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My gelding came in one day over the summer with hives on the right side of his neck under his mane. I tried Lavendar essential oil, hydrocortisone(OTC). After a few weeks of this not working I contacted my vet. In September at fall shots, She suggested washing his neck and applying Panolog Cream (Nystatin-Neomycin Sulfate-Thiostrepton-Triamcinolone Acetonide Cream USP) . And braiding his mane to increase airflow to the skin. This seemed to lessen the hives some after about 2 weeks. At that point he was getting his winter coat and it was getting difficult to apply the cream. Had to part the hair to get it on the skin on each individual hive. She said I could decrease frequency of application. I was hoping that if it was due to bugs that over the winter the hives would resolve. They aren’t getting worse but they have not healed completely either. I tried a few months of a high Omega 3/vitamin E supplement, after more research that may be better to help prevent in the spring. I am currently trying the EquiShield SA supplement and we are on the 2nd month. Not noticing much of a change, maybe one or 2 have healed. Equishield SA uses quercetin, a natural antihistamine, to help decrease the need for corticosteroids and their adverse effects. It also contains other skin-benefiting ingredients such as MSM, a natural anti-inflammatory, Vitamin E, an antioxidant, and Hyaluronic Acid (HA), which hydrates the skin. He is on turnout in a grass pasture that has very few weeds as we have had to spray for horse nettle. The hay he eats comes from our farm and is orchard grass/fescue mix. His feed is a ration balance called Tribute Essential K. I stopped using fly spray. In the summer when he would get sweaty I would rinse him but not often wash him. From what I understand from the article we should be using an injectable steroid? Or is it too late since the initial onset was over the summer?
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Hello klmcbri,
Before addressing your specific question, I would like to ask if the hives are itchy (pruritic) and what is the course of the welts: how quickly do they form? Do they weep serum? Do they eventually form a scab or crust? Is there hair loss and what does that look like. Lastly, since you have had problems with nettle (I presume this is nightshade, solanum sp.) before, have you double checked it is gone and is it possible it is in your hay? What other plants are in the pasture, buttercups? And lastly the distribution suggests contact: are there other horses in the pasture that like to groom your horse or does your horse rub itself against anything?As to using an injectable steroid, I would make that decision based on whether new hives are still forming. If so, dexamethasone would be my preference assuming no contraindications. Check out the article on dexamethasone and then consult your veterinarian about this.
DrO -
Dr O, He does like to scratch his neck on the stall door and loves when I scratch his neck and into the root of his mane. He is not scratchy as much now that it is winter. There is no weeping, no scabs. He did have some hair breakage at the root of the mane over the summer, that is growing out. The skin never got completely exposed over the hives. The hives are not getting bigger or more in number. They seem to be very slowly going away. The ones close to the base of his neck have gone, the ones near his head are still around. The horse nettle is still around but not nearly what it was a few years ago as we have been spraying each year. However, it is a nasty plant that is difficult to get rid of. I have not seen it in our cut hay as we walk the fields between first and second cutting and if we see it we spray it and usually by harvest time its not really visible. When we first found it we had to pick thru each flake to remove it before feeding it to the horses. Thank goodness that is over. I have not seen any buttercup in the pastures. Mostly what I see is some clover, occasional aster from our hedgerow, and a clumping grass that has a cottony type look to it in fall. Our pastures are pretty thick with minimal weeds. I thought contact at first also, I thought he laid in ants or something. Due to his pasture mate being injured last summer they have been separated from August 20,2021 until January 1st 2022. This started while they were separated. I just got off the phone with my vet and she is recommending hydroxyzine to see if we can get the hives to fully resolve. Then likely continue it into spring to see if we can keep the allergies at bay. I asked her that if she believes that the cause is environmental, why is it only on one side of his neck and not the whole body. She said in her experience 2021 was a really bad year for allergies in general in her clients and that she usually sees the hives begin on the side of the neck that the mane covers and from there they gradually get worse and expand to the rest of the body over time. She has no explanation for it she is just relaying her experience in our area of Southwest Ohio. She thinks that he is sensitive to something that is in bloom during the summer and that his body got overwhelmed by it this past year.
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After a month + of the hydroxyzine, there really has not been much of a change. The hives are still there. My vet has recommended getting allergy testing thru Nextmune and depending on the results allergy shots would be next. She said she has clients that this has helped, she told me allergies just get worse to the point of the horse being absolutely miserable. I do not want to waste money but I don’t want my horse itching any worse than he already is. The vet said this will spread from his neck/man to the rest of his body. Does anyone have experience with allergy shots for horses? Any experience with this company Nextmune? I have looked at their website but am having trouble finding any reviews that are not associated with their website.
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Nothing in his environment has changed in the last year that I have control of. We tried hydroxizine, I have washed or rinsed his neck during the summer when he was sweating. I also braided the mane to get it off his neck during summer. We are still having freezing temps so I don’t bathe them now. I do have the chlorhexidine shampoo that I will wash him with when the weather warms. I can wipe his stall door and shed post with alcohol wipes this weekend. They live in a pasture with out any trees so the only other thing he could rub on is the ground. I tried the topical Nystatin-Neomycin Sulfate-Thiostrepton-Triamcinolone Acetonide Cream USP. I thought this was considered a steroid, so I believe we have tried the Corticosteroid treatment option. What is it that I am missing from the article. I really would rather not do the allergy shots as that is life long, but I must be missing another option you have presented.
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