Itchy horse help!!!

[StealingKat]

I have a filly that is going absolutely mad at the moment. I came home and she has rubbed all of the hair off of her dock and alot off on her backside to the point of bleeding. It's not ringworm and not rainscald so I figured it was probably the itch. I've never had to deal with this before. That said how do you keep her from destroying herself. If I put on a blanket will that help or just make it worse?

Vet wants to do steroids, I just don't think she is in good enough shape to put that kind of stress on her body. I am however putting an anti-itch creme on her externally. This is the $15 dollar filly I brought home a couple weeks ago, so she has put on about 300 pounds and is starting to look good however now all of her hair is falling out! She has been wormed twice now and then will be wormed again in 6 week with ivomectin. She is so uncomfortable, not to mention my fences are going to start coming down she rubs sooooo hard.

[ragsdaj1]

I would probably go with the vets opinion. Unless the creams applied are really working the constant itching is stressful to the mare too.

Relieve the symptoms and save your fence.

JonR

[madelyn]

It could be the worming. You've disturbed them and pinworms can make them nearly rub their tail off.... you might need to worm two or three more times.

[Bondama]

I agree with Madelyn. I recommend, too, use of a product called Panacur Powerpak. It's a 5-day wormer - very effective and safe. I used it on my elderly rescue way back when I first got her and I highly recommend it.

Good luck.

[cewright]

We use generic listerene for tail itch with good success.

[kezeli]

Wash her in welladol(sp?) shampoo and apply fungasan or a cortisone cream and do the steroid thing as recomended, she doesn't have to be on very long, maybe only one or two treatments.

[KamiBrooks]

If by 'the itch' you mean sweet itch (alergy to midge fly) its the wrong time of year to be starting and she'd be rubbing her mane and underside as well.

More likely reaction to wormer or something else. I get tail rubbers when the 'itch' is actually on their mid line, maybe she has something going on there or needs a good cleaning. My mares get crud build up when they're out in pasture and its too hot/sweety.

If there's inflamation, try to figure out why? I think the steroids reduce alergic reaction, so you might try basic anti-histamine (you can get it to put on feed) to do the same thing?

Are you giving her any supplements that might not be sitting well with her? I also have a mare that can't tolerate any kind of oil based fly spays and will go crazy rubbing herself if there's even a little bit of oil in the spay (but that is all over her body).

For sweet itch, I've found that medicated foot powder w/zinc helps a lot (for athlete's foot). At one point, one mare here was routinely powdered from the dock/top of tail under all the way to the chest area. Something about the zinc/mint seems to at least sooth their skin for a while.

good luck with her
Kami

[Caper]

Could it be she has bugs. Our rescue came OTT and was swimming in the pool--a great place to catch parasite. My vet took a hair sample. I applied a liquid cattle/horse remedy like Advantage for dogs down his mane and topline. Treated it and the eggs two weeks apart and a 3rd application just to make sure. He grew the most wonderful coat and no problem since. I had a rain sheet on him in winter and that is when it started for him. I gave them and environment to grow. He was taking boards down with his butt....LOL!

[LKR]

You might try Tinactin Cream on it too. It works wonders for any itching
after it has been cleaned with shampoos. EO

[Arctic Cielo]

I brought home an auction filly one time that had lice. Ivermectin kills the lice. I gave her 1 dose, than another in 2 weeks and put that bug powder on her.

[freshman]

Hopefully this has resolved by now but it may be worth taking a examining her udder and between her teats. Some mares will rub their tail and back end when they are bothered by their udder for some reason. Sometimes 'dirt' accumulates between the teats, kind of oily like smega in a male horse's sheath. Perhaps it chaffs or just irritates the shin.

I've usually seen this in older mares that have larger teats and udders that have been distended from lactating and nursing foals over the years. I'd imagine that mastitis or other inflammation would cause the same rubbing.

Might be worth looking, anyway. Just a thought.