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  Discussion on Extreme skin itching & flaking following general swelling
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Posted on Wednesday, Dec 5, 2001 - 11:36 am:

About 3 weeks ago, I noticed a swelling on the abdomen of my 2 year old filly. The swelling grew, then receded entirely (about 1 week in duration). At this time I detected small patches of extremely dry, flaking skin under her winter coat. As soon as the belly swelling disappeared, her legs (all 4) swelled up dramatically for about 2 days, gradually receding and lingering in her front legs for a few days more. All during this time she itched terribly on her underjaw, neck & chest. Now I am left with a tremendous amount of flaking on her neck & chest, but she's not as itchy. There is no oozing from the underlying bumps & no apparent hair loss as yet.

No one including my vet seems to have an explanation for this condition. To me, if she were human, I would say it looks exactly like a poison oak reaction. The two other horses she's pastured with (all on the same feed) show no such symptoms. Her brother (3 yrs old) had a brief episode of colic & constipation just prior to her symptoms showing up which made me suspect the feed (alfalfa/grass hay mix). The most relevant information came from a local feed store owner who I turned to for grass hay. I have not used grass hay before, relying on a good mix in my alfalfa/grass bales. He commented that there has been a late rush on grass hay (which is no longer available) by many local horse owners this year who have reported their horses breaking out in "bumps". The feed store owner attributed this to the very poor, dry growing season we had this year.

Any suggestions or comments of similar experience most welcomed.

Posted on Thursday, Dec 6, 2001 - 6:15 am:

Hello Jivan,
If your bumps turn into scabs that when removed take the hair with them, you have a remarkable case of dermatophillus.

For a list of other possiblities for the generalized swelling see, Equine Diseases: Skin Diseases: Diagnosing and Assessing Swellings in Horses after reading it follow the link to the article on hot painful swellings of the legs. Even if your case was not remarkably painful I believe this was inflammatory in nature.
DrO
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