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  Discussion on Two pasture mates losing hair....
Author Message
Member:
judyhens

Posted on Monday, Sep 8, 2008 - 10:26 am:

Recently two fillies in the same pasture (one 2 and one 3) have lost hair on their faces and necks. They are scratching on the fence, posts, etc. and appear to be itching intensely. Neither has any history of skin irritation or sensitivity. There is a yearling in the same pasture who is not affected. Horses in the other pastures appear to be fine. We have bathed them twice with Nolvasan surgical scrub. Both are wormed regularly with Ivermectin. They are current on all shots. One of the two had a recent Strangles intranasal vaccine, but the other did not. The horses are in great weight and condition. There has not been a diet change. We are in Texas and it continues to be extremely hot and dry. (DrOught conditions). Occasionally other horses itch secondary to dry skin, but this appears different. I could not actually see any lesions and the skin is still relatively smooth. Just intense itching and significant hair loss. Which is a real problem: one of the two is going to the nationals in 6 weeks. Help would be appreciated!

Judy
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Member:
scooter

Posted on Monday, Sep 8, 2008 - 6:29 pm:

Judy do you put any kind of fly protection on their faces? I had one loose all his face hair when I used skin so soft. OR any kind of conditioner like show sheen ect? Otherwise I might suspect a weed of some sort....maybe lock them off the pasture and see if it improves.
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Tuesday, Sep 9, 2008 - 8:12 am:

Hello Judy,
The article gives a rather complete list of possibilities and it is difficult to rule out any of the possibilities from your post other than onchocerca, pinworms, and autoimmune diseases. The time of year suggests one of the buggy problems but there are several possibilities here too. Go through them carefully and try to rule in or out each one and don't forget to check the ears for ticks.

If a reason cannot be found you should consider having the vet out since these guys need to be perfect in 6 weeks. If a specific disease is not found the article gives a extensive set of recommendations for dealing with itchy horses.
DrO
Member:
judyhens

Posted on Tuesday, Sep 9, 2008 - 9:25 am:

Hi Diane and Dr. O,
Thanks for your input. With the no. of horses we have, the workers pretty much follow a set routine re: bug care. We really haven't changed anything recently. We purchase Tri-tec (or equivalent) in gallon bottles and they spray each horse every few days as needed. We do use Swat on open sores if they occur, but rarely anything else on their faces. Just to be sure, I checked last night to confirm that a concentrated fly spray wasn't delivered and maybe the spray was too concentrated. Just found the normal spray. Re: weeds - I will check that out today. Although we had weed killer put on all the pastures early last spring, there are a few weeds that have popped up here and there. Those pesky plants!!!

I will check for ticks in their ears today also. We found one on a dog yesterday. That is extremely rare around here. I think that is the first or second one I can remember finding since we moved here 4 or 5 years ago! But, if the dog can get one (who primarily lives in the house), then the young horses can certainly pick them up.

Thanks for the ideas! Will follow-up! You are both appreciated!

Judy
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Member:
alisa

Posted on Tuesday, Sep 9, 2008 - 1:35 pm:

Hello Judy,

My horse had an allergic reaction to fly spray - my other horses did not - but Kid, (my medically challenging horse) lost pretty much all of his hair! I washed off all the residual stuff and started to use M-T-G:

https://www.valleyvet.com/ct_detail.html?PGGUID=2fd984b6-f5ac-4323-a639-1d0594773 70f

two three times per week and his hair did grow back. I can't say what the reason of your horses hair loss may be but I believe this product really works - so that might be a solution to one of your problems.

Good Luck-
Alisa
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Wednesday, Sep 10, 2008 - 7:31 am:

The only list of M-T-G ingredients that I can find is: petroleum distillates, sulfur (4%), zinc stearate, glycerin, cade oil (rectified). So this is basically a old style "sulfur and turpentine" type treatment that my grandfather used for mange on dogs. While this can help with some type problems there are usually better choices for specific diseases.
DrO
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