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So, Latte has always been a really itchy horse. All you have to do is touch her in a spot she is itchy and she will start leaning her body weight on your hand asking for an itch. She itches so much in the paddock that the hair on her butt is always bend and broken and most of the hair on her dock is an inch or two long because it has been broken off.

I was brushing her the other day and I lifted up her tail to check underneath - She has a bit of skin in the crease where her dock meets her butt where the top layer of the skin (the black part) is peeling/sloughing off - Only tiny, like smaller than my pinky fingernail - But it made me wonder.

Could she have a skin condition that is making her so itchy? I also led her through a gate and brushed agains her butt as she walked past - She nearly squished me against the gate trying to get an itch on her butt (needless to say she learnt better). I have just never encountered such an itchy horse!

Apart from that one spot her skin seems normal - No scabs or flaking or anything. She does have a lot of dandruff in her tail.

When we get another warm day I might wash her with some dry skin shampoo we have and see how she goes.

But any opinions on what could make her so itchy?

 

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Forgot to add - the skin underneath where it is sloughing is pink. I put some ungvita ointment on it so will check it again in the next few days.

 

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^ I had a horse who reacted to our flies - but he came up in bumps. She doesn't have any bumps/rash or anything that looks out of the usual which makes me think it isn't bugs. We don't have tons of bugs either.

Has the horse been wormed recently? I know they will itch their butts/tails if they need to be wormed. My horse is very itchy as well. My vet suggested calamine lotion and I put that on Solon's mane and top of the tail and it's worked really well.

Come to think of it, I actually don't know when she was last wormed. I haven't had her long and was just going to do her when ours came up for it again (which isn't long) - I don't doubt she has been wormed, but I don't know how long ago. I might do them all soon.

It could be allergies though. One of our mini donkey's at the barn itches until her skin is pink and she was tested for allergies. She has to take doses of some sort of Benedryl medication and that made her itching stop.

Hmmm, definately worth looking into. I'm thinking of taking Bundy in to the vets to have a 'check-up' - i might toss her in the float too and get them to have a look.

Thanks for the ideas!