White patches around eyes

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Splashie

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I have a show pony who has developed big white patches around his eyes, he had a slight white patch below one eye in the summer but it disappered. They have come back with a vengence and he now looks like a panda! It looks as if the hair has gone white. Obviously its a dreadful blemish to have for a show pony and I was just wondering if anyone has had the same problem. I was curious as to whether it may be a mineral deficiency?
I would really appreciate it if anyone could suggest what i should do
Thanks
 
Sounds similar if not the same as to what my mare has. She gets 'panda' eyes mainly in the Winter as she gets limited turn out. In the Summer they disappear and the pigment returns to the skin.

I am led to believe it is called Vitiligo - however as I havent bothered with the vet I cant confirm diagnosis!

There are many things you can try:

Horse Health Wessex do a Copper supplement
http://www.horsehealth.co.uk/index.php?m...17bhs046mdnfkh7
I havent tried this one yet ...

I have mine on the Baileys Stud balancer as after a discussion with the Baileys lady she suggested it could be more of a protein issue. It has made a big difference although she still has some pink spots. However that could just be the balancer element or the protein level or both!

I am tempted to try the LoCal to see if it changes anything...

If you google arab fading syndrome there is lots of info.

Hope that helps

Hb
 
If it is Vitiligo, I know in humans there is no cure for it (I have it) as it's where the pigment in your skin/hair folicle just goes...

It means that they are more sensitive to light, so you'll need to attempt to put some sunblock on when that sun comes out of hibernation
wink.gif


I'd be glad to learn differently in horses though...

(p.s I'm not a vet or anything like that)
 
Hi, this is my first go a this so I hope it works. What colour is your pony? I,ve seen this/similar condition several times, my vet said it was vitiligo or leucoderma or could be due to a copper deficiency. I do hope it's some sort of deficiency as I'm led to beleive the other conditions are not only incurable but also genetic. Good luck with your pony.
 
Hi my bay pony gets it. He has the white spectacles and i was told it could be a copper deficiency...Have put him on supplements which have high copper content and the pigment returns. I show him at county level with success and the judges have not made comment on it yet.
 
If the colour has returned, then it's not Vitiligo. This is an irreversible change, caused by the hair growth cycle becoming out of sync with the production of melanin - it's a genetic condition.

Sounds to me like copper deficiency, as the pigment is returning. There are lots of licks available which contain copper, or you could test for it, in which case you'd know exactly how much to supplement with.
 
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