Strange skin issues, hives, infections, lumps and bumps

[Mayaty02]

Hi, anyone have any horses like this? Here’s some basic info:

• 2009 dark bay warmblood
• Imported from Germany in fall of 2014
• Lived in Southern CA for the next two and a half years
• Moved to Maryland in May 2017
• by July 2017 had a skin reaction, looked like ring worm and we treated it like it was. Would get better then worse again.
• Finally had it cultured in September because it kept coming back and it was a bacterial staph infection. treated with topical meds and systemic TMS antibiotics and it goes away quickly but it keeps coming back over the past 18 months.
• Left untreated it will sometimes disappear on his own.
  -We notice it more in the winter, when he’s blanketed. Every day we take his blankets and there is a new assortment of spots all over his body.

AND in addition to that odd issue…

-He gets various lumps all over his body which disappear and reappear in different areas. This is right now, blanketed, so these are not fly bites.
-He gets hives when he sweats, which do not show up until we’re back at the barn and untacking.
-He HATES bugs and flies and seems to have a very strong reaction - literally can barely be turned out in the spring and summer. He will run and stomp no matter how fly sprayed he is or wearing a fly sheet.

Could these all be related? And if so, anything we can do to help him? Vets are not overly concerned because he doesn’t seem bothered by the skin issues, but with spring coming, if something can help his reaction to flies and stop these lesions, I’d be all ears!

[cloudyandcallie]

Try the original listerine as often as necessary. Do not wash off it prevents a lot of skin problems and repels insects

[EmilyM]

When I have hard to solve skin issues I do a month long daily treatment of lavamisole. Ask your vet. It’s an old school wormer that boosts immunity and does wonders for various skin disorders.

[Scribbler]

I think these could all be related in the sense that if there is damage to the skin from bug bites or ringworm, there can be other infections take hold.

I would really look at his nutrition profile and at the copper zinc versus iron ratio. Also at the protein and biotin levels. And vitamin E. Can’t hurt to feed a cup a flax seed daily. All these help coat, skin, hooves. High iron can interfere with use of copper and zinc and cause deficiency. Iron could be in local water or hsy.

I would also try to practice extreme sanitation on the blankets by using multiple liners that can be washed in hot water between uses. Otherwise you are breeding bacteria in the blanket and reinfecting him.

Also wash his brushes constantly.