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  Discussion on Hair loss down to the skin
Author Message
Member:
Unis11

Posted on Wednesday, Apr 7, 2004 - 8:28 am:

My gelding is losing his usual hair for the spring, but I noticed yesterday that there are areas that the hair loss is down to the skin with alot of dandruff in thoses areas as I brush. He is a sorrel and when it gets down to this stange the area is grey in colour. I am wondering if it is there is something wrong or just part of the natural hair loss that happens in spring. It is just much more radical in these areas. The areas are on his shoulders and chest.
Member:
Annes

Posted on Wednesday, Apr 7, 2004 - 10:33 am:

Sally, my sorrel mare had something similar years ago in the Spring when she was shedding. It turned out to be rain rot caused by all the wet weather. Her areas were only on her back but the hair came out in clumps, not like natural shedding. I do not remember if there was dandruff. I treated with an iodine mixture and it cleared up quickly and she did not develop any other places.
Member:
Npruitt

Posted on Wednesday, Apr 7, 2004 - 11:01 am:

Dear Sally:

My pony has had rain rot for almost a year now due to really wet weather. He had hair loss similar to your horse's. He is shedding his hair normally but the area with the rain rot has been dandruff-like. He was really bad this winter, and I was really frustrated because I couldn't find anything that worked. Finally, I read a suggestion from this forum about using generic tinactin powder from the drug store on the affected areas. Now all of the areas except where he had it the worst, have cleared up. So, you might want to go down to your drug store and get some tinactin powder in the foot care section because it really worked for me.
Member:
Eoeo

Posted on Wednesday, Apr 7, 2004 - 12:19 pm:

I think that suggestion was from me. So glad that it worked for you. It is the thing to use on what I call the track vd. Girth itch or whatever that you want to call it that the poor horses get when at the race track. Trainers will spend a fortune on caustic crap that doesn't clear it up in near the time that tinactin cream or powder on the area will, if the caustic stuff gets rid of it at all. The trick is to get any scabby stuff exposed by scrubbing or scratching it loose and then applying the tinactin. It is a fungus as that is how you have to treat it. If they have to wear a blanket, I just dust the inside of the blanket with the powder form. It works everytime I have used it. EO
Member:
Mrose

Posted on Wednesday, Apr 7, 2004 - 8:42 pm:

I assume Dr. O will answer your post. In the meantime, have you looked under Diseases of the Horse -> Skin? There is information there that might be helpful. I know that if a horse has a hormonal imbalance of some kind, or has been ill, it can affect the hairgrowth. I've seen it come in extra fine and darker in color and also thinner after a horse was ill.
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Thursday, Apr 8, 2004 - 11:40 am:

You pretty much said it all Sara. Sally we have an article on hair loss that presents a way for you to differentiate normal and the likely diseases causing your problem it is at, Equine Diseases » Skin Diseases » Overview of Hair Loss & Irritated Skin.
DrO
New Member:
Darren

Posted on Friday, Feb 11, 2005 - 11:25 pm:

Hello all,
Just wanting help confirming what I think may be "rain rot", but cannot find anything in past articles that accurately describe it. I have three TW, a bay, black and a Tabiano. Have only noticed probable dandruff so far, but the other day after a rain I noticed ared/orange tint in the white hair of the Tabiano.Upon exam found orange,"cheesy" like clumps at the base of the hair.Like I said it had almost a cheese consistancy and look.He does have above average hair loss all over,but it has also warmed into the 40's and 50's here (may just sheding some winter coat).When thy are dry,it just looks like dandruff or dry skin.

Ring any bells?? thanks,
Darren
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Sunday, Feb 13, 2005 - 8:25 am:

Wellcome Darren,
For a description of rainrot see, Equine Diseases » Skin Diseases » Hair Loss / Itching / Irritated Skin » Rain Rot and Rain Scald: Dermatophillus. I am uncertain about your description however because I can't quite picture it, see if this matches with the description and images in the article.
DrO
New Member:
Tedetl

Posted on Sunday, Mar 13, 2005 - 2:57 pm:

I recently bought a 19 year old gelding. I noticed he had areas on both the front of his back lower legs where the hair did not look normal. Maybe something like a fungal infection. I applied anti-fungal lotion which helped the looks of the affected areas until the hair came off. The skin underneath looks healthy but I would like to know what would cause this and why would the hair fall out? I am also not sure if I treated this area the right way. No one seems to know at my barn what this might be.
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Monday, Mar 14, 2005 - 9:14 am:

Denise there are many possibilities that we cannot differentiate from your description. You will find a list of probable diseases and ways to differentiate them at, Equine Diseases » Skin Diseases » Hair Loss / Itching / Irritated Skin » Overview of Hair Loss & Irritated Skin
DrO
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