Horses Skin Peeling Off: help

[Karak]

This horses skin is peeling off everywhere…

Yes she’s been to the vet recently about a month ago. She was a rescue and had some sunburn/rain rot in the same areas but then it completely healed up. Her fur was growing back so beautifully after the worst case of rain rot I had ever seen. Unfortunately it just started to get worse, and within a few days her entire neck and shoulder area’s skin just started all peeling off at once. Any ideas on what it is? I’ll take her to the vet in a few days if it’s something more complicated… but I’d prefer to treat it myself as I’m a bit broke after their vet bills already 😅

Edit: yes she’s underweight, she’s gained 50+ here shortly however she’s still very skinny.

[4LeafCloverFarm]

If that photo is the horses neck and shoulder, with the mane at the top, you need to get your vet out pronto. That’s not a simple case of ringworm or a slight case of rubbing because of allergies or a few insect bites… that looks like full on alopecia that is spreading.

I’d immediately call the vet and find out what should be put on the exposed skin, until the vet can get out. Definitely keep her out of direct sunlight or she could get a very bad burn.

Just out of curiosity, have you used any products recently on her coat that you left on (didn’t wash off)?

[Karak]

Thank you for your advice! Yeah that sounds like the best option…

I figured I’d try here first as it appeared over both sides of her neck all at once a few days ago and didn’t know if it was some summer dry skin thing (hot here in Texas)😅 Although now that I know it’s not something common, it’s time to take her to the vet as you said.

Yes, she had a few medicines and medicated shampoos. (Fungaway, aloe Vera and different shampoos) However it healed up after those. As of very recently, just an anti fungal spray (post rain rot to make sure it was gone) on her neck and back, but only her neck looks like this. Other than that no leave in products.

[S1969]

@4LeafCloverFarm

If that photo is the horses neck and shoulder, with the mane at the top, you need to get your vet out pronto. That’s not a simple case of ringworm or a slight case of rubbing because of allergies or a few insect bites… that looks like full on alopecia that is spreading.

I’d immediately call the vet and find out what should be put on the exposed skin, until the vet can get out. Definitely keep her out of direct sunlight or she could get a very bad burn.

Just out of curiosity, have you used any products recently on her coat that you left on (didn’t wash off)?

Agree…this is not an internet diagnosis.

Not normal. Serious vet call needed asap.

[ShotenStar]

Agree with the need to involve a vet sooner, but will add that I have a mare who has major hair loss - on her face, along her neck, and over her back. This has been going on for years - it improves a bit in the winter when she grows a winter coat, but she is bald in those areas in the summer. It doesn’t look as dramatic as yours because she is a chestnut with black skin.

My vet and I have tested and studied and determined it is idiopathic to her - no known cause we can find. So we deal with the symptoms. She is very sensitive to all oil-based fly sprays, so I use only water-based products. She sunburns easily, so she gets SPF 50 creams on her face and wears a UV-resistant sheet if out in the midday sun. She gets hosed with water only, no soaps or shampoos.

One odd thing we have observed over the years is that the regular injections of HA that she gets for her joints seems to improve her hair situation. Not a huge amount, i.e., not back to having a full coat in her bald spots. But there is noticeably more hair in those areas when she gets HA every month and less hair growth if we skip a month or two because her joints seems good at that time.

star

[Marla_100]

You’ve got something going on that now requires a Vet’s help.
For now protect the horse from the sun and insects, if that requires a fly sheet, put one on.
In the mean time, I would be improving this horse’s diet with the highest quality feed I could find.
No junk food, no cheap filler food, no cheap low nutrition bermuda hay.
I’d also put this horse on additional supplement to promote hair and skin health. Something w/ biotin, methionine, Vit. A
Omega Horseshine is a great supplement for skin and hair w/ extra vitamins

Your horse is suffering from long term poor nutrition. You need to build back up the adequate vitamins and minerals for healthy skin and coat.

The vet and healthier food and supplements are going to cost money. Look into
Care Credit, if you need to, then you can pay it off like a credit card.

[Obsidian_Fire]

@Karak - is this horse QH? Or other stock breed… Is it possible horse has HERDA?

[TMares]

That is a ‘go to the vet now’ situation.

[findeight]

Yup.
Long term malnutrition can create things like this even months or even years after the diet improves. Their immune system gets trashed and lord knows what parasites they pick up from long term life in filthy surroundings. Normally the body deals with those but with everything going to staying alive, no fight left for such things.

I would not use any leave in products of any kind and put her in the sun, even healthy horses can suffer burning and hair loss. And she’s no way healthy right now. Investigate the Care Credit, you may have a long year ahead of you with her as her system tries to recover.

Takes time BTW, resist the urge to over feed. Got one in that was a 2 at best and it was 6 months before there was any real improvement in coat quality, skin condition and overall health. He cost me about 3k in extra health care including a 1700 clinic visit ( colic) and 600 in dental work removing badly abscessed teeth and treating a related sinus infection. Long time for the persistent Thrush to clear but that didn’t cost much.

Good luck to you.

[Karak]

Thank all of y’all for helping me! Taking her to the vet tomorrow and I’m curious to what he has to say. Poor girlie nothing about her has been normal 😂

All of y’all are so knowledgeable, any recommendations on how I can learn more about horse health? I worked at a boarding ranch for a few years but all of our horses stayed very healthy besides a few common problems rarely. So the opposite of rescues 😅

@ShotenStar And that’s so rare and interesting! Im glad you were able to find ways to treat your horse 😄
@Marla 100 Super great advice! Yeah the vet was surprised she was still alive the first time I brought her (right when we got her) she’s suffered a lot from malnutrition.

Yep! She’s on the best (not cheap) feed, drench, two weight gain supplements, along with a good few acres and hay. I’ll get started on one for her hair and skin asap. I agree that would help a lot. Thanks for the recommendation!

Yeah that’s a smart idea 👍 I do have that, it would be easier than scrambling to pay it off cash 😅

@Obsidian Fire Firstly, cool username 😄 Secondly, she could be! Her previous owners lost her papers, but her confirmation is very stunning and stocky. I think she was double registered paint and quarter horse, we are just trying to do tests or figure that out now.

. @TMares Tomorrow! 100% agree now. The best vet is already full today but she’s headed there ASAP.

@findeight Thank you! That makes sense, her overall condition improved amazingly, but when she was first brought to the vet he was surprised she was still alive. Scary as he’s a very experienced vet. Poor girl was about a 1 with horrible skin.

No more products on her skin for a little, got it. I agree, I’ll use the credit for her now 😅

Ah yes that was so hard at first to resist to overfeed the starving horse.

Oh wow! That’s a ton of work, poor horse. I’m so glad you were able to treat all that! 😄

Thank you!

[Simkie]

Curious what the vet has to say, but have you wormed her yet? Ivermectin (orally) can clean up external parasites, so dosing her might be a good idea, in case this is related to lice or mites or something along those lines.

[AllHorse]

Hopefully your vet will be able to help solve your problem
i thought it worth mentioning, however, that some plants can cause extreme photosensitivity in horses and it might be worth checking your pasture for them.
Look for ragwort, St Johns Wort, buckwheat and red and alsike clovers. Liver damage from eating too much of those plants can also cause it.
The result is severe sunburn that in horses (and cattle) that might not be noticed, on areas that are covered in hair and aren’t pink skinned, until the skin peels off.

[Karak]

@Simkie Yes she’s been wormed recently, twice actually about two months ago. (Former owners wormed her with two separate ones close together)

Me too I’m so curious now 🤔

[Karak]

@AllHorse

Thats what I thought it could be: extreme photosensitivity.

It could be that most likely, but I don’t know how she would have gotten it and why it would target her neck and shoulders.

I didn’t see any in our pasture but I’ll do a better check again. As she was starved previously she eats about anything so it wouldn’t be surprising.

Hmmm but that would explain why it became so oddly bad so fast 🤔 and the peeling is similair to extreme cases of it…

thanks for the advice!

[findeight]

We aren’t that smart, we know because we went through these things with horses we owned or were around. That’s how you really learn, reading up helps with general knowledge. Thngs like browsing horse magazines at the tack/feed store or online can be very helpful in learning the basics about common problems, and g
they aren’t boring… Just remember they are ad supported so don’t get swayed by fancy ads for things that are unresearched you don’t really need or feel bad because a barnmafe feeds 15 supplements and you only feed 2. Common sense.

[Bluey]

@Obsidian Fire

@Karak - is this horse QH? Or other stock breed… Is it possible horse has HERDA?

I expect your vet has followed on this, right, to be sure that is not at play here?

[AllHorse]

@Karak

@AllHorse

Thats what I thought it could be: extreme photosensitivity.

It could be that most likely, but I don’t know how she would have gotten it and why it would target her neck and shoulders.

I didn’t see any in our pasture but I’ll do a better check again. As she was starved previously she eats about anything so it wouldn’t be surprising.

Hmmm but that would explain why it became so oddly bad so fast 🤔 and the peeling is similair to extreme cases of it…

thanks for the advice!

If the horse has a history of neglect it could have liver damage from eating ragwort over a long period of time, it’s a cumulative poison. It might have little very damage caused by something else, either way there could be resulting photosensitivity.
Thats something for your vet to look into.
Meanwhile you should protect the affected areas ‘just in case’, try a UV fly sheet.

[AllHorse]

@Karak

@AllHorse

Thats what I thought it could be: extreme photosensitivity.

It could be that most likely, but I don’t know how she would have gotten it and why it would target her neck and shoulders.

I didn’t see any in our pasture but I’ll do a better check again. As she was starved previously she eats about anything so it wouldn’t be surprising.

Hmmm but that would explain why it became so oddly bad so fast 🤔 and the peeling is similair to extreme cases of it…

thanks for the advice!

If the horse has a history of neglect it could have liver damage from eating ragwort over a long period of time, it’s a cumulative poison. It might have damage caused by something else, either way there could be resulting photosensitivity.
Thats something for your vet to look into.
Meanwhile you should protect the affected areas ‘just in case’, try a UV fly sheet.

[AllHorse]

@Karak

@AllHorse

Thats what I thought it could be: extreme photosensitivity.

It could be that most likely, but I don’t know how she would have gotten it and why it would target her neck and shoulders.

I didn’t see any in our pasture but I’ll do a better check again. As she was starved previously she eats about anything so it wouldn’t be surprising.

Hmmm but that would explain why it became so oddly bad so fast 🤔 and the peeling is similair to extreme cases of it…

thanks for the advice!

If the horse has a history of neglect it could have liver damage from eating ragwort over a long period of time, it’s a cumulative poison. It might have damage caused by something else, either way there could be resulting photosensitivity.
Thats something for your vet to look into.
Meanwhile you should protect the affected areas ‘just in case’, try a UV fly sheet.

[4horses]

Looks like photo sensitivity and sunburn. The skin on her neck and shoulders is pink and prone to burning. My paint is kept in shade as she has very pink skin.

Have you applied anything like OFF, Deet, or Bronco fly spray? My mare has peeled from those sprays. I won’t use OFF on her because she peels. Mosquito halt doesn’t bother her though. If i try a new fly spray i have to be careful because she is so sensitive.

I would want her in a stall, on high protein alfalfa hay. You need protein to build muscle and prevent refeeding syndrome.