Rubbing hair off!!!

[caryn]

Hey guys,
Miss Gypsy has been itchy and has rubbed the hair of a big spot on the side of her face and underneath her jaw. I have seen her rub her face, so I know that it is itchy and the skin irritation seems to be a result of the itching. The skin is irritated, but not pruritic - no nodules filled with serum or puss. No scabs yet, but if she keeps rubbing it, then we're going to have lesions. She's got some areas that are more raw than others in the hairless area. She is on a strict rotational de-worming program, so I don't "think" it is worm related.

I've been putting fura-zone on it to keep the bacteria away, but it's not doing anything for the itch! Should I try an anti-microbial soap? Maybe a cortizone type ointment to help the itch? I've just been washing it with cold water (soothing to hot, irritated skin) and dressing with the fura-zone. It is not spreading which is good, but it did look worse today. Any advice is greatly appreciated.

[Admin]

Try and rule out a few commons:
Check for mites. They show up this time of year. Use a sulfur dip to get rid of them
Allergies.
Dry skin - dermatitis

Itchy with hair loss:

Many forms of skin conditions in horses and ponies are itchy and flaky conditions where they are itching to the point that they are losing hair. These conditions are due to gnats, horn flies, lice, and mange. There are treatments available for these types of ailments including repellants that you can buy at any supplier that supplies horse products or from your veterinarian, there are powders to treat for lice, sometimes in severe cases the horse will need to be treated with ivermectin which can be purchased through your veterinarian.


These are all alarming conditions to any horse owner and make the animal look terrible, yet all are cureable. With the proper bathing and prevention they can be totally eliminated. Most of these conditions, except mange, do not usually require that you keep the animal separate from other animals, just that you should possibly treat all the animals, just to be safe. In the case of mange it may be necessary, if not all of your animals are infected, to separate the one that is infected, until it is cured of the mange.


Biting Gnats

Biting Gnats feed on the belly, inner thighs, poll, mane, withers, and tailhead. The irritation will cause the horse to scratch on anything around it. This can cause them to actually "rub" the hair out.


Onchocerca

Another condition called "Onchocerca" infestation is another very irritating condition in horses, but this is not so common an ailment since ivermectin has all but eliminated it.


Horn Fly

Horn Fly bites will also cause horses to rub to the point of hair loss.


Pediculosis

Lice or Pediculosis will not immediately cause hair loss but will eventually irritate the animal enough to rub the hair out and cause skin irritation. You can take a magnifying glass and put it up to your horses hair and you will be able to see lice if they are present.


Mange

Mange is identified by examining skin scrapings under a microscope. This is a very itchy condition and can be treated with topical chemicals which you should contact your veterinarian about.



Hair loss and no itching:

Some skin conditions occuring in horses and ponies characterized as hair loss with no itching.


Alopecia

One skin ailment, whose symptoms are hair loss without itching, is alopecia. This condition occurs due to inflammation in the skin and hair follicles and not itching.


Ringworm

Ringworm is an ailment which is fungal. Lesions appear scaly and crusty. Diagnosis is usually made by a fungal culture. You should bathe animal daily for the first week then bathe two times a week to control infection. The best treatment contains tamed iodine shampoos, chlorhexidine shampoos, dilute bleach .5% solution, rinses, 5% lime sulfur solutions, and fungal orchard spray as a rinse.


When bathing with shampoos, work shampoo into skin and allow it to soak for at least 15 minutes before rinsing. There are also many topical salves and iontments on the market which contain miconazole, clortrimazole, and thiabendazole. In severe cases such as the immuno-suppressed or very young horse, systemic antifungal medication may be the treatment needed.


Skin Scald

Skin Scald is also another type of hair loss without itching it occurs on the lower legs and is usually due to poor hygiene in the area the horse is kept.

Rain Scald is yet another condition which occurs in areas of high moisture. This is usually diagnosed with a biopsy from a skin scraping from the affected animal.


Seasonal Alopecia

Sometime in the spring a horse or pony can experience seasonal alopecia where large patches of hair shed and the new hair growth is not present yet, this leaves bald patches on the animal and new hair will grow within a month.


Sarcoids

Equine skin cancer also known as "Sarcoids" is in this category also, they are not painful but may be infective from one horse to another. This condition will need to be treated by your veterinarian.


Selenium Toxicity

Some horses develope a Selenium Toxicity where soil is rich, if this is the problem the grazing area or type of feed will need to be changed.

With so many skin problems in horses, the best form of diagnosis for any of the many would be to have your veterinarian biopsy the skin. The test is simple and gives minimal discomfort to the animal.

[caryn]

Dean, thanks so much for the advice! I've put in a call to my vet for more advice too. It's kind of a weird one...what's a sulfur dip?

[Admin]

Antidermatosis Rinse

Active Ingredient(s): Contains:Sulfurated lime solution 97.8% Inert ingredients 2.2%

Description: Lime Sulfur Dip is a sulfur concentrate for treatment of non-specific dermatoses and parasites.

[sherigraf]

for lice and/or mites I've been using the powder stuff that Farnam puts out. works good.

[gratefulknits]

I would avoid the antibacterial soaps unless you know you are dealing with a wound that has a high risk of developing a bacterial infection. These soaps are incredibly drying, which will make most itches worse, and the active ingredients of these soaps are starting to turn up in our ground water - at the very least it will result in increased bacterial resistance (ie the soaps won't work when you really need them to) and at worst they may be carcinogenic if ingested! Just my very cheap 2 cents worth!

[caryn]

Thanks everyone! I spoke to my vet today and he said that it sounds like an allergic reaction. He told me to wash her with a mild betadine/water solution and give her Tri-Hist for 5 days. If it doesn't clear up then I'll need to have him see her. I have Tri-Hist already. I bought it for Ally, but she turned out to be allergic to corn and it has corn in it, so I couldn't use it. Who'd have thought that it would come in handy now? I'll let you all know how it goes.

[mkgbuegel]

Hi Caryn,

I have a fantastic herbal/oil combination that I use on my horses when they get itchy,(usually the old guys during biting fly season) anyway it does a great job of removing the itch if the skin is red & hot. It will generally give some immediate relief and within about 12 hours I usually see all redness gone and the horse is comfortable. It is also has mild anti fungal properties. If you would like to try some, pm me with your address and I will send it to you. Its great stuff, I've been using it for several years now.

[caryn]

Oh, that would be great!!! Thank you.