Possible rain scald/allergy - pics added

[SuzieP]

I agree re not giving a steroid injection Pam. The immune booster sounds the best solution to me. We've just come through an unusually hard winter too, which must have put stresses on the horses' systems.

How's the rash looking now? Is it still improving?

[maggie]

Oh, poor boys! Hope they're both improving.

Just brought Peigi home this morning, when I checked her over she had mud fever all the way up her leg to the knee - front leg, only one affected and her ONLY black leg! She did have a touch earlier on this year, hidden right in her heel, just one tiny scab, but I got it cleaned up and cleared no bother.

The strange thing is that this was over the winter when all the ponies are in on a straw bed, mucked out every day, with access to a dry concrete yard. We didn't turn out until a couple of weeks ago when the field was dry, there's no mud anywhere.

I can only assume that Peigi got a little wound, perhaps on the ice in the early part of winter, the bacteria has been held at bay, but not killed off and has sat and festered until now. What's set it off I don't know However, it does look like classic mud fever, so less of a puzzle than Harvey and Sigs, but not at all typical for timing and conditions.

[harveydales]

I took a couple of pics this morning. The pics make it look worse than it is though!

First the side where it all started. This looks like healthy skin now, no soreness or raised bits:


This is the patch on his rump which came up yesterday. It looked sore initially but is much better now:


To me both patches look like classic rain scald now but the sken scrapes came back clear, suggesting it's an allergic reaction to something.

[SuzieP]

In the first pic the rash seems to take the shape of the saddle - or is that just the pic? And it's odd that the one on his rump is three stripes - or again, is that just the pic? All very odd.

[cutemangurdi1]

Sigs sores are similar in colour and texture especially around his neck, but they are circular. He does have some under the skin that feel like a large flat boil as well. He doesnt have any around his saddle area though.

I'm also avoiding the steroid as it wil raise the liver enzymes too much. I am going to use inhalers for the breathing and wait a bit longer for the last lot of bloods. I used flamazine cream on the worst of the skin spots. Its very werid. My vet did suggest using Cavalesse but I want to wait for the bloods before trying anything else.

Maggie,
sorry to hear about Peigi. I hope the mud fever clears up quickly.

[Debbie]

Galahad's original site came off the flybite in two streaks, much like the photos you have of Harvey's rump, but then it itched and Galahad scratched and it all kept spreading and went circular and streaky

The vet came and did clip away the fur and took samples and she did the test to see if it was fungal, but she said the test didn't show it was. My friend who took a look at the pics of Galahad said instantly it was fungal, and called it dew poisoning, which is the same here as rainscald. (and a few other names, but essentially all fungal).

Pam I would definitely follow your gut instinct and not put anything on them. If you feel they look more like a blister (like a very bad allergic reaction), then leave well enough alone.

I'd would completely avoid the steroid shot. They're brilliant for instantly reducing allergic reactions, but the toll they take on liver and kidneys and lami inducing is not worth it.

I do wonder if Harvs has managed to accidentally laid down in some form of fertilizer runoff? If that was the case, the bath would have been the best thing for him because it would have washed away the fertilizer or any other allergen.

When Galahad arrived, I put him on a supplement that nutritionally supports the adrenal glands and rest of the lymph system. As I said, he was severely run down, but he also relocated from the home he'd had for 20 years. He's stoic, but I knew that was a lot of change to throw at him at once, so I wanted to give him all the support he could get. You might look into a similar supplement for Harvey, especially as he's a sensitive soul that internalizes.

Poor Peigi, and how very strange to have that pop up like that. I think if she's got fuzzy leggies, it would be very easy to miss that.

I hope everyone can get their mystery itches sorted soon!

[harveydales]

Apr 11, 2011 16:20:07 GMT -1 SuzieP said:

In the first pic the rash seems to take the shape of the saddle - or is that just the pic? And it's odd that the one on his rump is three stripes - or again, is that just the pic? All very odd.

Yes Sue, it is very strange. The rash on the side of his belly is sort of saddle shaped which led me to consider allergy to the numnah or a heat reaction after my long ride but why only on one side of his belly? The other side looks fine.

The rump rash is now in 3 lines so maybe water run off? Or all from rolling in something, perhaps the fertilizer run off. He was stood out in heavy rain and strong wind on the Monday; came in Tuesday morning plastered in mud all over and the first signs of the rash couold be felt (but not seen) on the Wednesday.

Debbie, looking at harvey now I would sy it is def rainscald but the skin scrape should have showed up something. I guess I'll never know what caused the problem.

[harveydales]

Apr 11, 2011 18:12:05 GMT -1 Debbie said:

I do wonder if Harvs has managed to accidentally laid down in some form of fertilizer runoff? If that was the case, the bath would have been the best thing for him because it would have washed away the fertilizer or any other allergen.

When Galahad arrived, I put him on a supplement that nutritionally supports the adrenal glands and rest of the lymph system. As I said, he was severely run down, but he also relocated from the home he'd had for 20 years. He's stoic, but I knew that was a lot of change to throw at him at once, so I wanted to give him all the support he could get. You might look into a similar supplement for Harvey, especially as he's a sensitive soul that internalizes.

Debbie, those are the lines I'm thinking along and am looking into supplements to boost his immune system. All this began after I moved Harvey and Winnie from the hay field to the bottom paddock, alongside Frankie and the others.

[Debbie]

Do you feel Harvey might do better if he's moved to a paddock where he can't see Frankie? I don't know how much that would be distressing, but maybe move them round so Harvey and Winnie are out of sight of the others??

With the shape of Blossom's field, she can go to the south end and be completely out of sight of Galahad, and Galahad has similiar in his field. There are areas Galahad can go where he can't see Blossom or be seen. Its kinda funny to watch them They're both so alpha its pathetic, but by having the ability to take themselves away from the other's sight, it gives alpha positioning in their minds and seems to make both of them happier.

You'll know soon enough if its a real rainscald because I don't think a true rainscald can mend completely on its own. Someone please correct me if you know otherwise, but when I left Galahad's alone to 'heal', the scabs dried up and got smaller, but then we'd have a rain or he'd sweat and it would all itch like mad and he'd scratch it and it would spread.

If its a 'burn' from fertilizer or some allergen, the bath would have removed the allergen (in theory if it was something he'd lain in) and the skin would indeed completely heal up just peachy on its own. And I agree, you know what you're looking at with them, so if the skin looks too tender, you definitely don't want to apply anything.

It never hurts to boost and support the immune system

[SuzieP]

I've just been reading about mud fever and the article I was reading says that mud fever, when found elsewhere on the body, is called rain scald.

Think of what Harvey did leading up to the rash - he came in covered in mud.

Is it possible that, on the endurance ride he got hot and sweaty so his skin was already moist and soft and when he went out he had a good roll in the mud and some organism got into his skin? Because he's clipped it would be easy to really rub the mud right down to the skin.

When you washed with hibiscrub (was that what you used) it looked better. The article I read says that the bacterium Dermatophilus congolensis causes mud fever and under normal circumstances this bacterium lives in soil as spores and can survive from year to year. These spores become activated by wet weather and this is why we see the disease when the ground is wet. The hibiscrub would kill the bacteria wouldn't it?

Here's a link to the article: www.animedvets.co.uk/horse_mud_fever.htm

[harveydales]

Yes Sue, that is a distinct possibility - getting hot and sweaty on the endurance ride then standing out in the heavy rain and getting covered in mud from head to toe. I'm now using an antibiotic shampoo the vet has given me and have to use it every 3 or 4 days. The only strange thing is that the scrape came up clear but it could be the himiscrub killed off the bateria but they built up again, as Debbie says happened with Galahad.

Harvey has always had some tiny little bald spots on the other side of his belly. They are only visible when he isclipped and I've always thought they must have been caused by rain scald when he was a youngster so he is probably susceptible.

Debbie - yes I do think Harvey would be happier if I could keep him and Frankie out of sight from eachother but unfortunately, until we get our new hay crop in I can't do it. They are separated by a double stretch of (mains) electric but they can see eachother.

[dalesponyrider]

Only just caught up with this. So sorry about Harvey's horrible looking sore bits! I also wondered if the saddle shape had been caused by him being hot and sweaty and then lying on something. What a mystery. Hope he is better soon and you can continue all your fun things again!