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Thursday, January 14, 2010

Mazzy's progress & Kylie's hives

It is always something with horses isn't is?


Mazzy's football sized hematoma that required two vet visits (and no treatment) is gone. Still no explaination of what caused it, but at least it is gone. She is finally getting back into a productive work schedule now that my trainer is back from the busy year end showing schedule and all of the awards banquets and holidays are behind us. It is really nice to get on Mazzy after my trainer and feel a HUGE improvement. I guess if I didn't I wouldn't need the the help! Some days her trot is rhythmic and it feels fantastic. She is getting the hang of bending and softening and when she relaxes her neck and back it feels great! Her transitions are improving. Her canter is also coming along. I'm starting to be able to regulate it, a little bit, but it still feels disorganized and strung out. I am sure it will be years before she feels connected. I wish I kept a journal of Kylie's progression as a baby to compare. I do have alot of videos of her training which I am going to dig out one of these days.



"Your horse is telling you there's something wrong; the problem is, it's in Braille." Poor Kylie has hives, referred to as urticaria. Inflammation induced by allergens causes small veins to dilate and increase capillary permeability in the skin. “Fluid” leaks into surrounding tissues to form wheals or plaques of edema (fluid swelling). Hunting down the cause of hives is often a challenge. Because hypersensitivity reactions take weeks to months or even years to develop, a sudden onset of hives is not necessarily a result of a recent change; this makes it difficult to pin down the actual source of the problem. I did what I could to eliminate anything that could be causing it anyway. I dug out her stall just in case there was lurking bacteria (which I am sure there was plenty of) that was irritating her. I took her off all of her goodies (supplements) so she is just getting hay and beet pulp....blah. Washed all her clothes and pads, scrubbed her boots, cleaned my tack (which I should be doing anyways). The causes are limitless as I read in an article on thehorse.com:

Many different medications, such as antibiotics, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), or topical agents can be the culprit. Other causes range from a rapid change in temperature, stress, or an autoimmune disease. Santoro also noted that allergies can play a role as well; "a horse could be having an allergic reaction to food, flies, mosquitoes, or something in its environment." Of course, just as in humans, horses can have a seasonal reaction to pollen or molds.

This has been going on for a few weeks now. They have gotten so bad that I have had to give her Dexamethzone, because I am concerned about her airway closing up. Thankfully, the Dex clears them right up.....only to return again a few days later. Argh! She doesn't appear itchy or bothered by them which is good. The only other suspicious factor is that she is not the only horse at the barn who has developed them lately so it could be something in the hay. I have my fingers crossed that there are no hives left on her tonight, that will be four days hive free.

8 comments:

Sherry Sikstrom said...

Yeesh , there is always something with horses

Sherry Sikstrom said...

It is always something .Hope it resolves quickly

Paint Girl said...

Glad Mazzy is doing better! Poor Kylie. That can't be any fun at all. Hopefully you can figure out what is causing the hives!
I have been keeping a log on what I do with Chance, and how well she is doing. I think it is good to write it down, that way I can remember how something went and how well she responded.

Desert Rose said...

You know this summer when my PONY COUSIN group went to eastern WA for out annual Stampede...Little Lady developed hives for no apparent reason. She had no fever...had no Idea why they popped up... 4 days later they were all gone! Boy did you clean up everything!
So...are we going to try and hook up for a ride??? Maybe meet in the middle some where??? Don't know for sure where you are locted. Bogert Park is about an hour away from us...or any where else we could hook up!!! Email me!

Grey Horse Matters said...

Glad to hear you're having fun riding again and are progressing nicely.

It's hard to figure out what causes hives. My horse used to get them every spring and then they would go away. Same with my daughters horse, she has to wash all his stuff in Ivory or Dreft. Amazing what horses develop due to allergies. Good luck , hope she feels better soon.

Stephanie - Siouxzeegirl Designs said...

Therealways seem to be something going on!! I sure hope the hives go away soon :(
I had a mre that would sometimes flare up in hives to new cuttings of hay.

allhorsestuff said...

Mazzy looks great and sounds that too! Nice to be back in the saddle huh!
I am sorry for K's probs...it does seem to be something always going on inbetween the good times. Hope she clears up soon...
Kac

Line said...

I know..it's always something ;))
I do hope it resolves soon.

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Hope it's ok that I add you in my bloglist

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