|
|
Discussion on Can puritus indicate something more severe
|
| Author |
Message |
Member:
stuart05
|
Posted on Friday, Jun 15, 2012 - 3:25 am:
Hi, I have posted several times and pictures on my poor 12 yo TWH who has has a rough few months.
Earlier this year he began to scratch his butt raw. It was under the tail and on his butt cheeks and around the anus. He always lifts his tail up to itch. He is on a deworming program and I did the extra deworming as recommended for pin worms.
At the same time he developed this butt itching he developed a habit of stopping on trail rides to urinate and poop. He does it every ride. He poops at least once and urinates at least once. We usually only ride for about an hour. It was suggested that maybe he had a poor fitting saddle so I contacted an equine chiropractor who did indicate his saddle fit could be better but he did not seem overly sore anywhere. We did get a better fitting saddle.
Soon after that, he seemed to get better and his butt healed but he still stops to urinate and poop on the trail. About three weeks ago, I saw him have a major freak out in the pasture. It appeared to me he had either rolled in a fire ant hill (I have a couple I am trying to eliminate) or he was stung by a hornet. His anus and perineal area became very inflamed and swollen. I used some hyDrOcortisone cream to calm it down after rinsing with cold water. Since then he has only gotten itchier and more sensitive around his entire back end. Even though I have a well fitting saddle now, he acts very cinchy. He is mostly irritated around his sides and flanks. I also have noticed he is itching his neck on the side up close to his ears.
Yesterday, when I went to groom him, he purposely moved his butt toward me to rub the hyDrOcortisone cream on him. I have also tried MTG to keep his skin from drying out. He is mostly irritated right below his anus and the underside of his tail. This in combination with the pooping and urination under saddle is concerning me. This is not a happy horse.
Could any of this be related to his urinary tract? Stones? My vet did a quick check of his sheath and didn't seem to feel a problem but we did not sedate him to DrOp his penis. He will ride fine, no bucking or bad behavior, just the stopping to poop and pee. I don't know if the next step is to treat it as puritis and try the suggestions from the article (fatty acids and such, medications), have a serious sheath cleaning, or take him for a thorough urinary tract check. My old vet, bless his heart, is very conservative and I appreciate that, but since this seems to be getting worse I would like to address one thing at a time to rule things in or out. Could he have developed some type of feed allergy? I did switch brands this past winter and also have been using some treats to do some training which we have never used before. I just want him to feel better. I have had blood work done on him twice and everything was in the normal range.
Would probiotics help any? Would linseed or flaxseed oil help either? These are things that have been suggested to me.
|
Moderator:
DrO
|
Posted on Monday, Jun 18, 2012 - 6:55 pm:
Hello Stuart,
While we cannot rule out stones being present from the above information I do not see any signs suggesting urinary stones. One urination and one defecation on a one hour ride is very normal. A horse rubbing his butt in SC USA during the warm months is very likely Sweet Itch but certainly pinworms need to be ruled out. For more on this see HorseAdvice.com » Diseases of Horses » Skin Diseases, Wounds, and Swellings » Hair and Coat Problems / Itching / Irritated Skin » Culicoides Hypersensitivity: Sweet & Queensland Itch.
DrO
|
Member:
lbrnm
|
Posted on Monday, Jun 25, 2012 - 5:27 pm:
Hi there Stuart,
I hope you're able to get to the bottom on what's causing your poor guy to be so itchy! I see that it's been a good 10 days since you posted, is he getting any better now? Could it be bugs or an allergic reaction to a bug bite?
As for the pooping and peeing under saddle, my five year old has to stop to poop at least once while we are out. It's usually about 10 minutes into the ride. I usually ride her in the evenings or very early mornings, so before food. If, however, she is ridden after she has just eaten (or within a couple of hours) she tends to stop to poop more often. She usually doesn't pee under saddle, but my previous mare would stop to pee several times, especially if she was in heat, lol. 
Hope this helps put your mind to ease a little. Pooping and peeing is a very normal thing.
Nicole in New Mexico
Ladybug Ranch
|
Member:
stuart05
|
Posted on Monday, Jun 25, 2012 - 5:52 pm:
Thanks for the concern! I switched feed and added some Healthy Coat to his food and for about five days he seemed a lot better. But I was out of town for about four days, he has access to both stall and pasture. My neighbor was feeding and I think the feed tub got down to the old feed again because he started itching again. So I'm really wondering about the feed. I would think a food allergy that just causes butt itching is a stretch but worth a shot.
Here is the strangest part of this entire story. My major concern was his sudden need to urinate on every trail ride. My neighbor/riding buddy just got a new gelding. She has always ridden mares with my gelding. But now we have ridden 5-6 times with this gelding and my guy has not urinated once on the trail. Coincidence with anything ;-) Boy I wish horses could talk. So now I am not as worried about a urinary problem and hopefully we can just keep the itch under control. I am looking forward to the next ride with the mare again to see if he just urinates when we ride with her.
|
|
|
