Help!my horse has large areas of hair loss!?

My 12 yr old TB mare has suddenly started to lose lots of body hair from her neck, chest, barrel and back. We have de-liced her but it still seems to be disappearing. She is living out with other horses and none of them have lost any hair (though we de-liced them at the same time aswell). She should be losing her winter coat and having her summer coat at the moment but no summer coat has appeared yet and all that is left on her body is white flakey skin! does anyone have any advice on what it could be and how new hair can be encouraged?

Help!my horse has large areas of hair loss!?

The overall condition of a horse's coat is a reliable indicator of general health. A smooth, glossy-textured coat is a good sign, while a dull, rough coat may indicate underlying problems. Your horse's skin is constantly subject to attack by a wide array of viruses, infectious bacteria and biting insects. Signs associated with skin disease range from simple, isolated single lesions to generalized itching and hair loss. Two of the more common forms of skin disease are ringworm (or dermatophytosis) and rain rot (dermatophilosis).

Ringworm is a fungal infection that spreads from horse to horse through common grooming tools, saddle pads or harness. Generally, damp, crowded and dark conditions (winter and fall) will predispose a horse to ringworm.

Ringworm is often seen in young horses (one to three years old) or older, debilitated animals. Initially, ringworm lesions will appear as small, circular patches of hair loss with scabby or flaking skin beneath. If untreated, these lesions may progress to large, asymmetric areas of broken hairs and blister formation with scabs. Ringworm lesions are typically found over the girth and saddle areas, face (around eyes) and legs. Occasionally, ringworm lesions are very itchy. Ringworm is extremely contagious both horse to horse and horse to human. If you suspect ringworm, begin treatment immediately. This includes isolating the affected horse and disinfecting all tack and grooming equipment.

Treatments include Clorox bleach (diluted 1:10 in water) and a medicated shampoo (miconazole). Treatments should be repeated daily for five days, then weekly until lesions are healed.

Rain rot, also known as rain scald (on the lower limbs, it may be referred to as dew poisoning), is caused by a bacteria that has fungal characteristics. This bacteria lives in soil and is commonly observed during prolonged wetness. Infected animals are often considered a source of infections for spread of this contagious disease.

Poor stable hygiene and skin irritation from insect bites often are contributing factors. Infected horses generally will have a series of small bumps along their backs. These lesions will progress to circular scabs. Removal of the matted tufts of hair is painful and can result in raw, bleeding areas. Veterinarians often refer to the small tufts as "paintbrush lesions." Lesions are commonly observed on the back, rump, neck and legs.

Affected animals should be kept dry and protected from biting insects.

The scabs should be removed while bathing the horse daily for seven days with either iodine shampoo, chlorohexidine shampoo or benzoyl peroxide. Severe cases may require treatment with antibiotics for a week or two. Warm sun and dry weather are nature's best cure for rain rot. Skin problems should be addressed early in the disease before the itching, hair loss and subsequent inflammation become severe enough to result in oozing, crusting and scaling of the skin.

Diagnosis of any skin disease generally requires more investigation than just a simple glance.

Call your vet...

Help!my horse has large areas of hair loss!?

call a vet

Help!my horse has large areas of hair loss!?

She needs to see a vet for a competant diagnosis. Don't delay; giving the wrong treatment just wastes time.

Help!my horse has large areas of hair loss!?

Don't wait for any more hair to fall out. Take your horse to the vet because I read that this horse had lots of hair loss and it turned out to be a form of cancer. I am not kidding and please don't thumb my answer down. I'm just trying to help. Some relieving ointment would help if the skin is irritated. Please take your mare to the vet. I'm not a professional, but it's better to be safe than sorry!... Right?

Hope this helps!

Sunshine G.

Help!my horse has large areas of hair loss!?

It sounds as if she has a mite infection. The vet will possibly give your horse an Ivomec injection or something similar, which is like magic

Help!my horse has large areas of hair loss!?

Have your vet check it out, it could be a fungus, which mine had, they gave me a special shampoo. But, you want the vet to see your horse asap, make sure it is nothing else! As far as cancer goes, have not witnessed hair loss. Usually their appetite suppresses, they feel lethargic when their is cancer.

Your vet might run a blood panel. If everything else is fine, appetite, etc. It probably is mite or fungus. Hope your TB mare feels better, good luck!

Help!my horse has large areas of hair loss!?

While I would agree with others about consulting a vet to make sure it's nothing serious. A horse I took care of used to suffer from sweet itch every summer, he'd rub all of his mane out along the base and lose patches of hair. We used to treat him with Sulfadene for "hot spots" you can purchase it in your local Wal-Mart in the Pet section under dogs. It's mostly for dogs but can be used on horses with no problems. This seemed to relieve the areas. It was not a permanent solution but would help out during the spring/summer months when it persisted.

I would still consult a vet to rule out any other skin problem that your horse might have picked up, you don't want to wait and find out she has ring worm or something.

Good luck with your horse.

Help!my horse has large areas of hair loss!?

This could be a skin infection such as ringworm or mange mites, although mites should be clearing in the warm weather. If you've had wet weather, rain rash is a possibility. I advise you to give her a bath with a really good anti- everything shampoo, such as Hibiscrub or Malaseb. If she lives out, protect her from cold wind and rain with a lightweight weatherproof rug.

If this doesn't ease the situation in a few days, get a vet.

Help!my horse has large areas of hair loss!?

take the animal to you local vet who knows the horse and let them look at it, it may be mites which can lead to mange. but not sure

plus don't get near horses due to huge Phobia of them!

Sorry this is the best i can do :(

Help!my horse has large areas of hair loss!?

I would definately take her to the vet but you might also try giving her some Immunall http://www.immunall.us as it will boost her immune system and help her fight whatever she has. The product also helps with many other things so it might not be bad just to keep her on it period. It totally helped get rid of one of my horses rain rot. I would definately recommend it!