Does anyone know what causes hives after rain, specifically in the summer in hot humid climates?
That’s usually rain rot, sometimes called rain scald. The hives are caused by a bacterial skin infection. Here’s an article from The Horse:
https://thehorse.com/122494/rain-rot-in-horses-diagnosis-treatment-and-prevention/
Bathe with chlorhexidine and shampoo.
Been there a long time ago. The boarding barn was turning horses out at night because of the summer heat. But we kept getting the late afternoon, early evening thunderstorms. The horses started getting hives. The vet came out and gave the horses with hives steroid shots. Then every single one of them came down with raging rain rot. My horse had never had this problem before but he had it bad. I can’t remember what I used on his skin but it eventually went away.
What’s your horse eating?
I had this problem for years until I changed my horses’ diets.
Where are the hives? My mare gets hives on her belly after rain, but with her it is because she lays down in her left over hay, and for some reason that causes an issue for her. They go down quickly though.
He’s on Equine Senior Active, pasture and a few supplements (electrolytes, msm and SmartDigest).
They started on his hindquarters and look to be spreading to the flank area and over his back.
I experienced the problem when using Purina products (and some other locally milled stuff) due to the variability of the formulas and the consistent presence of significant amounts of corn and molasses in their feeds.
I switched to brands using fixed formulas with minimal amounts of corn and molasses, also added flax. I have not experienced the problem in YEARS, where as it was almost constant with my TBs prior.
Are there fire ants where you live? In my experience when the hives start in the gaskin and move up it’s from fire ants.
eta: I have lots of luck w vinegar and skin so soft baths (don’t rinse off just scrape) soothing skin irritations from various causes.
UPDATE: Hives are gone! Literally 60% of him was covered yesterday and he kicked at someone for touching it. Now I’m just treating the rain rot on top of his hindquarters. And he looks a little stocked up behind, which I hope is the remaining fluid draining from the hives and not abscesses brewing😱.
Vet thinks it’s ants! Apparently they fall out of the trees or something when it rains?!
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Ants?!? Sometimes it is good to live somewhere cold… Glad to read he is feeling better.
We are in Louisiana and the summers are awful. Rain rot, abscesses, thrown shoes and apparently raining ants. Come on, fall!
