Allergies
By Hayley Kruger
September marks the official month of spring! With flowers blooming and warmer weather approaching, our four-hooved friends may be enjoying the end of the blanket season, but in turn, chances are they may become victims of so-called seasonal allergies.
Here we take a look at the most common seasonal allergies and what you can do about them.
Eyes
The horse’s eyes are very sensitive and any allergies or conditions should be taken seriously. It is advisable to always consult with your veterinarian should you suspect anything abnormal with your horse’s eyes, no matter how big or small.
Symptoms of seasonal eye allergies can include puffiness, itchy eyes, teary eyes, ‘gunky’ eyes and redness around the eyes. Other symptoms are the horse holding one or both eyes shut, or excessive rubbing of the eyes. This can be caused by pollens from the flowers in bloom (try to identify plants and flowers near your horse’s paddock and stable which could be the cause), an increase in dustiness in the area, as well as increased fly activity.
Before administering any type of treatment, it is important to rule out corneal ulcers, conjunctivitis, uveitis or any other eye conditions. Eye drops containing cortisone can be detrimental to the horse’s eyes if corneal ulcers are present. You must therefore not just ‘treat and hope’ but instead call your vet to get them to take a look. Once any other conditions have been ruled out and you have established that your horse does indeed have an eye allergy due to seasonal changes, you can look for appropriate treatment.
Your first port of call should be to keep the eyes as clean as possible. Using cotton wipes (or something similar) to clean the eyes daily is advisable. Always adopt the one-wipe rule – do not rub your horse’s eyes repeatedly with the same cotton wipe as you may be re-infecting the area or spreading dirt around. Wipe the horse’s eye once and throw the cotton wipe away. Should you need to wipe again, use a new cotton wipe.
A fly mask is a useful accessory to protect your horse’s eyes from flies and excess dust or grass particles getting into his eyes. Some fly masks also assist with UV ray protection if your horse has sensitive eyes.
What can you do about it?
On the natural remedy side, many horse owners have passed around the ‘old wives’ tale’ recipes.
Rooibos tea is most common in soothing swollen and itchy eyes. A tea can be made (black) and used with a cotton wipe over the eyes to soothe it. Some people like to use a soaked teabag to wipe the eyes. Rooibos can also be mixed into the horse’s feed and consumed orally.
Garlic is useful in reducing inflammation of the mucous membranes, which can assist with puffiness and runny eyes.
Eyebright has also been known to assist with allergies and can be fed with concentrates.
If natural remedies are not helping your horse, consult with your vet and he or she may prescribe eye drops for a few days or until the allergies dissipate.
Eye drops should always be prescribed by your vet and administered according to instructions.
Skin
Equine dermatitis, commonly known as sweet itch, is more common in the summer months. Although not classified as an allergy itself (it is caused by biting midges), it is associated with seasonal allergies seeing that the midge lifecycle coincides with the seasonal change to summer.
Sweet itch can be treated with antihistamines from your vet or with natural remedies such as garlic or chamomile.
Using fly masks and specialised sheets is also useful for horses who are sensitive and prone to sweet itch.
Other insects to keep a lookout for are bees. As flowers are blooming, the bees will be looking for pollens. Horses could get stung by bees and have an allergic reaction. The reaction is typically where the horse comes out in small bumps on the face, muzzle, neck or entire body, depending on where he has been stung.
Antihistamines usually help this to subside. Keep an eye on your horse’s vital signs, particularly if he has been bitten or stung by an insect close to his eyes, ears or nose.
Another skin allergy horses can get is urticaria, commonly known as hives. Hives can be due to an allergic reaction to drugs, food, ointments or fly sprays, but can also be due to the pollens in the area. Symptoms of hives include bumps or welts on the skin around the head and neck area, or the whole body. Hives can be itchy for horses and they may seek relief by scratching themselves mildly or excessively.
The treatment for hives is to eliminate the source of the problem, such as changes in fly sprays, ointments, bedding or anything that may have caused it; but with so many possible causes, it can take a while to establish the cause.
Faster-acting remedies are usually necessary in these instances, especially if the horse is showing acute signs of discomfort. These usually include a cortisone-derived drug administered by your vet. It is important that your vet assesses the horse and administers the drug.
Respiratory
An equine respiratory allergy such as recurrent airway obstruction (ROA), commonly known as heaves, is also a possibility during seasonal changes. Heaves are predominantly as a result of dust and pollens.
Two causes of heaves are:
1. Increased amounts of dust in the hay or bedding, which horses who are stabled tend to inhale. As a result, the horse may cough or wheeze.
2. Increased pollens in the paddocks and fields.
The most common cause of heaves in South Africa is the dust on the hay and bedding in the stables. Ways to help reduce this problem would be to wet the hay in the stable (and remove damp, uneaten hay to avoid it going mouldy), and reduce the horse’s time in the stable.
Horses who suffer severely from heaves are best kept in live-out paddocks to have access to fresh air and less dust. The severity of heaves caused from the pollens in the paddock are most likely to be less than heaves caused from dust in the stable.
For severe cases, consult with your vet regarding an antihistamine or course of steroids.
Prevention is better than cure
Horses, like people, are prone to allergies during seasonal changes. It is best that we are as prepared as we can be by keeping dust to a minimum, controlling plants which are severely affecting your horse (without harming the environment), fitting fly masks and sheets where necessary, and having natural remedies on hand. Always call your vet if you are concerned about his wellbeing. With help, your horse should start to feel more comfortable and will soon settle into the new season.