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This is an archived Horseadvice.com Discussion. The parent article and menus are available on the navigation menu below:
HorseAdvice.com » Treatments and Medications for Horses » Anti-inflammatories (NSAID's, Steroids, Arthritis Rx) » Steroids, Overview of Antiinflammatory Use »
  Discussion on Steroids and dull hair
Author Message
New Member:
snyderpm

Posted on Tuesday, May 6, 2008 - 8:47 pm:

Without going into all the details, could Prednisolone, administered over a 2 1/2 months for hives cause you horse to have a really bad looking hair coat. My black, but not true black horse has a lot of orange and yellow dead looking hair. He has only had this the last 2 years in the spring, when I had to give him steroids for hives.
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Wednesday, May 7, 2008 - 9:15 am:

Patricia, is there still winter hair present? The problem with "could it be" questions is often a yes is not very meaningful as often it could be many things and so it is with this question.

Steroid administration can result in hair retention so a slow shedding of the winter coat might give your horse this appearance and it will self correct as the horse looses the winter hairs. If the new coat is coming in this way I don't think the steroids are likely to be responsible though the inflammation of chronic hives might effect coat quality. Study Horse Care » Routine Horse Care » Hair Coat Care for other possible causes if the problem is with the new coat.
DrO
New Member:
snyderpm

Posted on Wednesday, May 7, 2008 - 11:26 am:

Thank you Dr. Oglesby, and I think you answered my question. Yes, he still has too much winter coat, and I am in the south. I trace clip him and the unclipped hair across his back is orange,and where he was clipped was yellow, but now turning black with the new hair. Last year I finally gave up trying to curry the remaining dead hair off across his back and clipped him the end of May, so I guess it will be the same this year. He was one of the first horses to start shedding in February, and then he stopped, and by then he had been on the steroids about one month. He has been off the steroids for about 40 days now and he has started to shed a lot of hair again. I have had several horses on steroids in the past and when I took them off they would start too look bad, but it has been so long I can't remember the details or how it worked out for the horses.
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