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Discussion on Photosensitivity and scratches-help!
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Member:
Cindylou
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Posted on Sunday, Sep 21, 2003 - 12:08 pm:
I have tried to find info on the relation between photosensitivity and scratches -possibly a condition that can be found in a blood test-I think I read it effects the liver-but and can find nothing specific. My horse has been struggling with scratches for three months- and at the same time has a terrible sunburn-even under his mouth- which does not make sense to me. He has four white feet-which I know seems to be a factor in scratches...so it also leads me to beleive it has something to do with the sun- otherwise why the tendancy only in white feet? I asked my vet about photosensitivty or some sort of plant causes allergies and photosensitivity and she had never heard of it-yet I remember reading in one of my magazines cases of scratches that were not scratches but a result of photosensitiviy. Can anyone shed some light(no pun intended) on this?
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Member:
Canyon28
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Posted on Sunday, Sep 21, 2003 - 1:54 pm:
The photosensitivity problem is most likely caused by your horse eating poisonous/toxic plants in your pasture. His liver has been damaged, and this will show up in a cbc type blood test. Bring the horse in during the day, feed only grass hay and plenty of clean water, put him out only at night if he is moping in the stall and not eating. It is important to feed him lower protein feed while his liver is healing. Some vets may advise you that he will have to be on mainly grass hay the rest of his life if it does turn out to be toxic plants that have caused the sores on the white areas.
I had a mare a few years ago that only ate a few plants in a field at a rodeo I took her to, and it almost ruined her liver. But with a lot of good care, she did recover, although it took many months for her liver to recover. It somehow affected her feet , though , almost foundered her in some way. So her feet were never the same, and I eventually lost her three years later to abcesses that got into her coffin bone. Her feet were not the best before the poisoning, so the poisoning may have just added to her problems. I think she also may have had the beginnings of cushings toward the end of her life. She was 24. but anyway, get the liver blood tests done asap to see if he was poisoned. Then go over your pasture with a fine tooth comb. My mare was tied out for only a few minutes at the rodeo and managed to eat just enough in that time to really make her sick, so with some poisonous plants, all it may take are a few bites from one or two plants.
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Member:
Dres
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Posted on Sunday, Sep 21, 2003 - 3:37 pm:
my case is totally different... my young horse does have an allergy to the sun.. no poisonous plants.. if left outside in the sun it will effect his white socks.. looks like scratches, kind of wart like sores... and just as hard for them to go away as scratches... if i leave him in by day and only goes out at night.. within a season the sores go away... this year he has not been out in the sun except for riding.. he goes out only at night... no sores this year..
.. and a beautiful coat that has not been sun bleached..
Ann
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Member:
Kthorse
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Posted on Sunday, Sep 21, 2003 - 6:09 pm:
my horse has the same thing. I have to cover his nose with zinc as its always blistered. He wears a fly mask that also covers his white nose. He had the the same thing on his leg, only on his white sock. It was so bad he was put on antibiotics as his leg was swelling. I thought it was a bad case of rain rot. Why on that leg I thought? Our pasture has a lot of the fungus that causes DrOoling. He has had that all summer long. The vet shaved his leg and removed all scabs(under sedation it was so sore) I have been washing his leg every day and put bactracian on. I bandaged his leg for the first week to keep it clean. Its finally getting better.The vet said it was dermatophillus same as rain rot. It acually made him slightly lame. I dont know why this happens. I cant help you there , but yyour horse is not alone.
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Member:
Dres
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Posted on Sunday, Sep 21, 2003 - 7:11 pm:
Katrina, his sores never got so bad that he was off, but he sure hated me to treat them.. .. funny his white butt never got any sores just his socks.. and no particular place on them.. just 'wart' type spots on them... if he does have to be out for any length of time in the sun.. i put baby sunblock all over his socks... they then turn brown from the sand stickin to 'em..
aren't these horses a joy..?!~ <wink>
Ann
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Moderator:
DrO
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Posted on Monday, Sep 22, 2003 - 5:58 am:
For more on all of these see, » Equine Diseases » Skin Diseases » Overview of Hair Loss & Irritated Skin where reviews of these conditions and links to more detailed articles is provided.
DrO
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Member:
dom9964
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Posted on Tuesday, May 8, 2007 - 9:40 pm:
Hi Dr. O it's me again. Seems I too have a quarter horse who was out for training at 2 yo in New Jersey. I left him for 3 weeks and lo and behold when I saw him, every bit of 4 white socks and white blaze were burned to a crisp. they did nothing for him there and i pulled him from training after almost passing out when I saw him. He is gorgeous and of course 3 years later, he has never grown hair again in every one of these spots. When my vet saw him after bringing him home, we both cried. I took this horse in as 1 yo. He is a hypp n/h and I give him a great life. While at the trainer, they stated he ate some type of green clover that has caused this in their horses, but none of them looked as bad as Romeo. Sore is not the word for it and slight founder as well. He remembers the pain so vividly that 3 years later i have to fight with him to put anytype of creams on any of these area. i recently shaved the legs and scrub with betadine, rinse well and dry. i put any creams I can put on him and I use fly boots to help keep the sun away. his face is destroyed on his white blaze closer to his nose. this is the saddest case of someone neglecting my horse at training ever. his liver was damaged and after about a year he was coming back to normal. We will probably never have hair in these areas again. Oh and the vet did say he had a photosensative reaction.
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