topline and pot belly as no exercise for last three years) but no footiness or lethargy/depression/no appetite which is why he was tested in the firstplace.
In fact he started improving about a year ago and so that's why was reducing his P dose and eventually stopped in January.
 
Thanks PASII, I also thought about a parasite of some sort and wondered if there is a smaller version of a bot fly.
Many moons ago, when I was ignorant of worming my pony got an abcess type swelling on his back. The vet said it was a bot fly emerging:eek: they have a horrible lifecycle. But there were many of these small "bites" where the scab came off the top of the small lump with a tuft of hair and left a circular hole. I've got pics of those few that appeared last year in my album, from when I posted last year and got no replies then.
Does anyone know if there is any reaction in other species to these new midges that are causing the Shmallenberg(sp) birth deformities in cloven hoof animals?
I have noticed a change in the flies that bother my horse over the nineteen years I have owned him. In the summer they used to be plagued by blue bottle type flies around their eyes which caused eye infections. You only needed a fly fringe to try to keep them off but nowadays, you hardly ever see any flies around their eyes but instead, they are plagued by midges that bite and suck blood inside their ears.
 
It looks like the after effect of rain scald - were there has been rain scald (scabby) the summer coat is coming through and very visible while the areas not affected are losing coat in the normal way.

I wouldn't be too worried. You could give him a good bath using Nizoral shampoo which will kill off the last signs of Rain Scald and the bath itself will help get rid of masses of coat. Work the shampoo in well with a plastic curry comb.
 
My 24yo moults like this, had her 4years and she does it every year, she sheds her winter coat in patches normally a week before her summer coat begins to grow through,
She has been seen by the vet, been tested for cushings and a few other ailments, She is noticeably worse this year as she did get rain scalds after moving her to a new field, she is looking all 'normal' again now.
 
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