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tiny white spots

5K views 21 replies 9 participants last post by  RedHorseRidge 
#1 ·
My five year old solid brown mare is getting tiny white spots on her neck, face, and ears. No pattern, just here and there, clusters of few white hairs. Scars from insect bites perhaps? but there are no scabs that I notice. Nor are there many biting insects around right now, temps are mostly cool, the houseflies are barely out -- but the mosquitos have been burgeoning. Have not noticed any mosquitos out in the pasture though.

Any ideas?
 
#7 ·
This is my chestnut horse's chestnut dam - AQHA, nothing but chestnuts with limited white in the pedigree but she has lots of "bird catcher spots." My horse is 5 and has one pea sized white spot that appeared when he shed out this year, one golf ball sized white spot that showed up last year, and small patches of random gray hairs in a few areas.

[/url]https://flic.kr/p/FTjACN https://www.flickr.com/photos/90068611@N00/[/IMG]
 
#11 ·
I get an error message; I think HF has blocked Facebook.

We can post pics directly from our PC's but there is one more step with the paper clip icon:

Upload pic as usual.

2. Close out the upload window when you are done uploading pics.

3. Click on the PAPERCLIP ICON in the bar at the top of this typing space.

It will import the picture into your post and it will show if you do a "Preview Post".

It is one more step than it used to be.
 
#13 ·
I can see the chest spots really clear. Sure looks like Birdcatcher Spots:)

FWIW, in the WLking Horse World --- waaaaay back I. The beginning there was a Foundation Stallion named Roan Allen. He passes that roaning on to a lot of sorrels, as they age.

Rusty is one of them. Rusty was a pure sorrel with a flaxen mane/tail, until maybe five years ago, when I noticed Rusty getting old age white hairs on his face.

Pretty soon those hairs were all over him. While he is not a legitimate roan, the roaning is obvious as he's become older. Thank you Roan Allen, lol.

The same heritage is true of the Birdcatcher Spots:)
 
#17 ·
My mare had these every summer for years. Vet said fly bites; farrier said bird catcher spots. I put her on spirulina and they went away. Took her off and they came back. The two seem to be correlated; she's back on the spirulina this season; so far, no spots.
 
#19 ·
Hmm. I read about spirulina online -- always hard to separate out the woo from the facts with supplements, but it does seem to have immune system boosting qualities. So if the spots are from an allergic reaction to some insect bite, it might diminish that reaction?
 
#21 ·
I'm going to try the spirulina powder and mix it with applesauce. Because she already has the spots, even if they are allergy-to-bite scars I'm guessing they won't go away until next spring, am I right? But she won't get any new ones if it works.
 
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