@Hayburner
My sincerest apologies for ghosting this thread. School started and it just got crazy.
My horse is incredibly picky. We have tried ground dark(normal) flax and he won’t eat it. I thought about trying golden ground flax because my research says that the darker flax has a more bitter taste to it. The golden flax has to come from a human store, like Sunflower Shoppe or something, and I just haven’t gotten around to getting it.
Cyproheptadine has helped more than Hydroxyzine did. He is still itchy, and the heat and bugs make it worse, but he’s somewhat manageable. To prep him for show season, I had to put a grazing muzzle on him 24/7 to keep his teeth off his legs. We cut the hole in the grazing muzzle a little bigger so he could eat easier since limiting food was not the goal of the muzzle. He adjusted very well and never had issues wearing it.
He has been on the PP for coming up on a year now…I don’t remember exactly when we started it. I think it was around December or January.
He is on allergy shots and has been for about a year and a half now. We went through the normal loading phase that took about 6 months to complete, then we switched to ‘maintenance’ which is supposed to be once a month, but his are so bad that we give shots twice a month.
I would like to get him skin tested rather than blood tested and have his serum updated, but it means pulling him off all meds for 4 weeks…and I just can’t do that to him while the temps are still high and the bugs are crazy.
I have found that Horseman’s Dream Veterinary Cream w/Aloe (https://www.amazon.com/Manna-Pro-Horsemans-Veterinary-16-Ounces/dp/B000A6ZOHI) works the best for softening and soothing his torn up skin. I have gone through A LOT in the last couple of months trying to prepare him for the last show of the season. It also helped soften the scarred skin over his hocks and he /almost/ looks normal…haha. I have another product that works really well, but is expensive for use on the horses. It’s a product used for Rock Climbers to help mend their torn up hands. (https://goclimbon.com/collections/climbon-skincare/products/climb-on-creme). Horseman’s has done a great job, is easy to put on, and last longer than the ClimbOn Skin Lotion. As much as I want to support ClimbOn’s awesome small business, I just needed too much of the product and couldn’t afford it anymore.
I use Eqyss Microtek for bathing, in combo with the soothing spray in his problem areas. (https://eqyss.com/products/sprays/micro-tek-spray/)
I also starting using Coat Defense as well. I like the shampoo. I normally do one round with the Eqyss rinse him really well and then dilute the Coat Defense and sponge it on and let it sit for 5 or so minutes. The mud and powder that also come from Coat Defense don’t do much for use since we aren’t dealing with fungus or sweet itch. But, I do like the shampoo.
For really bad spots, I have used bleach spray, chlorohexidine scrub that I picked up from a vet supply store(it’s NOT cheap), and Vetericyn Foam Care Medicated Shampoo (https://vetericyn.com/product/vetericyn-foamcare-equine-medicated-shampoo/?attribute_size=32oz) …just kind of depends on my mode and how bloody his legs are as to which one I use. Typically, I will only go the Chlorohexidine or Bleach route if I’ve done a skin scraping and it shows bacteria present.
All-in-all, We are in a better place than we were last year around this time, but he’s still very itchy. I am hoping he grows out of some of this. We also got a super fly sheet for him from the Netherlands…but it is so so big. It covers from head to toe and will be a savior for him once we can get it fitted correctly.(https://hypostore.com/busse-fly-rug-complete-plus.html)
Hope this helps give you some ideas. It’s a never ending battle, but I know my boy is worth it. We can make a horse allergies support group, because unless you have one, you really just don’t know the frustrations…
So, lord help me if he’s developed Cushings at 2. If so…I give up!