NTW
I am going to post some of what I have written in my private info. this info comes freom years of experience. I hope it helps.
Hope folks are reading this and still up for a few questions!
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It seems that most if not all of the horses you have tried this on have some symptoms of itchiness, hair coat problems, etc. Have you used – or would you use – this protocol on horses that have no immediately recognizable symptoms?
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Are there areas of the country where this is more prevalent?
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The one horse I have that exhibits skin and coat issues is a weanling (born 4/11). Assuming I (double) dose according to her weight, would you try this on a foal? She has been wormed a couple of times.
[QUOTE=jilltx;3485444]
Horse: Luna, 6 yo IDSH mare
Symptoms:
4 )Strange swellings on belly year-round ranging in size from golf-ball to grapefruit usually with hard, open hole in center (like a bite or sting) [/QUOTE]
I have followed this thread with interest. My gelding has not had this problem (he is stabled in Indiana), but I periodically see the “sweet itch” issue come up on Ridecamp, which is an Endurance Riders forum. I will direct them to this thread the next time it comes up.
I am interested in hearing any thoughts or insight into the symptoms posted above that the mare Luna is experiencing. My friend has had problems this summer with her mare, and she described exactly this type of swelling with the openings in the center. Can it be flies laying eggs and the larvae growing in the horse? We had this happen twice with kittens (when I was a kid on the farm), where they had a huge fly larvae growing in their neck. There would be a large swelling with a hole in the center, and the vet pulled out a huge larvae from the hole.
This is sage advice. I’m not one to say anything unless someone asks me for my opinion. She asked I answered - and was surprised to find I’d had an audience.
Gotta love the horse world - 2 people, 3 opinions. :lol::lol:
JoZ - I was reading some of these studies - it seems that this condition occurs all over the world, but appears to be more common in warm, humid areas, or areas near water. But there are many cases in cool climates as well - including human cases.
Feel itchy now? :winkgrin:
Quick question please 
It is day four following the first double dose with Equimax. The first 2 days, all 5 of them were very itchy and seemed to be attracting more flies than usual, despite covering them in spray. Now the itching and flies have decreased dramatically, but they all have slight midline swelling. The gelding with the swollen tendons/fetlocks is still off. He doesn’t seem to be in pain, just tight when he walks. I keep telling myself this makes perfect sense considering NTWs are known to cause contracted tendons, but this guy is 6 and has never had a problem with this before. The swelling has gone down more each day. Should I watch it for another day or 2, or call the vet now? The only reason I have hesitated in calling him thus far is because I am afraid he with think I am crazy for thinking NTWs could cause these reactions!
I have been reading this thread and have a question. I have a teenage TB that has recently had blood tests and all sorts of other tests that seem to point to IR/Cushings. I have never felt that was the only issue going on. I still think I’m missing something.
He has lost a ton of weight and muscle wasting. Bad coat, peeling scabs on legs and elbows. Is now itching the barn down despite being on anihist. He also had an odd case about 2 months ago on a rainy weekend where I loaded him the trailer to go to a show and got there and he had all these funny lumps under his jaw/throatlatch. Got hold of show vet and they pushed on one and saw some seepage and thought possible spider bites. I was told to treat by icing it which I did.
But this thread makes me wonder if we don’t have worms also. Considering the horse is fairly ‘poor’ in condition, would it be ‘safe’ to go ahead and do a double ivermectin dose and then follow up in two weeks? It’s a holiday weekend so don’t want to bother the vet. My vet did recommend a series of ivermectin several months ago for some ‘scratches’ looking stuff on his legs and they cleared right up and the hives and tail itching were not back until this past month. Doing the Equimax scares me without talking to my vet as I don’t want this horse ‘crashing’ for any reason with his immune issues.
DD’d with Equimax yesterday, now Imp has the runs…is this a side effect?
Hannahsmom -
I would seriously consider taking your IR horse off of Anihist.
What exactly does he eat?
I treat IR horses… he sounds like he is pretty bad off right now. I am happy to help you get him on track.
PM anytime!
nope nope nope-I wanna here the EqT IR plan! :lol:
To clarify, he has been currently diagnosed as PPID rather than IR although he has some of those symptoms. Between the two, the vet feels he is PPID though. He is basically on the ‘emergency diet’ for feed. It is documented on the Cushings web site. I have added Wellsolve LS as he is so thin.
I have been spending tons of time on the Cushings site, whew, so much to get thru. I am waiting to upload a case file when that lousy lab sends me the official ACTH findings. I only had him on the Anihist as he was so itchy. I didn’t find it on their site as a “do not use” but maybe I missed the ingredient. There is a LOT of info out there which is great. Don’t want to sidetrack this thread into an IR discussion though.
[QUOTE=ToiRider;3486577]
I have followed this thread with interest. My gelding has not had this problem (he is stabled in Indiana), but I periodically see the “sweet itch” issue come up on Ridecamp, which is an Endurance Riders forum. I will direct them to this thread the next time it comes up.
I am interested in hearing any thoughts or insight into the symptoms posted above that the mare Luna is experiencing. My friend has had problems this summer with her mare, and she described exactly this type of swelling with the openings in the center. Can it be flies laying eggs and the larvae growing in the horse? We had this happen twice with kittens (when I was a kid on the farm), where they had a huge fly larvae growing in their neck. There would be a large swelling with a hole in the center, and the vet pulled out a huge larvae from the hole.[/QUOTE]
I believe the worms you’re describing are called “Screwworms” and they are DISGUSTING! We do periodically get them here, but it’s pretty rare. I have never found anything “living” inside the weals ( well, that I can see!), and she sometimes gets true hives (probably from rubbing her big arse on the trees) all along her midline, neck, face sand flank. Her pasture mate gelding has had the same problems, although his hives lasted longer and required a vet call and some Azium to treat. He also just got his second double-dose with Luna yesterday. Owner noted that his scratches (same as I described in Luna above) were DRAMATICALLY reduced, nearly gone since the first treatment.
Will try to post pics tonight.
My supply of Equimax arrives today from Valley Vet. Hooray!
I have five horses I have to treat. All on daily wormer, plus the twice yearly Ivermectin. One of them has been suffering from sweet itch for years and I’ve used every trick in the book for making sure his mane and tail were protected and not rubbed into oblivion. He does have this scaly hairless spot in the middle of his chest that develops every spring, and doesn’t disappear until the winter sets in. Nothing ever rubs him there, and I always wondered about it.
Why no vet ever suggested this treatment for all the years I have been asking them what I could do to help this lovely creature just burns me up. :mad:
Bless you ChocoMare for the treatment plan! I will let everyone know how it works out.
Me too! PMing is not allowed EqTrainer!
On a side note though - Eq, are you a vet, or equine nutritionist or something? Just curious where you get all this info from! :lol:
Ok. Here goes. I have been following this thread. Chocomare directed me here from HC. I have a paint that has NEVER had this problem before. I’m gonna DD him today. I also have an Appy mare with ERU (she’s almost totally blind) that I just treated for Rainrot. MTG worked on her. The vet has looked at Jake (paint) and ruled out RR ( fungus is contained to shoulder/wither area rather than whole back and hips) and totally changed up his feed and put him on shampoos and a lotion treament and we’re loading him up with Omega 3’s. My concern with DD the mare is a flare up. I do have Banamine so I’m thinking I’ll give her about 7cc’s before I deworm her. Anyway, there are links to Jake’s booboo’s.
http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd94/Remona41/horses/rainrot023.jpg
http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd94/Remona41/horses/rainrot020.jpg
Oh dear. You most likely have a bigger problem than just NTW’s. The daily dewormer 2x year ivermectin is grossly ineffective. Daily dewormer has been linked to dewormer resistance AND it does not kill everything… neither does Ivermectin. I also personally believe it can be a player in the big IR card game but that may simply be that the horses on it have resistant wormloads.
If you want to keep your horses on it, you really should adopt as stringent a deworming program as anyone else. That means rotating classes every 6-8 weeks at least once a year.
No, I am not a vet. I am not a nutritionist. I am definately Something!
Tee hee, maybe you don’t realize that I have been BOMBARDED with emails since this and the other thread opened up? :lol: And that this IS my job that I get paid to do 
that is why I said on the feeding program thread that my last free day was over!
Seriously now, I began my life as an equitation rider, then a dressage rider and working student, then a dressage and equitation trainer and teacher, then I ran a sales barn, then I had two kids, then I bought a farm, then I started trimming, then I started doing rehabs (specifically IR horses and feet) including body work and dressage as physical therapy. I still teach and train but on a very limited basis and I keep just one working student (who won’t seem to leave me, it’s been 6 years now). I have three horses of my own, one doing 3rd/4th level, one baby and I just got a new project over the weekend :winkgrin:
I just sent a horse “home” after her foot fix and based on my morning email, will be receiving a new one very soon :lol: maybe tomorrow.
I do try to keep up with COTH, it’s fun and such a great community… I try to help as much as I can… I replied to Hannahsmom because Anihist seems to affect the adrenal system in a not-so-nice way but it sounds like she has it all figured out.
FWIW, I stopped the anihist. I have been given the okay by my vet to try the double dose Equimax after the two weeks are up (double wormed with ivermectin the other day).
Sorry I didn’t get this. What do you do once a year? Rotate the classes?
OK some feedback for everyone. I did my second double dose on all 4 horses on Sunday.
There are some odd things happening that may or may not be related but here goes…
TOTALLY amazing attitude changes in every horse. Each has this odd ‘inner calm’ and I noticed the eyes all look much brighter and clearer on all.
Julian is my horse with lots of ‘issues’-and lots of back pain and general foul attitude is just him on most days.
He has been very friendly and sociable and sort of…loving.:eek:
He has one vertebrae that is always ‘out’ when a chiro sees him-after the second dose, he has a HUGE hard knot on that exact spot. Related? No idea.
The coats are the horses are much sleeker-a little more oily and less dry.
Milo is the one I am certain had a HIGH infestation. He starts reacting with 24 hours of the double dose and old wounds heal and new ones open up.
He has a funky something going on in his feet…it is like a mild…not LAME but slight occasional ‘offness’ that I can not put my finger on. It is shifting from RF to LF…related? No idea.
Also, I posted this on another forum and one person knew about NTWs…2 horses in the barn went blind from them. Also some odd lamenesses that went away after treatment.
Has anyone else had odd things not skin related?
Also I am wondering if horses that are showing signs of ‘mild Lyme’ and then treated with Doxy and improve could actually been dealing with NTW?
Could there be some connection or relationship here to symptoms, etc?
