What Allergies Do Horses Get?

Like humans, horses can be hypersensitive to a wide variety of allergen triggers including insect bites, pollens, dust and molds, chemicals in crop sprays, hay dust, stall bedding materials, wool (sometimes in saddle pad and blanket products), grooming sprays, shampoos, synthetic materials such as neoprene found in

What are common allergies in horses?

Some common allergens and irritants for horses include:

• Insect bites (particularly Culicoides flies also called midges or no-see-ums)
• Dust.
• Pollen.
• Mold.
• Bedding.
• Topical products and ointments.
• Vaccinations.

How do I know if my horse has allergies?

The most common types of allergic reactions in horses show up in the skin or respiratory system. In the skin, you may notice your horse vigorously itching an area or overcome with hives. For a respiratory reaction, your horse may begin coughing, sneezing or wheezing, but without nasal discharge.

What does a horse allergy look like?

Common allergy symptoms include nasal congestion, runny nose, itchy eyes, skin irritation, digestive problems and, in serious cases, a life-threatening immune reaction called anaphylaxis. Another symptom of allergies can be mild wheezing, a whistling sound that’s made when you breathe.

How do you treat a horse with allergies?

Once an allergy is diagnosed, treatment usually involves avoiding the allergen, if possible, and use of corticosteroids to control the inflammatory reaction. If a horse is allergic to dust in the environment, you may consider keeping it outside rather than stabling it.

What foods are horses allergic to?

Symptoms can be gastrointestinal, dermatologic, or both. Diet items reported to cause adverse food reactions in horses include lucerne, barley, beet pulp, bran, buckwheat, chicory, clover, malt, oats, potatoes, St. John’s Wort, and wheat, feed additives.

How do you treat a horse with allergies naturally?

Flaxseed is one of the highest natural vegetable sources of Omega 3 fatty acids. It helps reduce immune response to common allergens and has been shown to reduce inflammation caused by Culicoides. As an oral supplement, horses tolerate ground stabilized flaxseed well.

Does Benadryl help with horse allergies?

Summary. Over the counter diphenhydramine (Benadryl) or comparable antihistamines can be used in an emergency for horses with severe hypersensitivity or allergy.

Can you give a horse Benadryl for allergies?

Diphenhydramine (brand name: Benadryl®, Vetadryl®, Banophen®, Genahist®, Diphenhist®, Unisom®, Sominex ®) is an antihistamine used in cats, dogs, ferrets and other small mammals, birds, horses, and cattle to treat allergic reactions, motion sickness, and vomiting.

What can you give a horse for skin allergies?

Symptomatic treatments to control the itch in the short-term may be needed, and may include topical cortisone, soothing shampoos and conditioners, fatty acids, and oral (Prednisolone) or injectable (dexamethasone) forms of cortisone.

What antihistamine is best for horses?

Tripelennamine is used in horses to treat allergic problems such as hives and itchy skin reactions or more urgent allergic problems such as tongue or facial swelling due to bee sting, insect bites, or contact with an irritating plant.

How do you know if your horse has mites?

Mite infestations cause general itchiness, often with areas of thickened, crusty skin. Mites are too small to see with the human eye, but can sometimes be identified under the microscope from scrapings taken from the horse’s skin. Mites can also be transmitted from horse to horse, and via solid objects.

Do horses get seasonal allergies?

Seasonal allergies in horses are rare, but they are more common in geographic regions where people are often affected grassy, flowery areas, rather than drier landscapes. Seasonal allergies typically go away with the passage of time and changes in the local environment.

What soothes itchy skin in horses?

Soothing emollient shampoos, solutions and sprays can help some cases. Cold water hosing and ice packs applied to the irritated areas can also lead to an improvement. Shampoos containing colloidal oatmeal and oils such as borage, tea tree, evening primrose and aloe vera can also have palliative effects.

What are 3 things horses should not eat?

Here are eight foods you should never feed your horse:

• Chocolate. ©russellstreet/Flickr CC.
• Persimmons.
• Avocado.
• Lawn clippings.
• Pitted fruits.
• Bread.
• Potatoes and other nightshades.
• Yogurt or other milk products.

What food should you not feed a horse?

There are certain foods which you should certainly never feed to your horse.

• Chocolate.
• Persimmons.
• Avocado.
• Lawn Clippings.
• Fruit with Pips and Stones.
• Bread.
• Potatoes and Other Nightshades.
• Yogurt and Other Dairy Products.

What food calms horses?

Fibrous feeds that are fermented in the hindgut to release energy are the most natural and also the ‘coolest’ sources of energy for horses. Using forages like pasture, hay, and chaff to provide the majority of the energy in your horse’s diet will help to keep your horse calm and responsive.

Is there an antihistamine for horses?

It is concluded that cetirizine in doses of 0.2-0.4 mg/kg bw administered at 12 h intervals exhibits favourable pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties without causing visible side effects, and the drug may therefore be a useful antihistamine in equine medicine.

How do you test a horse for allergies?

There are two tests currently available for food allergy testing in horses: intradermal testing (known as a skin-prick test) and a blood test that measures a specific protein, or antibody, called immunoglobulin E.

What can I give my horse for pollen allergies?

NostrilVet is a unique cellulose based nasal powder spray that delivers protection for your horse against mould from straw, mite, dust, pollen and other airborne allergens that causes allergic reactions like equine hay fever, coughing, heaves, runny nose, and other similar symptoms.

How much is an allergy test for a horse?

The price of a single horse intolerance test is $89. We are offering our clients the opportunity to purchase multiple tests and benefit from a $10 discount on each additional test. If you decide to order a second horse intolerance test, this will only cost $79.