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  Discussion on Unusual condition eluding diagnosis
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New Member:
Trishab

Posted on Saturday, Jan 8, 2005 - 8:01 pm:

I purchased a Thoroughbred weanling in Nov. He was fine at time of purchase. Was on my farm for a month with no problems. Around this time I began to notice a very distended abdomen and shortly thereafter a thinning coat. Thinking he was wormy I took a fecal and treated with Ivermectin Gold. His fecal came back with a very small number of strongyles. Nothing my vet felt was typical of a heavy burden. His coat coutinued to thin and his condition continued to decline. Thinking his condition may be due to a thyroid condition my vet drew a T-4 and we drew a cbc for good measure. Both came back fine (please note that all this while he has never been off his feed or had a fever). Next we took a cortisol rhythm test thinking the colt may have been given the steriod winstrol prior to selling. This too came back fine. A couple days following the cortisol rhythm test the colt developed a baseball sized lymphnode under his jaw. We lanced the node and took a culture that turned up positive for staph. However, the test to determine if he had a systemic staph infection came back negative. We have treated the colt with 10 days of antibotics that have resolved the node. The problem is he is practiclly bald. Here we are in the dead of winter in KY and this colt has shedded out to his skin. We are treating him with 5 day panacur for good measure, but his body condition continues to decline. Does anyone have any idea what could be ailing my colt?
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Sunday, Jan 9, 2005 - 11:10 am:

Can you tell us the age, weight (by weight tape) exactly what you are feeding, including supplements, and how much (by weight)? Though there are other possiblilities, you may just be having the foal coat shed out at a inconvenient time and have to wait until the spring for the summer coat to come in.
DrO
Member:
Trishab

Posted on Wednesday, Jan 12, 2005 - 8:45 pm:

This colt foaled on 4/4 of 04 and weighed 648 pounds on 12/20 (actual weight on scale). When the colt arrived on my farm in November he was put on alfalfa/orchard grass hay (approx. 10 lbs a day), 2lbs of m-30 and pasture. This feed is a mineral supplement that has 30% protien yet very little calories and very little starch. It is produced by McCauley Bros. in Versailles, KY. As the weather became more harsh (and it did early this year) I added 2 lbs (in addition to the M-30)of the finisher feed which has 14% protien and high beet pulp. At this point I also started adding 2oz rice bran oil and 6 ml of a fermentation product called Ration Plus. Since my last posting the staf infection has cleared and the rate at which his coat is shedding seems to be slowing; however, this may just be because there is not much left to loose.

Trish
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Thursday, Jan 13, 2005 - 6:57 am:

Hmmmm....could you give me the selenium content of the M30, the finisher feed, and of the other supplements?
DrO
Member:
Trishab

Posted on Thursday, Jan 13, 2005 - 9:21 pm:

Okay, the M-30 has a min. of 2.0 ppm, the finisher has a min. of 0.35 and the ration plus has none.

Trish
Member:
Eoeo

Posted on Thursday, Jan 13, 2005 - 10:52 pm:

A friend of mine has one that is going through the same type of problem, going bald. He had swelling in his legs when she found him out in the field. Her thought is that he is losing his hair due to a high temperature. I guess he looks pretty tough right now. Hair is gone clear to the skin in most places. EO
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Friday, Jan 14, 2005 - 7:54 am:

Excessive selenium is a cause of hair loss (though usually seen first in the mane and tail), poor condition, and immune dysfunction. 2 ppm is 10 times the recommended amount for the total diet and considered toxic at that level. If this is diluted into a diet that is selenium deficient this might be OK but alfalfa is a mildly selenium concentrating plant, do you know what part of the country it came from? KY is not an area that naturally has problems with excessive selenium and can even be a little low. I think this might be a long shot but could account for all the symptoms you are seeing. What are the units on the 0.35 for the finisher ration.
DrO
Member:
Trishab

Posted on Monday, Jan 17, 2005 - 8:59 pm:

The finisher feed is .35ppm. I was feeding about 1.5lbs of m-30 and about 3lbs of finisher. My hay is not from KY. He is getting an alfalfa/orchard grass mix from somewhere out west. Incidentally, I have since changed feed companies and have begun to notice a change in his hair loss. The new feed company does have less selenium. I wonder if that could have been it? Are some horses more sensitive to selinium than others?

Thanks
Trish
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Tuesday, Jan 18, 2005 - 7:49 am:

I don't think that just because the horse is getting better we can assume it was the selenium. I personally think it could easily be a slightly confused hair growth system that would self correct but while waiting there is nothing wrong with correcting imbalances.

Yes it is like any toxicity there is a range of sensitivity. There are places out west where selenium is very high and if the alfalfa is grown there it will add to the high selenium in the M30. Glad to hear things are getting better.
DrO
New Member:
zoey

Posted on Thursday, Aug 19, 2010 - 11:43 pm:

I have another post in regard to bald, itchy spots,,, this selenium level makes me wonder if this is a coincidence or possibly my issue.. my stabled horses approx 7 of 30 have hive like spots, than those spots turn bald,, primarily on jaw, neck shoulder area, those areas than get very dry, never weapy or crusty. Starts in June, about the time we start feeding alfalfa.
New Member:
zoey

Posted on Friday, Aug 20, 2010 - 1:18 pm:

erase that thought,,, the horse that is the worst only receives brome (for rofage)year round..
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