Itchy mare
I got to the barn last night and was greeted with a “Your horse has been acting strange all afternoon.” Strange how? Clover had been rolling and kicking at her belly non-stop, so my trainer thought she was colicking, until she remembered that I'd been griping about Clover rubbing all the hair off of her belly.
I brought Clover up to the barn, and after grooming her, slapped some Whitfield's [magical] ointment on her midline. The entire time I groomed her, she leaned into me, practically sitting in my lap when I used the rubber mitt on her underbelly. I realized that her entire body was itchy, and I cursed the fact that she still had winter coat on the parts of her body that hadn't been trace clipped the fall before. Clover was obviously uncomfortable, she danced around and continued to kick at her belly, as if kicking at biting flies.
My trainer offered to put her on Tri-Hist, an antihistamine. I tacked up Clover, though I knew she'd be too uncomfortable and distracted to do dressage, and headed down to the ring. I was hoping that activity would help take her mind off the itching. No luck—I walked around the ring twice, and gave up. There was no way I was going to make my poor horse do dressage.
We gave her an IM shot of Dex, and I settled her into a stall for the night and fed her. Within a half hour, the shot took effect and she settled down and munched hay comfortably.
So, what caused the itchiness? There are no hives or other evidence of skin issues, other than the hair rubbed off her bellyline …
—I put too much Swat on and she had a reaction to it
—she had a reaction to the black flies
—like she got swimmer's itch from wading through those streams
—I don't think it's the new hay, they've been eating it for a week and a half now.
I'm stumped. As soon as it warms up again, I'm going to give her a Betadine bath. And consider clipping the rest of her winter coat off.
*
Quick update: my trainer called and said Clover was still doing better. She got more of the Tri-Hist in her feed this morning. She seemed to think that Clover may be allergic to black fly spit. Who knows?
I brought Clover up to the barn, and after grooming her, slapped some Whitfield's [magical] ointment on her midline. The entire time I groomed her, she leaned into me, practically sitting in my lap when I used the rubber mitt on her underbelly. I realized that her entire body was itchy, and I cursed the fact that she still had winter coat on the parts of her body that hadn't been trace clipped the fall before. Clover was obviously uncomfortable, she danced around and continued to kick at her belly, as if kicking at biting flies.
My trainer offered to put her on Tri-Hist, an antihistamine. I tacked up Clover, though I knew she'd be too uncomfortable and distracted to do dressage, and headed down to the ring. I was hoping that activity would help take her mind off the itching. No luck—I walked around the ring twice, and gave up. There was no way I was going to make my poor horse do dressage.
We gave her an IM shot of Dex, and I settled her into a stall for the night and fed her. Within a half hour, the shot took effect and she settled down and munched hay comfortably.
So, what caused the itchiness? There are no hives or other evidence of skin issues, other than the hair rubbed off her bellyline …
—I put too much Swat on and she had a reaction to it
—she had a reaction to the black flies
—like she got swimmer's itch from wading through those streams
—I don't think it's the new hay, they've been eating it for a week and a half now.
I'm stumped. As soon as it warms up again, I'm going to give her a Betadine bath. And consider clipping the rest of her winter coat off.
*
Quick update: my trainer called and said Clover was still doing better. She got more of the Tri-Hist in her feed this morning. She seemed to think that Clover may be allergic to black fly spit. Who knows?
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