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Mare allergy
Sent to Pet Experts June 06 11:21 AM

My mare has a horrible reaction to insect bites each spring, I notice that whelps can occur, but mostly she is just itching all the time and where she has been bitten, tufts of hair are removed by her scratching all the time. I start early with all sorts of insect repellents to no avail. I have been recommended a diluted bleach bath, in order to treat a fungus, I have been given steroids from one vet, with little success. Is there something I am overlooking?

Customer (name blocked for privacy)
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Answer
June 6 11:55 AM (34 minutes and 50 seconds later)
         
REPLIEDCheck Mark

The following website I found that has products for horses that are supposed to be really good. You might want to check that out:

http://www.equineelite.com/

Have you asked your vet for an antihistamine for the mare, besides steroids? Perhaps there is something else the vet can recommend.

Are you spraying the stall where your horse is, with insect repellents? Perhaps there would be a way to put some kind of screen in areas where the insects get in most of the time. It probably is not easy to keep out flies, and such, but maybe the bug lights that people use for humans, outside, to repel insects might also help keep the insects away from her.

God bless and good luck!



Elena Marie
"Open your heart to learn all you can in this life, and to give to others, the joy and satisfaction that they may remember you as a true friend."
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Elena Marie -- Rescue Work With Cats and Dogs -- 91% Positive Feedback on 110 Pet Accepts
Experienced 40 Yrs. W/Cats, Dogs. Knowledge of Medical Problems, Diseases, and Behavior of Animals.
Reply
June 15 5:11 PM (9 days and 5 hours later)
         
Reply to Elena Marie's Post: Yes we have tried antihistamines, which affected her very little.
Customer (name blocked for privacy)
Reply
June 15 5:14 PM (2 minutes and 42 seconds later)
         
I am keeping her with insecticides. The problem is not that there are many bites, but that she is over-reacting to the bites and scratching patches of hair out. Or is it not insect bites at all. I have seven horses and none of the others are like this. In fact have very little problem with insects.
Customer (name blocked for privacy)
Info Request
June 15 8:36 PM (3 hours and 21 minutes and 53 seconds later)
         
REPLIED to Info RequestCheck Mark
Do they usually start right after she is vaccinated in the spring?
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Tammy F. -- Pet Care Expert -- 99% Positive Feedback on 5067 Pet Accepts
15+ years-Pet care, Veterinary shelter medicine and infectious disease, Behavior training, Rescue
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June 16 9:58 AM (13 hours and 22 minutes and 2 seconds later)
         
Reply to Tammy Falkner's Post: We vaccinated mid April this year and this was beginnig about mid May I quess. It seemed to be later this year because we had cooler weather and the bugs were later. Associating this with vaccination has not occured to me.
Customer (name blocked for privacy)
Answer
June 16 11:01 AM (1 hour and 3 minutes and 16 seconds later)
         
ACCEPTEDCheck Mark

Many horses get vaccines reactions and I would bet that this is part of what you are seeing. You might want to talk with your vet about doing vaccines in January instead of April and changing the whole schedule.

Horse's bodies make antibodies to fight off irritants and disease. All bodies do. However, some animals make too many antibodies and this presents as allergies. The body's defense system plays a little trick on us and we end up feeling worse. Same works for horses.

There ARE effective antihistamines that you can get from your vet.

Aside from that, I would try to keep her on pasture grass as much as I could. If you give hay, be sure to spray it with water first to minimize the dust that the horse inhales. Also, you should try to get as much ventilation into her stall as you can so that she gets fresh air. You should also get rid of her bedding and use a soft, synthetic floor instead. If you can't afford the panels that the equine stoors sell, try contacting a manufacturing company and see if they will give you or sell to you their old conveyor belts. These work great!

With these horses, you have to be creative and get rid of all the allergens that you can think of - dust, hay, flies, bugs, etc.

I would suggest that you use fly spray EVERY day and tie some downy sheets to her halter around her eyes and ears. This will deter the bugs even more and it makes the horse smell nice.

I hope that this helps more!

Let me know if you still have questions.

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Tammy F. -- Pet Care Expert -- 99% Positive Feedback on 5067 Pet Accepts
15+ years-Pet care, Veterinary shelter medicine and infectious disease, Behavior training, Rescue
Reply
June 17 8:35 AM (21 hours and 33 minutes and 47 seconds later)
         
Reply to Tammy Falkner's Post: She is on ipe pasture and I keep her with a fly mask with ears. She comes in the stall at will. She has been on a grain mixture and we are about to have enough pasture to support her fully on that. We have been supplementing wih a great bermuda hay virtually dust free we by from a farmer down the road. Thanks for your help I will update you.
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