Horse skin problems

Few things are as exhilarating as riding a horse and exploring vast green expanses. One is always impressed by the sturdiness and power of the animal, which, like a living racing car, hurtles down steep slopes, avoids obstacles while the sound of its hooves fills the clearing. A perfectly healthy horse is a guarantee of constant pleasure, exceptional, stimulating and exhilarating adventures. To perpetuate such moments, you must take care of your animal.

Frequent affections in horses

It is useful to know the diseases that equids can suffer from. The following is a list of the most common conditions:

  • Ringworm
    Also called dermatophytosis, ringworm is caused by parasitic fungi: Trichophytons, Sabouraudites, Equinus, etc. The horse contracts it most often in contact with other equids living in its close circle. Humid places immersed in darkness favour the proliferation of harmful fungi. Highly contagious, ringworm affects mostly young horses because of their poorly developed immune system. The presence of ringworm in horses is easily perceptible. It manifests itself by secondary syphilitic lesions (or plaques) that are shaped like a circumference. The presence of bristly hairs can be seen in these areas. These hairs subsequently disappear, leaving the skin completely bald and unrecognizable. If no action is taken by the animal’s owner, the scabs will invade large portions of the skin. The beautiful stallion will only be a shadow of its former self.
  • Lice

These nasty beasts cause considerable harm to horses; the poor animals are victims of intense itching. Some horses even end up injuring themselves by rubbing against posts. The lice that make their home on the body of the horse are the biting or sucking lice. While the former devour skin debris, the latter prefer to gorge themselves on the blood of their victims. As in the case of ringworm, promiscuity favours the proliferation of lice in the stable. Likewise, dirty equipment, a glaring lack of hygiene, and insufficient or inappropriate feeding can also encourage the appearance of lice. In fact, horses that are not well-bred are more exposed to contamination.

  • Warts
    These are epidermal excrescences of viral or cellular origin. Like the above-mentioned conditions, warts of viral origin are contagious. However, the rate of contamination is not the same for all types of warts. There are several types of warts: papillomas and melanomas, which affect young horses and grey horses respectively, carcinomas and different forms of sarcoid. These skin conditions also cause severe itching that puts the horse to the test. When he rubs himself against an object to relieve himself, he helps to spread the pain on his skin. Sometimes these conditions can stop without treatment. However, the horse owner must expect them to reappear in a more virulent form, sometimes resisting the treatments that will be administered.
  • Allergies
    Any horse can develop allergic reactions to insect bites in its environment. These insects include bees, wasps, mosquitoes, flies etc. Allergic reactions in horses can manifest themselves in various ways: severe itching, loss of hair, skin changes, scabs, etc.
  • Urticaria
    Sudden eruptions of papules causing numerous tingling, urticaria are common in equids. It is the body’s reaction to the intrusion of foreign substances following insect bites. However, nettles, a diet too rich in protein or cleaning products cause the appearance of urticaria.

Fighting skin problems in horses

Skin diseases affecting horses are not fatal and can therefore be successfully treated. What steps should be taken to deal with them?

  • The elimination of ringworm
    One important action to take to fight ringworm is to quarantine the infected horse or horses. Next, total disinfection of the equipment used must be carried out. Even the stable must be thoroughly cleaned to eliminate any refuge for the parasite. Formaldehyde solution is the best solution for disinfecting the equipment. The equipment should be immersed in the solution for half a day for maximum effectiveness. To care for the horse, H88 anti-moth massage oil is particularly recommended. It does not cause any pain. It should be applied with care to the affected parts (precaution is necessary to avoid contamination) twice a day and then three times a week. Continue applications as long as the symptoms are visible.
  • Goodbye lice!
    To be able to say goodbye to lice, you must disinfect the contaminated horse but also all other horses that have been with him. In addition, the equipment in the stable must be treated by subjecting it to a very high temperature: 100 degrees Celsius. The treatment must continue for at least a week to eliminate not only the families of the lice but also their future generations.
  • The eradication of warts
    The horse suffering from warts is not doomed to suffer. Modern science allows the use of a large number of products, all of which promote total healing. One of these products is the famous H36, an anti-wart massage oil. This product allows the horse to receive a painless treatment. It should be applied to the infected areas twice a day and then, as the treatment continues, three times a week. Treatment should continue until complete healing. Other means of wart control are still possible. These are antitumor injections, microsurgery, hyperthermia, cryotherapy, etc. Cases of resurgence are not uncommon, hence the need for the owner to be persistent and patient.
  • Overcoming allergies
    Allergies related to insect bites require a good knowledge of their habits on the part of the owner. For example, they need to know when insects that are harmful to their pets fly most often. This will allow him to limit horseback riding at these times. Unfortunately, the habits of these insects differ: while some of them swarm during the day, others proliferate at night. Given this difficulty, it is necessary to search for and eliminate the places where they reproduce, equip the house and the animal with protective filters. Food allergies can be treated by modifying the composition of the horse’s meals. Plant-related allergies can only be avoided by keeping the horse away from the plants that cause the disease.
  • Remedies for urticaria

An effective way to get rid of urticaria is to identify and eliminate the causes of the condition. This may include new cleaning products, certain plants, etc. Then, some means of prevention such as a balanced diet, without excess protein and extremely limited exposure to the sun help prevent cases of urticaria. To relieve the horse, various products in cream form exist.