Weeping spots on head...

martlin

martlin

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www.martlinequestrian.co.uk
Hello all,
hope somebody has seen something like that before:
It started with Grumpy, his head got covered in small, weeping spots, then he swelled up badly - called the vet out, who decided it's a contact allergy as only the head and top of the neck affected, treated with steroids, antihistamines and antibiotics. Now his face is peeling off.
Next day, Melly has come up with the same spots, but no swelling as yet.
Gracie came up with the spots last night...
Mabel is clear as yet.
Now, Grumpy looks better, but... he has not had a drink since last night and the pinch test is starting to look iffy on him:(
Now, what I would like to ask is:
Any tips to make a horse drink? I've done salt in feed and sugar beet (his fave) in water to no avail.
Any idea WHAT would cause such a reaction in horses?

HELP! My vet is stumped:eek:
 
Can't help with the spots, but does sound like something in your pasture or stables.
However, worth a try is LEMONADE in the water. Vet recommended to us recently, although one of mine doesn't like it, the other does. If they do, he said the sugar in it encourages them to drink. Never heard of it before, but worth you trying. Ob leave plain water available so horse does have a choice if hates the lemonade idea.
 
Very odd :confused:
Are all horses turned out in the same field? Does sound like a reaction to something. Have you tried apple juice/horse quencher in the water, or apple bobbing?
 
nutkin said:
Very odd :confused:
Are all horses turned out in the same field? Does sound like a reaction to something. Have you tried apple juice/horse quencher in the water, or apple bobbing?
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Yep, all have been in the same field, including the one without any spots.
They have been in that field for last 5 weeks or so, though...
No quencher, but apple, sb, mint etc in water produces no reaction whatsoever:(

ETS:
the only thing we can come up with is something seasonal in the hedge, but the question is, what?
 
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If I were you I would syringe the water in - doesn't sound as if you are going to be able to tempt them with apples/sweetners etc.
 
Are they wearing fly masks? friends horse suddenly developed a reaction with yellow colour weeping sores under a fly mask she had worn for over a year and has worn since with no problem. Only thing vet could suggest in the end was something in the air or rubbed on that got in the material.
In terms of getting them to drink i swear by quencher as my horse won't drink when out anywhere however when i add that to water i actually have to restrict how much she drinks.
 
It's quite viable with one of those thick syringes - I would definitely give it a go if you have one of those (about 14cm long and 4cm thick, at a guess). Even if you can only get the equivalent of a couple of cupfulls down him then at least that's something.

Also, would he eat something tasty but succulent like apples/pears? You could also try soaking some feed in lots of water for several hours and seeing if he'll eat that.

Good luck!
 
Are they in atm? You could soak their hay - adds quite a lot of moisture. Also, do you give hard feed? If so, I'd feed something soaked like speedibeet or calm + condition. Also give moisture rich treats like apples + carrots.

Could it be a reaction to insects? Or are there any new plants growing in the area? Or maybe some existing plants flowering or seeding? Clutching at straws, a bit...

Hope the horses get better soon!
 
Any chance your pasture could have been contaminated by sewage or the like??

As for the drinking - have you tried actual sugar beet water, rather than just some water with SB in it??

Sounds terrible.
 
When we go to PC the horses often won't drink whilst we're out. I pick grass and chuck in the bucket of water. They always end up drinking to eat the grass. I know it's not a huge amount of water, but it's worth a try.

Any ponds nearby? Horses LOVE fishy poop water! Worth a try.
 
nativeponies - as far as I can see, neither...
SilverSkye - no fly mask as we don't really have a lot of flies, surprisingly. Quencher sounds good, the question is, where do I get some? I mean, I need some PDQ with the way things are progressing...
Rueysmum - will give it a bash in a minute, I'm not quite sure if I will manage, his head is nearly skinless atm, so not much restriction I can put on him.
nutkin - thanks for good wishes :) I've put them in for the time being, trying to control the environment, so to speak. Grumpy has his appetite up, so will give him some soppy sugar beet, but he won't touch soaked hay... I suppose haylage has some moisture in it, so better that than nothing.
 
Harvest mites caused similar weeping sores on my collie one year--it would have been Aug/Sept time. A lot of fur fell out she looked terrible.
The field next to the house had just been harvested
 
amymay - it is highly unlikely for sewage contamination... no sewer anywhere near or septic tank or anything like that. I'll have a go with sb water.

Patches - unfortunately no bodies of water of any sort in the vicinity, as disgusting as it sounds, I would be more than willing to supply fishy water :D
Tried apple/grass/pear/carrot bobbing - nada, nothing, niente:(
 
Not sure how far you are from Newark but i got my quencher sachets from CWG there they had it on the counter near the till it was a couple of months ago though.
What about making up a really soggy wet bran mash of some sort and giving it warm? fingers crossed if you can get some water in it may prompt him to feel a bit brighter and start drinking properly again.
Good luck
 
Right, been out to check on them:
Grumpy had a small drink, about 2 inches of the bucket!:)
Mabel still has no spots.
Gracie has quite a few on her head, doesn't seem to be itchy, not swelling up.
Melly's face is peeling and obviously is very itchy, but no swelling.

Do you think I should keep them in or out?
 
just a thought, as its over the head etc do you think they might be inflammation in the mouth? i know its difficult to have a look but that might be an indication of why they are not drinking, if so then you might need to get the vet back out for some anti inflammatory just an idea

another thought one of your neighbours hasn't put some garden waste in the field?
 
MrsM - he has eaten about 3 tablespoons of salt today alone:eek: He's had a drink now, though.
Hollyandivy13 - only one of them is not drinking, I have taken my life into my own hands and poked his mouth all over, nothing untoward inside... he's eating happily, though, I would imagine he wouldn't if his mouth was sore?

All of them have normal temperature, as well...

No garden or any other waste in the fields, I have very few neighbours, none of them the sort that would have a garden, seeing as all of them are farmers;):)
 
Just a stab in the dark but my friends horse had a similar thing last year caused by rearing up to get to acorns on the oak tree, and the sap from the tree was getting all over the top of her head and down the front of her face. She really was in a mess and lost all of the hair on the affected areas.

Could yours be doing anything similar, not necessarily in oak trees, but do you have any tasty trees that they could be getting some sort of sap from?
 
sonjafoers said:
Just a stab in the dark but my friends horse had a similar thing last year caused by rearing up to get to acorns on the oak tree, and the sap from the tree was getting all over the top of her head and down the front of her face. She really was in a mess and lost all of the hair on the affected areas.

Could yours be doing anything similar, not necessarily in oak trees, but do you have any tasty trees that they could be getting some sort of sap from?
Click to expand...

Nothing that I can see or think of immediately... but worth a thought and a check, I suppose.
 
Bet they are picking something tasty from the hedge, mine does then I have to pull thorns from his muzzle, but not all horses have same taste so wont all do it. As for water I find lemon squash tempting to some of them.:)
 
Cuffey said:
Article with pics re--poultry mites
Not sure if you saw suggestion re harvest mites

http://www.edliny.com/Encyclopedy/Dermatology/Volume 19 Issue1/38-43.pdf
Click to expand...
Thanks Cuffey - nothing like the photos in the article, I'm afraid.
I've seen the suggestion of harvest mites, do you know how far away the harvested fields could be? Everything directly around me has been barley, harvested in early July this year...
I'm starting to think I'll never know what exactly has caused this:(
 
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