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Discussion on Hair loss either side of neck - what's doing it?
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Member:
Imogen
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Posted on Tuesday, Oct 4, 2005 - 5:08 am:
Hi all
My six month old filly has two patches just below the mane about half way down her neck where the hair is coming out, about 6 inches long along the line of the mane.
I cannot work out if it is her fieldmate colt biting her on the neck or whether she has been scratching due to midges. There are midges alright at the moment but none of the other horses seem particularly affected and she showed no sweet itch signs earlier in the year when they were worse. However I moved them a couple of days ago into a field with more scrub/valley where the midges are worse and the hair loss has increased since then.
I've tried to catch the colt doing it because I know he bites her on the top of the neck all the time but haven't spotted it. Anyone got any ideas how I work out which it is and therefore what to do?
Thanks
Imogen
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Moderator:
DrO
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Posted on Tuesday, Oct 4, 2005 - 10:34 am:
Both types of hair loss would be very similar if the trauma was so light as to remove the hair but not cause scrapes. Bites usually are somewhat mouth shaped with individual teeth marks discernable. Usually the horse being bit pulls away making these marks trail.
DrO
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Member:
Imogen
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Posted on Wednesday, Oct 5, 2005 - 2:32 am:
Yes, that's exactly it, the colt constantly nibbles at her, he doesn't really bite leaving teeth marks... there is flaking of the skin and an oily feel around the area which, if it were wet weather, would make me think dermatophilus but it's been unusually dry for autumn here and the site of the hair loss along the neck, especially as the mane falls on one side but the the hair loss is equilateral, makes me think it's not this.
I'm going to wash the area with hibiscrub, put on a mixture of betadine and zinc cream and also fly spray her. On the basis that if it is the colt he won't like the taste, if it is the midges the fly spray may do some good, and if it is dermatophilus it should help to improve it...
All the best
Imogen
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