Horses encounter skin conditions as do other animals. Urticaria is one of the more common skin diseases in horses. A healthy immune system normally keeps the barrage of ever present of microorganisms at bay, writes Nancy Loving, DVM. Hives are a clinical sign rather than a specific disease, she explains.
But when a horse’s immune response overreacts to a noninfectious cause, one result is uticaria or hives, which are localized, raised bumps on the skin. Inflammatory cells wage invisible battles to repel foreign proteins, antigens attempting to invade the body.
Hives rarely affect the general health of the horse and usually disappear within one to two days. In such cases, treatment is not necessary. In more severe cases, treatment may be indicated with epinephrine and corticosteroids.” – Patrick Hensel, DrMedVet, Dipl. ACVD
Source: The Horse, May 10, 2022. Link. Call for a veterinarian right away in the case of an acute allergic response. “Most horses with hives could care less, but some horses itch, and for those individuals, cool water soaks might help relieve the horse’s discomfort. But in general, I wouldn’t recommend doing anything. You want a veterinarian to see the horse as is and not as modified by drugs or topical medications,” said William Miller, VMD, Dipl. ACVD.
INSIGHTS: Pollens, foods and drugs are the most likely systemic causes of hives. Nonallergic factors such as pressure, sunlight, heat, cold, exercise, psychological stress, genetic abnormalities and adverse reactions to drugs or chemicals need to also be kept in mind as potential causes of urticaria.
Sharing articles like this one along with some case pictures on social media and in newsletters will help horse owners know what they are seeing when hives occur, the importance of identifying any changes in the horse’s care and engaging a veterinarian sooner than later.