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  Discussion on More Hives!
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Posted on Friday, Jun 16, 2000 - 5:17 pm:

Hi,

My horse had a severe outbreak of hives at the end of May. The vet came and gave him 2 injections plus a couse of Cortisone pills. This immediately took care of the hives until I started to reduce the dosage of pills to every other day. Then the hives returned but not as dramatically as last time. I've tried elimanating the cause of the allergy and this has proven difficult. One thing I've noticed is that if I leave my horse out at night instead of bringing him in like I usually do, the hives do not seem as irritated. I also have been trying the Cough Free which I learnt about from last year's discussion. This is the 4th day using it and my horse doesn't seem any worse and if anything slightly better but he still has many hives. Have you learnt anything new on how to treat the hives? I know that prolonged use of the Cortisone can lead to a suppressed immune system. What is a safe length of time to keep a horse on the Cortisone? Also is it alright to ride my horse when he is in this condition? Any suggestions and advice would be greatly appreciated.

Dianne K

Posted on Saturday, Jun 17, 2000 - 7:03 am:

Hello Dianne,
Have you given a thorough shampoo and rinsing? You should also entertain the idea this is a generalized reaction to fly bites considering the timing.

Besides the information on treatment in the article associated with this forum check out: The Horseman's Advisor: Equine Medications: Anti-inflammatory Drugs and Arthritis Treatment:
Use of Steroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs in Horses :Alternate Day Therapy, for information on the long term use of steroids.
DrO

Posted on Saturday, Jun 17, 2000 - 8:02 am:

Dianne,
My pony has had "sweet itch" for the 3 years we have had him.I have tried a lot of things ie fans different bug sprays from natural to highly toxic, he is on Dexamethasone which I have had a hard time decreasing or even going to every other day with. I think i finally found something that is very helpful. I invested in a Rambo fly sheet and i use some repellant on his legs and any area that is exposed. Since i received the sheet (now only 2weeks) we've had no itching and I have reduced his dex to minimal amount every other day.

The Sheet is pricey but in the long run i think it will be the best investment i've made so far! It goes all the way up the neck and came with a free mask. He does look odd (like he's waiting for his knight to come and take him to battle) but is very comfortable and can roll, and sleep in it without it becoming crooked.

Kim

Posted on Saturday, Jun 17, 2000 - 1:54 pm:

Hi Dr. O and Kim,

Well the good news is that this morning my horses hives were almost gone. Last night I gave him more Cough Free, plus 5 cortisone pills and I changed his feed from a sweet feed to plain rolled oats with no additives. I also didn't stable him and left him out all night.

His allergy could be a reaction to fly bites - I have no idea what it is. But if it is fly bites he had many, many hives about 90% of his body. I did notice that when I used fly spray on him the hives became very irritated and swelled up much worse and even oozed a serum on his face. I don't use any fly spray now and I do think the Rambo fly sheet sounds like a good idea as he is so uncomfortable with the constant flies. I've seen an add in a horse magazine for one so I may try it out.

Anyway I'll keep you updated on his progress.

Thanks.

Dianne K

Posted on Monday, Jun 19, 2000 - 7:11 am:

Hello Dianne,
Each hive may not represent a fly bite, if it is insects, more likely this would be a generalized reaction to exposure to a few bites and allergic type reaction.
DrO

Posted on Monday, Jun 19, 2000 - 6:32 pm:

Hi Dr. O,

I am no longer giving my horse the cortosone pills and the hives have slowly come back although not as many and not as big or dramatic. I am still feeding the cough free.

In your experience what is the main cause for a hives outbreak? Is it usually flies?

Regards,

Dianne K

Posted on Tuesday, Jun 20, 2000 - 8:04 am:

No, most of the time I cannot determine the cause. When I can it is usually something that is applied to the skin by the owner and has included fly spray.
DrO

Posted on Tuesday, Jun 20, 2000 - 7:42 pm:

Hi Dr. O,

If a horse is exposed to something which he has an allergic reaction to, and then he is no longer exposed to it, how many days would it take for the reaction to leave his system if he is receiving no medication?

Regards,

Dianne K

Posted on Wednesday, Jun 21, 2000 - 8:48 pm:

They can be very variable Dianne but may be up to 14 days in some specific cases that have been studied.
DrO
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