Hives?

[jessiegirl1981]

So Moxie was stalled when the rains came last week and since then has hives. I have bathed her and they got better but did not go away completly. I put Calm Coat on her and they are way worse. I am assuming the allergy was to the bedding but I have had her outside ever since. Any ideas?

[April]

Have you tried giving her some Benadryl? Or the equivalent injectable rather.

[mkgbuegel]

I give Benadryl when ever hives pop up, works well. I also wash them really well, all over, I rinse out their mouths too. Can't be to careful if you don't know what caused it. If they don't reduce in size within hours of the Benadryl I would get the vet out there.

[NanciK]

I've had success with applying a paste of Baking Soda and water directly onto the hives to relieve the itch.

[countrygirl]

My horse suffered with hives for almost a year. Everything set her off and she would be covered with hives. I gave her 6cc Trichlor/dexam whenever she had a flare up. Usually had to give it for 3 days at a time. You can get it from your vet. It works very well. It was the only thing that worked for me.

[icehorse]

Any change in feed? A change in feed could cause weals, which usually just goes away on its' own in a few days...just in case it's a systemic thing

[cutiepiepmu]

Dexamethasone can have some nasty side effects for the horse and human giving it I suggest that you first try the following

Topical - first - wash well - but instead of regular shampoo - shampoo with Mane and Tail PROTECT shampoo - can help get rid of any parasitic, yeast or whatnot that may be causing it.

Then - Mix together the following. 1 BIG tub Vaseline, 2 containers liquid Campohphaniqu(sp), and 1 bottle Benedryl Gel. Smear on the worst areas a good solid layer. Will stop the itching and keep the skin from cracking if she rubs.

Oral - 12-14 benedryl 25mg tablets. You can crush them up and put in a small amount of feed. Give this 2x per day until hives subside. Not more than 5 days straight.

If this does not work, then you need to get the vet out. Generally - if this is not a chronic thing I do not recommend going with Dex or Prednisone. Both have NASTY side effects. BUT - if needed, your vet can give a single dose or injection which will most likely relieve the symptoms.

Remember to rinse the area with cool water - no soap several times a day. Avoid brushing or blanketing during this time as it can worsen the hives.

I would guess that from the cases I have seen - 80% of hive attacks and allergies in a stall/stable setting are to either the bedding or dust/dust mites in the stall. If your kid needs to go inside again, I suggest first washing down the inside of the stall - and try going with a different kind of bedding. If you were using shavings before, might try pelleted bedding instead.

Hope your kid feels better soon!

Sara in WA

[pikzeedust]

It's probably the shavings. I was told to give my horse bantamine (sorry about spelling) and to rinse with cool water. She was always in a stall with shavings but from time to time she would break out in HUGE hives. The vet said it was probably something in that batch of shavings because she liked to lye down in her stall a lot.

[cutiepiepmu]

Banimane will make her hurt less, but it won't relieve the inflamation in the hives at all. If you do have some, try 1-2 grams of bute. Bute is a Non-Steriodal Anti-inflamatory. It will help relieve the inflamation and the swelling alot better than the Banimane

Hopefully you can not have to have her go through this again...

Sara

[cwinterburn ( RIP) We love YOU]

Some of the side effects of predinason (sp?) and other steroids can be behavioral- be very careful, it can induce something like 'rage' - do not stress the horse or put yourself in a position where it could strike out at you- do not ride it for the duration of the meds...

[cutiepiepmu]

I agree on that winter... Also - increased thirst and excessive water consumption along with extreme weight gain is another horrid side effect. If you are doing injectable's it is really important to wear THICK latex gloves when you handle as some can be absorbed through your skin as well.

Sara in WA

[calypso]

Has anyone had hives that you can scrape off? Angel has something weird going on. She doesn't seem to be itchy at all, but she has little bumps all over her necks, sides and back. Yesterday petting her felt like running my hand over an old fashioned stucco wall. Today they are bigger - little tufts of her hair are standing on end all over. Still not itchy. Happily munching on her hay. Both days, I can scrape them off like a scab with my finger. They're "wet" inside, just like a hive, but not big (tiny little pimples really). I called vet and he had me come get dex powder for 3 days. After reading posts above and talking to mkgbuegel I'm delaying that.

Any ideas?

[ptowne]

Rain rot? Rain rot shows up as small scabs with a bit of hair attached. When you scrape one off it is wet on the bottom, sometimes a bit of pus, with a few strands of hair on top. It is a bacterial infection of the hair follicle.

[calypso]

That was my second thought. Finally had the vet out on Sat and he said it wasn't rain rot or hives. Exact quote: "Wow. This is really weird. I haven't seen anything like it.".

Love it when they say that. He took a sample and having it cultured for sensitivity. Went ahead and started antibiotics. She's acting normal, so that is good.

[cutiepiepmu]

I sent you a PM calypso - but I have seen this before and it sounds like you started with rain rot but ended up with a secondary yeast infection of the skin It is easy to treat and the PROTECT shampoo will cure it. It is important to wash and scrub the area open daily using this shampoo and the antibiotics are a good thing. The are needs to be opened, treated with an anti-yeast product(PROTECT) and then aloud to dry out - so no blanketing till this is healed. Also, any brushes or blankets used during this time need to be bleached or you will reinfect.

Often times, skin infections, especially if a horse has a weakened immune response, are suseptible to a secondary infeciton setting in - Yeast are an oportunistic type thing that will set into open areas on the skin. Uncer normal circumstances, the body can fight it off, but if the system is weak, the yeast can populate and spread - leaving the type of lesions you are seeing.

You may also want to put this kid on an immune building dietary supplement for a bit as well!

Take care,
Sara