Anyone had a skin scrape done

[Marsha Cassada]

I horse I got last year, that was terribly scaly, is getting pretty bad again this year. He cleared up fine in the winter. I am trying all the usual treatments but it is getting worse as the summer progresses. I had thought if he were MY horse, I would take such good care of him that all that trouble would go away. Well, it's all coming back and I am being humbled.

A dog owner was telling me that the vet can use a skin scrape and test to see if it is the curable mite mange, or the kind connected to autoimmune disorder. I suppose a skin scrape would also show if there were no mites at all.

I am also using a yeast infection shampoo on him, that seems to help some areas. Which makes me think he has more than one problem going on. The only areas I see real improvement are inside the ear and under the belly--so far.

I am using/have used MTG, fungal shampoos, Listerine, Dawn, insect oils, and he is on antihistimine. Should I also have him on probiotics?

No one I've talked to with a horse that has a skin condition has ever had much luck, including stays at equine research hospitals, "miracle" diets, and allergy shots.

But I thought I'd check out the mite/mange angle. Anyone ever had this done? What questions should I ask the vet?

My other horse is smooth and glossy, so whatever it is, it is not infectious, as they are pasture mates.

Thanks for any feedback!

 

[ChrystalPaths]

Hoo boy, I am familiar with this and am doing it now but with a canine. There are 2 manges. Sarcoptic is bad, like the foxes get and die however THIS mange is super easy to cure. Demedeptic (SP) mange is an autoimmune problem that is triggered by stress. Kinda like human shingles if you will. Awful hard to cure, there is a special shampoo to get the "hair follicles" up and ready for the poison "Mitaban" one teeny tiny bottle 10.6ml diluted in 2 gallons of warm water @$35 each, then the animal is drenched in it and left to dry as is. I have done this 3 times without much success as well as cefalexon 2xd for 30 days. The Cef did heal the bad belly and ears I will say as they had gotten badly inflamed.

Now, another way is with high doses of ivermectin. This week we are going this way tho the vet prefers poisoning? Go figure? Poor doggie is not real itchy but looks very moth eaten and folks recoil and say

when they see her. Not her fault, she was born with it and I am trying really hard to cure her with all guns blazing with every thing I can use to help and heal. I did get a skin scraping on her and it did show exactly what it was so I "highly" recommend getting one. No it is not contagious unlike sarcoptic mange which is. So..more than you ever wanted to know..do ask a good vet.

 

[Marsha Cassada]

I was wondering about wormers, but I guess if it were effective, the whole mange thing wouldn't be a problem any more.

I know what you mean about them looking moth-eaten. People look at them and think you are a careless owner. That is what I used to think--hence the humbling/eating crow/foot in mouth disease (by the way, is there any cure for foot in mouth disease?).

Thanks for replying!

 

[Minimor]

Does he have any discharge from/through the skin in the affected areas? does the skin feel oily at all?

I know someone that had skin scrapings done & it showed nothing. Her vet then took some skin plugs & the larger/deeper samples did provide an answer (an auto-immune disease, not related to mange) . So, it does depend what it is--whether or not the skin scrapings will tell you anything.

 

[sdmini]

There are two types of mange, Sarcoptic and Demodectic.

Sarcoptic is the more common of the two and highly contagious. In fact just typing the word has me scratching. Sarcoptic can live off host but they need a canine to complete their life cycle.

Demodectic is a mite passed on from mother to pup in the first couple days after birth. All dogs have this type of mite but most have no problems with it except for those who had some type of issue with their immune system. In a nutshell I don't think your horse has mange.

Boy, I really itch now, have to get away from the computer.

 

[mini1]

Luckily I have never had to deal with mange.

I have no idea if this would work but I have heard that you can use mayonnaise on lice. It suffocates them and the egg and oil in it moisturizes the skin and hair. I have no idea if this would work on mange as I realize this is a different critter but maybe it would at least help the skin a little. Slather it on and let it sit for a while then wipe off. Don't know if it would hurt or help but at least there are no "poisons" in it.

Maybe a heavy duty moisturizer like "bag balm" would give a little relief.

Good luck!!

Kelly

 

[White Socks Miniature]

It could be a bounty of things! Mites: Sarcoptes scabiei, Psoroptes equi, demodex Lice: Damalinia equi (biting louse) or Haematopinus asini (sucking louse) It could also be allergies (esp if it seems to flare) which then turns into a bacterial skin infection, could be related to thyroid or other issues or autoimmune.

There is a whole array of tests that can be done but skin scrapings / impression smears would be the place to start!

(also I would never use mitaban - That stuff is pretty much a toxic bath. It was taken off the market for a number of years due to this. It has also been found to be a carcinogen. I believe it came back to the market a couple months ago (at least here in Canada) I have no idea why. I still remember getting suited up in rubber pretty much, mask and goggles just to give a dog a bath. We only used it once because the owners insisted... and that WE do it as she did not want to be exposed to the chemicals... believe you me that she payed one hefty bill.)

good luck with your girl!!!

 

[Miniv]

One of our dogs came to us with mange......the non infectious type.

Be sure to have skin scrapings done at several different locations for testing. Initially our fellow was tested with only ONE scraping and nothing was determined. We took him to another vet who did several and found the problem.

 

[ChrystalPaths]

MA which type was it and how did they fix it? I refused to do the next round of the Mitaban and after reading what was said I'm glad I refused just on a feeling.

 

[Marsha Cassada]

I have an appointment on Friday with the horse for the skin scraping. I will mention the plug, as I have heard that sometimes scrapes don't show everything, and I had never heard of the plug.

when I called for the appointment, I asked the receptionist if the vet did that on horses. She said he did it on dogs and she didn't see why he couldn't do it on horses. So, is there some reason why it isn't done on more horses? Mine is not the first horse I've heard of that has this. Maybe I will find out on Friday why more horses are not done.

The skin places are just hairless, no pustules. And some may be raw places from scratching--it's hard to tell, but they dont' have the tell-tale rubbing marks.

Gave him his yeast infection shampoo bath this afternoon and it--or something we're doing--is helping the places on his legs. But he has more hairless places inside back legs, chest, and neck now. I will take the shampoo with me to the appointment and ask about yeast infections. (I got it at a different vet clinic. ) I feel as though I am running around inside a squirrel cage sometimes, going fast but getting nowhere.

Thanks for the input.

 

[White Socks Miniature]

The technical term for "the plug" is a biopsy. They take a round scapel to core out the skin and subcutaneous tissue. (It looks like a plug after its been removed) The biopsy can be sent off and sectioned. Some mites bury very deep and arent picked up well on a scraping. The biopsy can therefore tell you that as well as other issues depending on what the cells look like.

Good luck with your appointment!

 

[Miniv]

MA which type was it and how did they fix it? I refused to do the next round of the Mitaban and after reading what was said I'm glad I refused just on a feeling.

Apparently it was Demodectic, because the vet told us it wouldn't spread to our other dogs. And it didn't. Our lab mix came to us with it. We were given two things for him. One I need to check the name of. The other was Ivermectin.

I have a gut feeling that part of his mange was brought on by stress. Not sure why I think that. But once it cleared up he's been like a new dog!

 

[ChrystalPaths]

Ah you give me hope then! Poor lovie, we will begin the ivermectin.

 

[whitney]

Does the horse itch?

 

[Marsha Cassada]

Does the horse itch?

Well, I do see him rubbing against the trees but he does not appear obsessed. When I got him, his mane was all scraped off, partly from rubbing and partly from reaching through a fence for food. His mane, so far!, doesn't seem too affected; it is growing out well. His tail bone was a mess when I got him, and it seems fine now--just the usual flakey stuff. I feel good about his ears now, too, which were so scaled and raw he couldn't hold them upright. One seems totally healed, and the other I am keeping pretty clear by vigilance.

I can see that the areas on his shoulders COULD be rubs, but the ones inside his hind legs?? Behind the front legs at the girth area?? I am thinking the antihistimine is keeping him comfortable, but that doesn't prevent more hairless areas from appearing. SOMETHING is going on.

If the vet does not see anything on the scrape, I think I will request the plug/biopsy. The process of elimination is sometimes the only way to find out things.

Again, thanks for all the good replies.

 

[whitney]

Yep I had my Q.H. mare tested came back neg, all my horses had the skin crud in various forms.

What FINALLY worked for me was a suggestion from Erica for Lym Dyp. However I used Lime Sulfur same stuff just cheaper and available at the elevator.

I also feed ground flaxseed.

 

[ChrystalPaths]

Take a look here, I am thinking I shall try this. I hate poisoning an already compromised immune system

http://estore.websitepros.com/1959185/Deta...affiliate_no=23