One Month Old Filly Loosing Hair.

[sparklingjewelacres]

Our little filly started loosing her hair around her eyes and her muzzle. This looks fine and I think it must be normal for them to do this but then we started noticing that she also has a different type patches randomly throughout her coat. They are mostly up on her neck area behind the ears and below the neck. I tho't at first that the mares were doing this to her but now I think she might have some sort of a mite issue or even perhaps a nutritional disorder?

Has anyone else have this issue. She is starting to look awful with these spots. One has a tiny bit of scab with it but the other spots are bare to the skin. The hair around the muzzle and eyes.. that is growing in a darker color so I think it to be different than the other spots where she has shed.

I don't know how safe it is to spray a baby this age for this if it is mites and was wondering what else to do.

 

[izmepeggy]

Could she be going through her foal molt? Foals do molt out and go through that patchy stage..

 

[sparklingjewelacres]

I was hoping that is all it is. It was looking like her hair was being pulled out in patches. I will get a picture up tomorrow of her neck areas. The weather has had a drastic weather change here into the 90s.

 

[blazingstarranch]

Can you post some pics of her? Would love to see!

 

[sparklingjewelacres]

Ok.. here are some pictures. I have posted one of her early newborn picts before the shedding started. I can't seem to upload more than one photo at a time for some reason and I have shrunk their size like I normally do so hope we get this working this time.

 

[sparklingjewelacres]

I am not really sure what all is going on with her hair but I think it to be a combo of possibly many things. I just looked out the window to see her biting the other mare, Sparkles and jumping on her back. Sparkles just now put her in her place with a quite firm nip on the neck area. hmmm.

 

[Minimor]

That is perfectly normal--perfectly normal for her face to shed off that way and as for her body--she is finding something ro rub on, and she is rubbing out the hair. She most likely does not have mites or lice--she is just warm and itchy with all that hair and in typical horse fashion she is trying to scratch her itchy spots.

 

[HGFarm]

That appears absolutely normal and the way foals shed.

 

[sparklingjewelacres]

Oh wow.. well.. hm.. photo opportunities were slim. I have clippers.. not sure how she would do with that. It looked like hair was growing in so I hadnt worried too much. Thank you.. It sure makes me wonder what color she will turn out to be. I never knew horses changed colors so much. Our beautiful Chestnut the mamma is now dark chocolate brown.

 

All looks perfectly normal to me too. Foals shed out so strangely -- but nothing to worry about. And I agree, she is rubbing on something to get that little "spot".

But not to worry -- she's looking just fine! She's going to be very pretty when all this shedding is done!

 

[sparklingjewelacres]

She has been rubbing on the feed bunk where she eats. I am so proud of her and how she is turning out to be so mannerly. She really loves the attention and loves to be brushed and combed. I know she also has been able to run in the mornings and eves when it is cool to let her energy dwindle. She is so relaxed when we pet her and lets us look her hooves all over. I'm so glad it is normal shedding.

 

[AngC]

Our Baby did that. She started shedding out on the legs, flanks, face, etc. kind of patchy like your photos. When it first started, I worked myself into a frazzle for a week or so and then called the vet. He came, laughed, and told me she was just shedding baby fuzz.

She was born end of May last year and when her shedding started, I brushed her with a soft brush every day but she never finished shedding out entirely by end of last summer. So this year, she has this pelt that reminds me of a sheepskin. What a mess! When Baby and her dam do that necking/mutual-grooming, it makes knots in Baby's hair that can't be combed/brushed out. I've resorted to cutting out the worst knots; I sure hope she grows a normal coat this year!!!