Was it helpful? Did t reults allow you to be able to get your horse’s allergies under control? If so, what treatment/s were used?
Thanks all!
Hi Sasha, yes I have had allergy testing down on two of my horses. Both had hives that we were not able to get under control. Both had different problems that were treated differently. 1st horse we found had quite a few things in his environment. Some we could control, some we couldn’t. I chose allergy shots for him. Besides the allergy shots we also put him on hydroxizine (?) to start. We also eliminated the things we could control. (Example - certain flies & wasps) we kept him in a fly sheet 24/7. We were able to take him off of the Hydroxizine after a month or so. This started in early summer. Hives went away, stayed on allergy shots once a month after loading period & next summer he never had a problem with hives. 2nd horse developed horrible hives about a month after purchasing. Again, Dex, Hydroxizine were used but we were unable to keep it under control. Had him tested & it ended up he was allergic to Soy! Horse came to me on a diet of strictly Alfalfa, no grain. I had put him on Equine Senior, vitamins, etc. All of which had soy in them. Took him off of grain, (he was on grass hay) & vitamins & hives went away! Nothing else needed. He has since been able to have supplements (Plat. Performance & Smartpaks) but I use Alfalfa pellets instead of RB to put them in. He has never had a problem since. So, I found the expense of the testing was well worth finding out the triggers & was able to control their reactions through different methods. I hope this is helpful to you. Good luck!
Thank you! It’s good to read the expense was worth it. There are so many variables with feed and environment that I think if I tried to get to the bottom of it by elimination we’d both be dead of old age before I had a solid answer. lol
She’s got a combination of itchiness (skin biopsy showed eosiniphils so we’re definitely looking at some kind of allergy) without hives, and transient cough that I can’t pin on season, or environment, and is not particularly dependent on amount of turnout, etc.
I’d be totally ok with dealing with a soy allergy … but she’d better not be allergic to alfalfa or she’ll go on a hunger strike. She’s a little spoilt and picky 
With the shots, was it a limited course or is it something that needs to be repeated or kept up continually?
Yes. From now on, I will allergy test every horse I have. One horse had hives that were super annoying. They’d come and go with no pattern. He tested allergic to corn, and had no hives after it was eliminated from his diet. Another horse had Grade 4 ulcers that were not responding to treatment. Tested off-the-charts allergic to alfalfa, high+ for timothy grass and fescue, and low+ for corn, beet pulp, and whole bunch of other things (including cockroaches, lol). With a diet change, his ulcers are finally starting to heal.
My horse that needed the shots was allergic to the world basically. Grain mites, (had to buy him a brand new trash can for his feed & wash it out before new bags were dumped in each time), pigweed, of course it was all around the barn & along the edges of the grass areas. I had to be very careful where I let him graze. Johnson grass, which was in the hay that he was fed to a small degree. The barn he was at grew their own hay so I couldn’t eliminate that one totally & best of all certain species of flies & wasps! Hence the decision to try allergy shots. They are made up specifically for your horse’s allergens. You are given a box of vials that last about 6 months I think. Shots are given every 3-5 days I think, then once a week for a month, then twice a month , then finally you maintain them at once a month. Once you get past the loading dose, it was not hard or expensive to maintain. When he got through the next summer without any flare ups I felt the shots were well worth the trouble. Have you tried Hydroxizine pills? They are relatively inexpensive & harmless I believe. Much better than having to keep using Dex. They are an antihistamine. Again, your Vet can help you decide if your horse’s allergies are something that can be helped with any of these treatments. I wish all were as easy as eliminating soy from their diet. Keep us posted!
Oh & to answer your last question, yes he stayed on the allergy shots year round at a once a month maintenance dose. And besides hives he would also rub his mane & tail & was always itchy even when he didn’t have hives. That also stopped after the shots.
Not to hijack, but for those who have done allergy testing, did you have to go to a university or large equine hospital to have it done? Or is it something that can be done on the farm by your average field service practitioner? I have zero experience with it in equines-- am I correct in assuming the process is similar to humans, where the introduce a series of allergen samples and monitor they reaction?
What was the approximate cost? (ballpark number)
Vet pulled blood and sent it off to Nelco. Took about a week. Cost was ~$350 in October.
Same as above. Blood was drawn & sent out. I think I paid $250.00 but that was 3 years ago?
[QUOTE=Texarkana;8536934]
Not to hijack, but for those who have done allergy testing, did you have to go to a university or large equine hospital to have it done? Or is it something that can be done on the farm by your average field service practitioner? I have zero experience with it in equines-- am I correct in assuming the process is similar to humans, where the introduce a series of allergen samples and monitor they reaction?
What was the approximate cost? (ballpark number)[/QUOTE]
No such thing as hijacking a thread I’ve started 
I’m always open to more questions and experiences and sidetracking and the whole nine yards. The more I learn the better!
For my horse, it has been suggested to go do the full day skin testing with a dermatologist who does cats, dogs, and horses. For the horses he meets you at a private equine hospital. The sites are checked minutes and then hours apart during the day.
ETA - sorry forgot to say, cost wise with the first set of serum it will be about $650CDN once all the little fees are added up.
[QUOTE=joiedevie99;8536871]
Yes. From now on, I will allergy test every horse I have. One horse had hives that were super annoying. They’d come and go with no pattern. He tested allergic to corn, and had no hives after it was eliminated from his diet. Another horse had Grade 4 ulcers that were not responding to treatment. Tested off-the-charts allergic to alfalfa, high+ for timothy grass and fescue, and low+ for corn, beet pulp, and whole bunch of other things (including cockroaches, lol). With a diet change, his ulcers are finally starting to heal.[/QUOTE]
I’m going to have nightmares now. My horse is extremely picky hay-wise and the only kind she’ll eat a sufficient amount of is alfalfa. If it has a little soft grass mixed in it it’s not completely poisonous to her taste buds, not completely.
I’m not kidding when I say there will be a hunger strike if I have to take it away from her 
[QUOTE=Sandi O;8536915]
Oh & to answer your last question, yes he stayed on the allergy shots year round at a once a month maintenance dose. And besides hives he would also rub his mane & tail & was always itchy even when he didn’t have hives. That also stopped after the shots.[/QUOTE]
Her biggest thing is the itchies, bad, bad itchies. She stops just short of warping in her stall, but will self groom. That is actually hilarious when her blanket is off and she’s shedding because I have to pick her hair out of her teeth for her She may act like a llama sometimes, but she can’t spit to save her life :lol:
[QUOTE=sascha;8536983]
No such thing as hijacking a thread I’ve started I’m always open to more questions and experiences and sidetracking and the whole nine yards. The more I learn the better!
For my horse, it has been suggested to go do the full day skin testing with a dermatologist who does cats, dogs, and horses. For the horses he meets you at a private equine hospital. The sites are checked minutes and then hours apart during the day.
ETA - sorry forgot to say, cost wise with the first set of serum it will be about $650CDN once all the little fees are added up.[/QUOTE]
Thanks! That’s not bad at all, price-wise.
I have a horse who is so incredibly sensitive to everything and makes me wonder… Veterinary services are very poor in my immediate area, so I have not asked my personal vet about allergy testing her, nor has it been suggested.
In all my years as a vet tech, I’ve never allergy tested a single animal, which is surprising to me. I just never saw or heard of it done at the university equine hospital where I worked for years (maybe we had an allergist with his/her own team). When I worked in small animal medicine, we referred animals to a specialist, but that doesn’t say much because we referred anything outside the norm to a specialist at this particular hospital.
