When grooming your horse everyday, look for signs of allergies. Early diagnosis will decrease the effects of the allergen and speed up recovery.
Food Allergies
"A better term for the condition would be 'adverse reactions to food," according to Dawn Logas, DVM, Dipl. ACVD. Food allergies are rare and typically occur in horses that are one to 10 years old , are non-seasonal, and not usually affected by environmental changes.
Skin Allergies
Another form of allergy is atopic dermatitis-sensitivities from contact to the skin. Atopic dermatitis can be caused by shampoos, bedding, fly spray, molds, dander and various plants.
Insect Allergies
Adverse reactions to insect bites-eosinophilic granuloma, can be caused by almost any type of fly bite, but most bothersome are gnats, according to Stephen White, DVM, Dipl. ACVO. The reaction first appears as benign raised, firm nodule. It is much firmer, raised, and more permanent than hives and won't flatten out when you press on it.
Symptoms
Symptoms vary, but can include serious nasal discharge, sneezing, itchy skin, antipodean-vascular reaction that causes swelling in the capillaries, papules, excoriations, erythematic, loss of hair, lesions, gastrointestinal problems and pyroderma.
Diagnosis
If the horse breaks out in hives after new bedding is placed in his stall or given a new feed, diagnosing a reaction is simple. However, it may be more difficult to pin-point whether the problem is an allergy and testing will be necessary. A biopsy can determine whether there is a high number of eosinophil cells present in the blood, which show up during an allergic reaction. Confirmation of food allergies requires feeding a new diet for at least six weeks and monitoring the decrease of the reaction.
Treatment
If you suspect your horse is having a reaction caused from contact with an allergen, try giving him a bath with a mild shampoo. In more severe cases, the horse can be treated with corticosteroids to shut down the allergic reaction. Regular low doses of a corticosteroid is the best course of action for a horse with chronic hives.
Prevention
One way to prevent insect allergies is to use a fly repellent daily which contains permethrin. Gnats typically feed on horses at dawn and dusk, so keep your horse inside at night. Also, using fans to keep air circulating throughout the barn will make it difficult for insects to fly in. Environmental allergic reactions can be lessened by examining hay and straw for molds before use, remove nettles and other such plants from pasture areas, and use mild shampoos specifically made for horses.
Marie Sberna - Based in northern Ohio, Marie Sberna has been writing for the past 7 years for “Mind, Body & Spirit Magazine“ and NCOC ...
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