Dear Dr. Mike,
    I live in Tallahassee, FL and my daughter's 17 yr old welsh pony has a strange problem with the skin directly above his cornet (sp) band. Even my own vet and my farrier have no idea what it is or how to treat it.  As a result, I have tried so many different remedies and nothing seems to totally eradicate it. He is not at all lame. He is out 24/7 but has access to a large run in shelter. He grazes on lush pasture which we fertilize twice a yr. None of my other 2 horses are affected by it.
I have a funny feeling the wet summers exacerbate the problem and standing in moist grass. I think if I could put him in a stall and keep his feet dry this would help, but I cannot at this time. We do plan to build a barn later this year. It is so bad his heels actually bleed.
I have tried triple antibiotic ointment, fungicides, and betadine washes. I even took him to the Gulf of Mexico and let him trot through the surf and this did seem to help for a week but it came right back. Do you have any suggestions? - Sincerely, Debbie Clark, submitted via HorseGazette.com

Dear Debbie,
This sounds interesting to me. I am assuming that this has been going on for at least several months or even years. You don't say whether the horse has been on any systemic antibiotics. The fact that the salt water made it better leads me to believe that it might also have an infectious component to it. Bacteria doesn't normally live well in salt water. The wet grass could be the initiating factor and then you might be getting a secondary bacterial or fungal infection. I talk often of the merits of biopsies and I think this is a case where a biopsy of the affected area is certainly warranted. I think the results will give you an idea about which direction to proceed in. I would also try to get the horse to a drier environment. – Dr. Mike

Dear Dr. Mike,
I have a 4-week-old foal that is losing hair around the face and where her tail rubs on her rump as well as some of her legs. Is it some sort of mite or bug that would cause this? She was fine the first 3 weeks. – John Lewis, submitted via HorseGazette.com

Dear John,
The hair loss could be caused by a number of reasons. The ones you mentioned are all possibilities. Has the foal been de-wormed? Is the foal itchy or scratching itself? Are there any raw spots or just hair loss? Are any other horses affected? Is the mare experiencing any problems? All these questions need to be answered. Are flies or mosquitoes a problem in your area? A physical exam by your vet would be a good place to start. Your vet might also do a skin scraping or skin biopsy.  Fungal skin infections, mites, and fly bite hypersensitivity could all be factors in the hair loss. Have your vet take a look and see if you don't get some answers. – Dr. Mike


Dear Dr. Mike,
    I just purchased a 17-year-old Oldenburg mare 2-3 months ago. Her old owner had not ridden her for approximately two years, but she has been trained up to third level in dressage. I started to ride her a week after she was moved to my cousin's barn.  1 month ago the vet diagnosed her with cellulitis in her left hind leg. She was put on penicillin and given banamine. The vet thinks that bacteria had gotten in through fungus that was on her heel. Could stress from moving to a barn of thirty horses from a barn where she was the only horse and new bacteria have also caused it? She has recovered and I am starting to ride her again. Her old owner told us recently that she has had this before. Will it be easy for her to get it again and how can I prevent it? – Deb. S., submitted via HorseGazette.com

Dear Deb,
There are several things that can cause cellulitis. Infections, auto-immune disorders and Strangles can all be implicated in a horse with cellulitis. It is also possible that the horse kicked something and caused the limb to swell. If the horse responded well to the treatment you described that I would say that is good. There is always the possibility that it could happen again. If your vet feels that it was caused by a bacteria or fungus from a wound then I would do my best to stay on top of any abrasions or wounds. Keep the bedding clean and keep an eye out for any signs of infection. – Dr. Mike

Dear Dr. Mike,
    A pre purchase vet exam flex test on front left showed lameness.  The farrier says there is nothing in the feet.  Will x-rays show what is causing lameness or maybe not?  I am waiting to purchase this 4-year-old if she is sound in another flex test and x-ray in two weeks.  She is sound to ride but she flutters her knees like she is off balance. The vet and farrier say she is balanced. What could cause this bobble/buckling/trembling in the knees when she moves out? She trots and canters fine...thanks, Sally.  Submitted via HorseGazette.com

Dear Sally,
I am not sure I understand what you mean by fluttering? I do know that if the horse is lame I would be cautious about buying it. On most pre-purchases an exam is all we get to do. There is very little diagnostics that can be done at that time. If there is some lameness issues than a complete lameness exam with diagnostic nerve blocks would need to be done. Unfortunately most sellers don't want to get involved in that. Some horses have congenital problems such as contracted tendons that can cause limbs to shake or "flutter."  I think you are doing the right thing by looking at the horse at a later date. I always recommend x-rays but I don't know whether that will answer all your questions. Bottom line is don't buy a lame horse.  – Dr. Mike

Dear Dr. Mike,
Does the West Nile Vaccination have any side effects? Thank you,- Pam

Dear Pam,
Any vaccine can have side effects. The vaccine companies do extensive testing to make sure all vaccines are safe but some horses still have reactions. If you read the whole package insert it will say something in there about possible reactions or side effects. Most side effects are mild and may include swelling around the injection site, depression for a few days and possibly loss of appetite. There were some rumors started when the vaccine came out but they ended up being just rumors. Our hospital has used hundreds and probably well into the thousands of doses of the Fort Dodge vaccine and we have been very happy with that particular vaccine. - – Dr. Mike

Dear Dr. Mike,
My horse is going bald! This mare I've just recently taken in (a 17 yr old paint) has a skin issue we can't figure out. I say "we" because my vets don't seem to have the answers either. We've done two skin tests, one for mange and one for fungal, both came back negative. She started losing hair when I first got her, she already had a funny place on both sides of her neck where the skin is wrinkled (like she's dehydrated), her skin was slightly flaky and it looked fungal, I treated it for that but when I wasn't making progress the vet did a skin test. When her mane started falling out too with her hair loss and she started getting sun burnt they said it was a combination of things, Fly Strike allergy, sunburn, and dermatitis. They put her on predisone and Tucoprim 6 days ago and I haven't started to see an improvement AT ALL, in fact she's still losing hair when I apply sunscreen to the area to protect it from the sun. She's not stalled; she's on a VERY shady pasture. She doesn't eat anything she's not supposed to, the pasture is very clean. She gets fresh water, has access to a mineral block and salt block. Do you have any ideas? I'm at my whit's end with this. I've shampooed her with antimicrobial shampoos, I've used MTG by Shapley's, I've used Corona cream where she's scratched herself raw... I don't know what to do. Please advise.- Kim

Dear Kim,
The one thing that you didn't mention was a biopsy. Has there been a skin biopsy done on any of the lesions. This will usually give you a better diagnosis than just skin scrapings. Several things as you mentioned can cause hair loss. It might also be indicated to do some allergy testing. I would probably try the biopsy first and see what information is gathered from that. - – Dr. Mike

Dear Dr. Mike,
We rescued a yearling filly TW. The owner/breeder had decided he no longer wanted to deal with her problem. Situation: Up until 3 months ago she was thriving. Then suddenly she went off her food and started losing weight. He called out his local vet and it was determined she had a slight infection. She was treated for such with antibiotics. She then slightly improved. Then she went off her food again and continued to loose weight. The gentlemen proceeded to worm her with Ivemec, Quest and then 5 days with Panacur. Now he did not do all of this at once but with in an 8 week period. She progressively got worst, he then spoke to his vet via a phone conversation and he thought it possibly was ulcers. Well at this point the man decides he no longer wishes to spend any more money or time. So he decided he was going to have her put down. A friend of mine contacted me and asked if I wanted the horse that he would give it to me. My husband and I went to go and see her that evening and she is a leather bag with bones sticking out. She was lying down and refused to get up. I looked down at those big black eyes and I couldn't say "no.". I picked her up the next morning and took her to my vet's hospital and had her admitted. They ran a battery of tests and the only thing they found was a very slight elevated white blood cell count. But all other functions and panels look good. They also pulled a stool sample and discovered a moderate case of strongyles. He is treating her for that and he has also started her on medication for ulcers. We have not seen any type of a fantastic turn around but she does enjoy grazing at the vets pastor and only picks at her sweet feed/grain. He also did pull a Coggins test and that is negative. Our vet feels that she can come home because we too have really good pastor. She has been there for a week now and will come home tomorrow. Now for the question(s): What would cause this type of weight loss and lose of appetite in this baby? Is this just a wait and see situation? Or will she be able to rebound back? Because she weighs in at aprox. 400lbs and should weigh in at least 750lb will she ever get her muscle tone back? Does this make her prone to colic? Is there something else we should look for? Thanks so much,– Barbara

Dear Barbara,
This is a tough question to answer with the information you have given me. I don't know what all has been done diagnostically. Has an abdominocentesis been done? Has a sonogram been done on the chest and lungs? Has an endoscopic exam on the airways been done? Was the stomach examined for ulcers? Some horses that have been through something like this never recover completely. If the horse is stable or improving that it might just warrant more time. I would discuss the horse with your vet and see if they feel they have covered all the bases. Some times you can pinpoint something and sometimes horses just take a significant amount of time to recover. If your vet feels that it is warranted then more in depth diagnostics might need to be done. - – Dr. Mike


Dear Dr. Martin,
I have a 9-year-old QH mare who has never been ill before.  The other day when feeding in the morning we discovered she was off her feed (and water).  Since she's the type to always eat, this was very strange.  She was also lethargic and pawing, so we called the vet.  He diagnosed her with mild colic and gave her fluids and a painkiller, telling us to call if she wasn't better in about 24 hours.  Well she wasn't so he came back and took blood work.  It turned out she had a bacteria infection in her GI tract and was now running a fever, which makes sense.  So he prescribed her antibiotics.  But the next day she wasn't any better and now had diarrhea, so prescribed another antibiotic and gave her more fluids and pain killers and took more blood work and a stool sample.  Today she is still off her feed and although the vet is coming back every day to give her the antibiotics, I would like to know if you have any ideas? – Erica

Dear Erica,
These are the type of questions I dread. By the time the question gets to me and is published your horse will probably be either well or dead. What does the attending vet have to say about the treatment plan for your horse? Does the vet recommend having the horse hospitalized or does the vet think the horse is getting better. In my opinion the best course of action would be to have the horse hospitalized where it can be treated and monitored closely. Without having access to your horses blood work and knowing what type of infection they think your horse has I would still suggest hospitalization. I think you need to discuss this with your veterinarian and see if they agree or think that it is not necessary. – Dr. Martin
 
Dear Dr. Martin,
I have an 11 year-old Andalusian mare that I am thinking of breeding, She is in good health and this would be her first pregnancy.  I am wondering if she is too old to be bred for a first time? -  Thank you, Maria.

Dear Maria,
 I do not think the mare is too old to breed. I would have a breeding soundness exam done with at least an ultrasound exam done and discuss your plans with your veterinarian. Further tests might be warranted but I fell with the information you have given me I would not hesitate to try and breed her. – Dr. Martin

Dear Dr. Martin,
I am looking at a four-year-old to buy, but he was born with a crooked cannon bone. His training has gone smoothly so far, but I'm not sure that the bone won't affect him. Could his cannon bone affect his physical ability and performance? Will he be more prone to injury/lameness because of it? - Elena

Dear Elena,
 I am not sure what you mean when you say crooked cannon bone? Is the horse lame? Have radiographs been taken of the cannon bone. All these are questions that I would want answered before I purchased the horse. Discuss this with your local vet and get a pre-purchase exam done before buying the horse. A pre- purchase exam could be very in depth or just a basic exam or what I call a client directed exam to answer certain questions. – Dr. Martin

Dear Dr. Martin,
My 22 yr old gelding has a very sore back.  When I touch near his rump along spine, he switches tail, and lifts near hind leg...so unable to ride him.  After riding, it gets so bad that he spreads hind legs so far apart he does the splits! All vet tests show he's healthy and chiropractor gave him one treatment, suggesting more to improve him.  Should I send him for daily chiropractor treatments or acupuncture?  I have him on excellent vitamins, glucosamine but no exercise since he walks slowly and stiff and obviously in pain. – Thanks, LP

Dear LP
You say that all vet tests are normal? But if the horse is that sore and that stiff then clinically the horse is not normal. I would suggest that the horse be taken to a referral hospital for a complete lameness work up with radiographs. What did your vet say? Does your vet have the capabilities? What did the chiropractor say? Did he make a diagnosis? I would attempt to get a diagnosis before suggesting treatment options. – Dr. Martin