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Discussion on Hair loss on Face
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Member:
canter
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Posted on Tuesday, Aug 17, 2010 - 7:32 am:
Hi DrO,
About a 1 to 1.5 weeks ago, I noticed a thinning spot of hair on my mare's face. I didn't think too much of it as the skin looked normal, then. I washed out her fly mask and put a clean, dry one on. Each time I went out to the barn, I swapped out the mask she was wearing with a clean one.
On Friday, there was a new area, and the original spot was almost completely hairless and the skin now looked raw underneath. No bumps or swelling, just raw. Over the weekend, I washed it twice with an iodine shampoo and applied a triple antibiotic ointment. Because of the extreme heat/humidity and because she had been sweating under the mask, I left it off, to let her face 'air out.' these areas are irregular in shape, around the size of a silver dollar.
Last night, the first area looked a little better, the second area now looks raw and there is a third area, not yet raw, just bald. So I wiped down her face with a PL listerine product thinking the alcohol may help kill anything there, and again applied the triple antibiotic ointment to each area.
We have had horrendous bugs this summer, but I don't think she's rubbing her face, causing the irritated areas. Her pasture fence has a hot wire on the top board and she's pretty careful about getting near the fence. She's currently alone in her pasture and there is nothing else there except her water tub. None of her tack touches these areas. She doesn't appear to be excessively itchy.
The only thing different in her day to day management is the amount/type of fly spray I am using. I've gone heavy duty due to the amount and types of biting insects this year. The horses have been miserable. I've bought Deep Woods Off and applied that, mainly just to her legs to keep her from stomping continuously. there is no skin reaction to that on her legs, so I don't think this is related.
She's starting to look pretty beat up with these bald, raw patches on her face.
DrO, any ideas what I'm dealing with here and best how to treat? This doesn't quite seem to fit with what I've read in the overview of skin problems.
Many thanks!
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Member:
frances
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Posted on Tuesday, Aug 17, 2010 - 10:01 am:
Are you continuing to leave the fly masks off Fran? My horse seems to sweat under hers even more than elsewhere in this extreme heat/humidity and sometimes develops lesions of various descriptions.
It's a hard call to make as at the same time they really need the fly masks to protect their eyes. I can't leave them off mine as she easily gets eye infections from the flies, but if your mare is hardier in this respect, I would try that (if you haven't already).
I'll be interested to hear what DrO thinks.
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Member:
canter
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Posted on Tuesday, Aug 17, 2010 - 10:26 am:
Hi LL,
I left the fly mask off for a few days, but put it back on last night. She's usually pretty tolerant of the bugs, but even as I was grooming last night, the flies were swarming her face. Given the humidity is (finally) down, I put a clean mask on, plus, with those areas now looking raw, I didn't want flies to spread infection.
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Member:
vickiann
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Posted on Tuesday, Aug 17, 2010 - 10:45 am:
I have found that wiping down the face with damp towels to clean it more often helps. Sweaty faces seem to be fertile ground for all kinds of problems.
My paint horse had a big bald spot on the middle of his face.
I have been applying fly spray to the faces each evening with a mitt and this has helped.
Cleaning it more often and applying Desitin (original works better than the "creamy" and CVS has a good generic) helped heal, soothe and protect.
Some days I use fly masks and some days I don't depending upon the conditions and weather forecast.
If you are dealing with a fungal infection you will need to clear that up first and then take protective measures as previously described to prevent it from coming back.
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Member:
canter
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Posted on Tuesday, Aug 17, 2010 - 12:57 pm:
Thanks, Vicki. Unfortunately, I don't know whether or not I'm dealing with a fungal issue. In the case of your horse(s), how did you identify that the problem was fungal?
Because the mare is a grey and I like her white, and not yellow and partially green, she does get cleaned fairly often, including her face. She will allow me to spray her in the face with a hose (she tolerates it long enough to spray off any shampoo), which is how and why I was treating with the Iodine shampoo. Put some on her face, scrubbed it in, left it one for a few minutes, and hosed off (below the eyes - above the eyes I wipe off with a sponge). That said, because of the wet soggy weather, and because she went through a period of cold hosing due to a leg injury, her feet are starting to crumble. So that's why I resorted to wiping down her face with the Listerine type product last night. Want to avoid more exposure to wet feet.
Since I'm not clear as to what I'm dealing with, I just don't know the correct/effective way to treat. I'm hoping DrO can shed some light on that.
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Member:
sdms
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Posted on Tuesday, Aug 17, 2010 - 2:49 pm:
Hi Fran! Sorry to hear about your troubles. Since we don't know what you're dealing with it's hard to offer advice but I'll relate a story of my own and maybe it'll be helpful and maybe not. My two year old is allergic to bugs and/or weeds. Not sure which. One of the symptoms is hairless raw spots on her face and front cannon bones...no bumps really. I started a daily ritual a month or so ago that has helped a lot. Each morning I wipe her face and legs down with a cold wet washcloth to get them as clean as possible. Then I wipe her face and legs with Shapley's MTG. Then her fly mask goes on.
The hair has completely grown back on her legs and her face looks a LOT better but still has a few hairless spots. I don't even use the fly leg wraps anymore. MTG is supposedly good for a number of skin issues so it might be worth a shot. That is if you don't mind Sparkles smelling like hickory!
Good luck!
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Member:
frances
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Posted on Tuesday, Aug 17, 2010 - 2:49 pm:
So difficult to know what to do, other than wait for the weather to change  . But maybe DrO will ride to the rescue.
Re feet crumbling due to cold hosing: what I always do is clean the feet then apply plain old hoof oil and only then start to hose. It really protects the hoof from the water. I cold hose (well, the "cold" part is a euphemism at present) my mare's LF knee every day, and it hasn't affected her hooves at all.
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Member:
canter
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Posted on Tuesday, Aug 17, 2010 - 4:37 pm:
Hmmm, MTG...isn't that the oily clear yellow stuff, Sara? I know we have a bottle floating around the barn. The barn owners daughter bought some since someone told her it would help grow the rather skimpy tail & forelock of her palamino filly. I remember being surprised going out to the barn and finding the filly with a black instead of blonde main. She must have rolled after the MTG was applied! .
I wonder if it creates a barrier between between the skin and the allergen that's bothering your 2 yo, thus allowing for the skin to heal? Just a wild guess. Anything would be worth a try...at present, good ol' Sparkles looks like she's been in a bar brawl, and I can envision it only getting worse, before it gets better.
LL, I rarely wish away good hot weather...I live in Michigan, after all...but this year may be the exception! It feels like the humidity is increasing again, this afternoon. Ugh!
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Member:
vickiann
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Posted on Tuesday, Aug 17, 2010 - 4:52 pm:
The MTG has sulphur in it and storing it upside down helps make it easier to mix. It is excellent for any areas where a horse is itching.
It is not a bad idea to use some disposable gloves when handling it.
My horse who does get itchy and fungal in some areas really likes it when I rub it on him but some make take exception as it sort of tingles.
It is really hard to explain what the fungus looks like and I think that it appears differently depending upon the color of the horse.
In the heat of summer it is easy to get this going when a horse sweats a lot -- especially with a dished face.
If you didn't get any improvement with antibiotic ointment it wouldn't hurt to try MTG or an anti-fungal cream such as those made for Athlete's foot.
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Member:
scooter
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Posted on Tuesday, Aug 17, 2010 - 5:31 pm:
Fran if you are applying the fly spray to her face I would suspect that...been there done that. My boarder is having the same issue, I asked her if she was using the fly "spray" on her face and she said yes...told her to quit it and apply swat instead...if she felt the need to put something on her face...cleared up in a few days...the "spray" didn't affect any other parts of her body, just her face.
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Member:
dustee
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Posted on Tuesday, Aug 17, 2010 - 5:41 pm:
I find in our nice humid Florida that the clean white towels dipped in cold water and squeezed out a bit - wash my mare's face, rinse, and wipe it dry a bit - takes off the previous layer of heavy sweat that has dried on her face. Even putting a halter on her without this procedure would have the dried salt and sweat acting like sandpaper over tender areas where bone is right underneath the skin. I also use Desitin on the open patches if I have any. I have found the generic at Walmart is not a suitable substitute in this instance. Most days I will do a wash - no soap - just clean towels and cool/cold water at least twice - once in the morning and once at night. Not having anything touching the area allows it to heal quickly - but will re-open as soon as something starts to rub on it again. Good luck!!
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Moderator:
DrO
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Posted on Tuesday, Aug 17, 2010 - 7:15 pm:
Fran there is not any information in your post to differentiate the most probable causes: trauma, bacterial diseases (like dermatophillus or staph), funguses (like ringworm) or some combination of trauma and infection. Also to be considered would be photodermatitis (sunburn) if the skin is nonpigmented. The article has links to each of these articles. Study them as there are some differences clinically and if these still don't seem right it may need a call in to your veterinarian.
DrO
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Member:
shirl
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Posted on Tuesday, Aug 17, 2010 - 8:15 pm:
Just a note regarding MTG. I agree it attracts dust if you are in a dry area. Used it on my mare's tail dock where she suffered a blanket rub, golden tail now is black in that area. She also has/had a fungal type thing on ear tips. I use it there and on the tail only if it's not hot and sunny as the oil can make it burn. Did once on her ear tips and she lost most of the hair. Here in AZ it's difficult not to find a day that's not hot and sunny, except now we're up to our eye balls in humidity I hate but little rain.
Shirl
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Member:
canter
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Posted on Wednesday, Aug 18, 2010 - 7:16 am:
Many thanks to all for the suggestions. DrO, the one rule out is sunburn - the skin on her face is black.
I'll take another look through the articles to see if there is anything I missed.
As of last night, no new areas, but the third area has started to look a bit raw; first 2 areas don't look any worse.
It seems to be bothering me, more than my mare, so I think I'll give it a few more days, and if it continues to spread or refuses to heal, I will call my vet.
Thanks again, everyone. If the vet does need to come out, I'll post the diagnosis and treatment.
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Member:
sdms
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Posted on Wednesday, Aug 18, 2010 - 7:53 am:
Hi Fran. To answer an earlier question, yes, MTG is basically a clear/yellow oil. As Vicki mentioned it separates very easily and has to be shaken well before use.
Could you possibly post a picture of Sparkles face so we can see what you're dealing with?
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Member:
mrose
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Posted on Wednesday, Aug 18, 2010 - 9:46 am:
Fran, yes, a picture if possible. I was wondering about the size of the spots. We had a boarder years ago that had small, hairless spots all over her face. I think it was the result of a parasite, if I remember right. I know after worming her several times, they went away. I doubt this would have anything to do with your horse as I know they are wormed regularly. I wonder about a small fly larva though? With all the moisture and heat this year I think a lot of things we don't normally see are appearing - at least they are around here.
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Member:
canter
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Posted on Wednesday, Aug 18, 2010 - 10:37 am:
I'd love to post a picture, but likely can't. My computer is owned by my company and I'm not allowed to down load any unauthorized software, thus have had very limited success in the past trying to upload a picture onto HA. I'll try to remember to take one tonight with my cell phone and try again tomorrow.
As it turns out, the vet is coming tomorrow. Another boarder set an appointment for fall shots, so I jumped on the band wagon and set up an appointment for Sparkles. Can't be there myself, but the BO knows what I need and will take notes for me. I've asked for a skin scraping, so if he can't i.d the creeping crud by looks, we hopefully will get answers from under a microscope.
Sara W, no doubt we are seeing unusual things around here this year, too. Large group of horses (and I think 3 people) just south of here contracted EEE, and the vet office told me they are seeing an unusually high number of Potomac HF cases lately. Not sure if its a factor of the unusually bad bugs, incl mosquitoes, or people cutting corners on costs due to a bad economy & vaccinating less, or likely a combo of both. Who knows? But as well cared for as Sparkles is, NOTHING bug/parasite related would surprise me this summer.
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Member:
mrose
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Posted on Wednesday, Aug 18, 2010 - 11:12 am:
Keep us posted, please. I always read posts even if I don't comment on them. I feel like, who knows; I could have this problem next summer! You know how it is with horses. 
What we've had around here is more foot problems than normal; bruising, founder, etc. due to lush grasses, even the wild grasses, and going from rock hard ground, to soggy - back and forth. We've been lucky ourselves, but that is what vet is telling me. Also, a lot more flies and bugs and more pigeon fever, which is normally rare around here.
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Member:
canter
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Posted on Thursday, Aug 19, 2010 - 6:47 pm:
Well, after the vet visit, I still have no satisfactory answer. Unfortunately, I couldn't be there for the appt or I probably would have pushed a tad harder. The vet said the creeping crud was due to the heat and the humidity. And to keep it dry.
Although I has requested a scraping, he didn't do one.
He's the lameness specialist for the practice and I have a lot of respect for him, but my normal vet, I think, humors me a bit better and usually doesn't mind spending my money  .
So...no more clues to this mystery to enlighten everyone who has been so helpful with advice and suggestions.
...At least Sparkles got her fall shots done...
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Member:
canter
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Posted on Thursday, Aug 19, 2010 - 6:48 pm:
...oh...I did get pix last night, but didn't have time to try and post....will hopefully try tomorrow.
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