Sun Burn

[TheresaW]

Am after some advice, opinions, similar stories please. Sorry if this turns out long.

I have owned Dolly for around 12 years now, shared her for a couple of years before that. She has never been sick or sorry, is still sound as pound at 22. She is a piebald cob, and over the last 2 maybe 3 years, the White part of her mane got thinner and thinner, so she has been hogged. Last year, she got very mildly sunburnt along the pink skin. Had vet out, advised to keep sun cream on it so thats what I've been doing. She also suffered puffy eyes last summer and the year before. Again had vet out, suggested hay fever like symptoms and given drops.

Weekend before last, we went into 24/7 turnout. Mine stayed out from the Friday. On the Monday she came in and her neck was badly burned.

Creamed her up and she went back out. Tuesday she came in looking like this.

Kept her in overnight, and the vet came out weds. She said she wanted to test her liver as that would be the obvious cause of sunburn. She said to keep her in during the day, and just out overnight, so that's what I've been doing. Advised not to put anything on her. Her bloods have come back normal.

Over the best few days, this started happening.

Last night she looked like this.

And tonight.

I have some cream now from the vet, which I've started tonight. She's going up to the RVC on Sunday for a liver biopsy, and to have some allergy tests. I am very worried about liver damage, although the YO is very on the ball with ragwort clearing, and we have good grazing. Nothing has been sprayed on the fields, there are no yellow plants which was something else I was told to look for.

Anyone seen anything like this and had good luck solving it?

 

[Meowy Catkin]

Oh cripes that looks painful. It could be photosensitivity.

 

[TheresaW]

She is very sensitive along the mane, but doesn't mind her body being touched at all, and doesn't appear overly itchy either. She felt hot to touch when the wrinkles first appeared, but isn't hot any more.

 

[shergar]

Some horses get skin conditions and sore eyes with Cushings may be worth asking your vet about it ,as your mare is older now .
Looks quite nasty,and such a worry for you ,hope you can find out what is causing it .

 

[TheresaW]

Cushings has crossed my mind. Will ask for a test. Thank you x

 

[Jazmyn101]

Hope it's nothing bad when she is better you should maybe think about getting a UV fly rug and mask, should help.

 

[twiggy2]

Poor girl, it does look like her body is over the worst, hope you get some answers.

Just to rule out the obvious; Is there anyway that there could be spilt chemicals in the field? maybe from a spilt battery or similar?

 

[TheresaW]

Have had a good look around the field and can't see anything. She's out with 3 others, and they are all fine.

 

[Gloi]

That looks awful, poor horse.
Some kinds of clover can cause photosensitivity, it might be worth checking your hay/grazing for any. A sweet itch type rug should keep the sun off her in future.
I've seen skin problems with Cushings, but they haven't been anything like this, they have been fungal and other types of infections.

 

[CBAnglo]

That looks so painful. Have they taken a skin swab too?

 

[TheresaW]

Thanks everyone. I think they will take skin swabs whilst she's in.

 

[Red-1]

Could she be allergic to the cream?

 

[Clodagh]

How is she doing now, Theresa? I know she is home but has she settled.

 

[fatpiggy]

WHat fly spray do you use? I ran out of home-made and grabbed a bottle of commercial spray on my way to the yard, sprayed liberally as usual and within 24 hours my horse didn't want me to touch her (this was a horse who would back me into a corner and sit on me if I ignored her requests for an all-over scratch). When I did manage to lay a hand on her, her skin was absolutely red hot and the welts that I thought were fly bites were all over her. That was then I realised she was allergic to citronella. A gentle shampoo twice a day and the cold hose soon got rid of the problem but then much of her fur fell out. I'd unwittingly given her a chemical burn

 

[Christmas Crumpet]

This actually reminds me of a coloured horse with pink skin I went to try out - the people had burnt it with a Deet fly spray. I think it wasn't diluted enough. Pretty much exactly the same thing happened to him and literally his skin fell off.

So if I were a betting man, I'd say some kind of chemical burn from a fly spray or something similar which may have been exacerbated by the sun.

 

[Pinkvboots]

I also thought the cream as if it had rained it would have run down her neck in that way, one of my horses is alergic to most fly sprays and the deet ones made his skin peel off, I hope you get to the bottom of the cause at least it looks like itss healing up now.

 

[Scarlett]

That looks awful, poor horse.
Some kinds of clover can cause photosensitivity, it might be worth checking your hay/grazing for any. A sweet itch type rug should keep the sun off her in future.
I've seen skin problems with Cushings, but they haven't been anything like this, they have been fungal and other types of infections.

Clover, and other grasses, can have toxins in them that can cause this, liver problems and all sorts of horrible things. Look into Mycotoxins. The treatment is cheap and easy. I had 3 sick horses last year and they believe that Mycotoxins caused it. I'm now feeding Mycosorb and they are all improved.

 

[TheresaW]

I don't what to do next. Her liver biopsy has come back with some signs of wear, but in the words of the vets, nothing that you wouldn't expect to see in a 22 year old liver that has been doing its job. They are adamant that she is eating something she shouldn't, but we were given photos of what to look for, and YO and her farmer husband have been through the field looking. We can't find anything.

She hasnt really had any sun cream on her yet this year, so I don't think its that.

If you look at the picture if her neck, you can see the White mane doesn't really grow. That is why I hogged her, as the hair got thinner and thinner and the black was as thick as ever. I don't know, I think allergies, but that's just me. How could we tell?

 

[Peregrine Falcon]

Yikes, I hope you get to the bottom of whatever is causing that.

More bloods/skin scrapes?

 

[Silverfire]

I don't what to do next. Her liver biopsy has come back with some signs of wear, but in the words of the vets, nothing that you wouldn't expect to see in a 22 year old liver that has been doing its job. They are adamant that she is eating something she shouldn't, but we were given photos of what to look for, and YO and her farmer husband have been through the field looking. We can't find anything.

She hasnt really had any sun cream on her yet this year, so I don't think its that.

If you look at the picture if her neck, you can see the White mane doesn't really grow. That is why I hogged her, as the hair got thinner and thinner and the black was as thick as ever. I don't know, I think allergies, but that's just me. How could we tell?

Do sheep or cattle graze your ground or around you? Liver fluke can cause photo-sensitivities. When my horses had fluke my one mare had really bad cracked heels for the first time in her life (she was 22) and during dry weather. Dosed her for liver fluke and the cracked heels had gone 2 weeks later.

 

[TheresaW]

No sheep or cattle. Some one else has mentioned liver fluke though, so will mention it to my vet.

 

[glenruby]

We had our whole herd (30 odd horses) affected by red clover a fair few years ago. We lost 1, had 2 others on a drip (all three were coloured) and any horse with white limbs/face was sore and lame. Certain plants can cause photosensitivity so might be worth walking the field with a plant guide book to see what you can identify. Our horses were turned out in a new field they hadn't grazed for 3 years and between 4pm one evening of hazy sunshine and 9 am the following morning the damage was done. Have you changed paddock recently?

 

[Beausmate]

Ouch! My horse reacted badly to fly spray, but his skin didn't split like that, just went to the sloughing off stage. Has she got a pink nose? If so, is that sunburned too?

 

[TheresaW]

She is fine and well in herself, showing no signs whatsoever of being under the weather. The vets have given her a body score of 5, and the reports say that apart from the skin, she is in remarkable condition.

She has been in the paddock for about 2 years now, before that was in the one directly next door.

The YO and her farmer husband have been all over the field with the pictures of plants the vets have told us to look for, and can't see anything.

She has got a pink nose, and lips, but they are fine. She had a bit of a sore on her bottom lip when this all started, but it's completely healed now.

 

[shergar]

Could this be a reaction to vaccination ? just thinking allergy,and when it has happened before might it be around the same time .

 

[TheresaW]

Her jabs were done in February, so I wouldn't have thought so. I am at a loss.

Have turned her out overnight. In 24 hours, she'd hardly eaten any haylage, and done just one poo. Am more worried about her colicking right now. She was very happy to go out, had a good buck and gallop, then settled down to graze. She will come in during the day before the sun gets up.

 

[_HP_]

Was she tested for Cushings (PPID)?

 

[shergar]

Just another thought for you , Google equine hair analysis ,it may be helpful to see what is stored in the hair or if there are any deficiencies .

 

[FfionWinnie]

Many plants can cause photosensitivity. I've had it in sheep in fields where you cannot find anything, and only one sheep affected out of a hundred. St Johns Wort, docks, bog asphodel and some algae in the trough have been suspects/proven causes in my experience.

With sheep the main thing is keeping them out of sunlight until whatever they have ingested gets out their system. Some of them will do it more than once however.

It's very frustrating and you might not find an actual cause (also it may just resolve it's self).