Talk to me about hives...

[misspacific]

After a ton of frustration, I'm finally bringing my questions here.

Sienna has had hives several times since I've owned her. Most of the time they appear and then disappear within a couple of days. Last time (December) they stuck around for a couple of weeks. Now she has hives again--who knows how long she'll have them this time.

Now I know there's no way to "cure" hives without knowing the cause. We've played the process of elimination game quite a few times now and we've discovered that it's probably not something she's coming in direct contact with or being fed. The fact that they come and go suggests to me (maybe I'm wrong) that it's not something that is consistently in her paddock. Because the hives seem to coincide with a change in seasons, I'm starting to think that she just has seasonal allergies. Maybe something in the air or something that changes in the grass/weeds?

I would say the hives are moderately bad. There are more than just a few, but she's not completely covered. They're mostly on her left neck and side. They don't seem to be TOO bothersome. She doesn't itch or bite at them, and there's no oozing or signs that she rubs. Even her energy level seems okay. They're just...there.

My question is twofold:

1. Any ideas or experiences on what might be causing this? Something that I've overlooked?

2. Anything that would help to minimize her reaction? I've heard that spirulina is good for this. Can anybody confirm or deny? Again, I know that there's no cure, but if anything can help the reaction...

So far they haven't been terrible, but I know there's always the option of allergy testing. I just figured I'd ask for input here. Thanks in advance!

[Heather]

My moms QH mare came down with the same thing hives for a few days every fall/ winter, she would get a shot and then was fine. Never did figure out what the cause of the hives were but after doing some research I found out the flax seed is good for hives prevention not to mention making the horse glow . I found a link for ya and you can go from there. I know there is much debate over whether to grind or not or to boil or not we never did any of the above and Miss Coco has never had another out break again. Best of luck !
wunderflax.wordpress.com/2008/09/09/treat-your-horses-hives-with-flax/

Modified to add that after reading the article we always feed the seeds whole not ground and never had another break out of hives the only thing that did break out were dapples every where ! ;D

[abowls]

Nate had an AWFUL time with hives last year. Tri-hist helped him but it's kind of expensive to keep him on it all the time and I'm pretty sure it tests out if you are showing. I'm convinced that for him it was the gnats that got to him. I noticed that it was worse after it rained and my BM was convinced that it was straight up rain rot. Sometimes the hives would become rainrot sometimes not but I noticed that if I sprayed him down really well with Bite Free flyspray he did not break out. Because of this I'm convinced they were hives but the inflammation made him more susceptible to rain rot and that's why he sometimes ended up with rain rot after the hives.

The gnat population at his current location was RIDICULOUS last year and always worse after rain. The gnats absolutely LOVE him. If he's not covered in flyspray and he doesn't have SWAT on the tips of his ears as well as the underside of his head they eat him up so badly that he's just crusty scabs under his jaw and all over the inside of his ears and that's with a fly mask on. Anyhow, I was going to try spirulina this year and coat him head to toe in fly sheets, fly masks, and fly spray but instead I'm just moving him to a different location. I've never had this issue elsewhere (to this extent) so hopefully it will be ok in a different location.

I've heard about spirulina as well and looked into it. I haven't used it yet and don't know anyone that personally has. It seems a bit pricey you have to give them 1 wafer per 100# of bodyweight per day which for us is 11.5 wafers/day and that was going to get expensive really fast. I can't remember how much but it was enough to make me wince. If you do use it please post results. I'm very interested to know. If we have this problem again this year I'll be trying it too.

Good luck.

[BoyleHeightsKid]

I would try to look at boosting her immune system. I've heard good things about APF (Advanced Protection Formula) it's expensive but the reviews on it are awesome. I would also boost her intake of Omega 3's. Horses that aren't on lush pasture are almost always lacking in them. Omega 3's are a natural anti-inflammatory and promote skin health. My favorite supplement for this is Omega Horseshine. Boy has been on it for something like 3 years now and it did wonders for his feet and skin. He was sensitive last year and had some problems with hives, but the bugs, heat and humidity down in Virginia are so much different that up here in PA and he just wasn't ready for it. I did find keeping a fly sheet on him helped.

[misspacific]

Thank you for the responses! I have ordered a "test-run" of spirulina and will see how it works. If it seems to make a difference, I can order a two month supply for a tolerable price. I had also been thinking about putting Si on Omega Horseshine (especially after the above post on the benefits of flax) so I'm going to try to pick up a bag at Tractor Supply. It's not quite fly season for us yet, but I always keep a fly sheet and mask on Sienna. Now I may consider a neck cover as well.

Thanks again!

[BoyleHeightsKid]

The Horseshine really is one of the best flax supplements for your money other than feeding straight ground flax. Which when you board is very hard to do because you pretty much have to grind the flax just before you feed it. You can feed it whole but if Si eats like Boy does then she won't get much benefit from it. You could also do fish oil, but the stuff that's palatable for horses is expensive. Probably something like $50 a month. I think the OHS comes to about .30 cents a day...

Boy had HORRIBLE trouble with hives a few years ago. We are talking huge lumps all up and down both sides of his neck and small bumps down his body. The only thing we could think that it could have been was from the bugs. Like I said in my previous post, he had some trouble in Virginia, but I think the climate change caught him off guard. Even then the hives weren't horrible. Very mild. Plus I was pulling ticks off of him, which we never have trouble with here.

Good luck with Sienna...I hope this helps her.