# Horse allergic to grass- advice please



## yellowdun (27 April 2011)

My horse has been ill for a while- werid skin issues, hives, then his breathing became compromised. Scoping showed raised nodules but sample showed no infection. Liver enzymes raised.  Further allergy tests have shown an allergic response to many grasses (inc common ones in hay), a weed found in hedgrows and birch, elder and one other type of tree. We are due to have more liver tests this week following a month on a liver supplement.

I'm waiting on the vet saying how he feels I should manage the condition, but I'm bothered he may advise pts as he can be hard line.

Has anyone got experience of managing this condition? Unfortunately I am not on my own land, so I am limited in how much change I can make unless I can rent a space that allows me to make significant changes. I am willing to look at this though as he is only 7 and I have put a lot of work into bringing him on- plus I love him to bits.


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## cptrayes (27 April 2011)

I have one that can't eat grass or he has all sorts of things - sweet itch, ulcers, soft feet, panic attacks, compulsive wood chewing, manic eating, probable EPSM....

Is yours just allergic to being around them, or just to eating them? Keep him in 24/7 and feed him ryegrass haylage and a vit/min supplement would be my suggestion. Better in a stable for the rest of his life than dead?


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## alsiola (27 April 2011)

Was the allergy testing done via blood testing or by intra-dermal testing?


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## Escada2004 (28 April 2011)

I wouldnt go on the allergy testing 100%! I had a mare and it took me 2 years to find out what was causing hives all over her body which mainly come up in spring and again when the hay was being cut! The vets were no help at all really and just ended up costing a fortune in changing feeds, bedding and tests etc!! Eventually i spoke with Derek Knottenbelt at Leahurst, i just explained what was going on and straight away without even having to see my mare he said she is allergic to natural sugars which is in grass, and also some pollens. So she went on a strict diet of either Timothy Hay or Horsehage or AlfAlfa Haylage, Alfa A Oil and Fibre Beet with a vitamine supplement and more oil in it asn she lacked a bit of buzz sometimes. Once we got the hives under control she was on restricted grazing and best kept away from trees if possible because of the pollens they give off! ALso if you can put your horses in a field with long grass as most of the sugar is actually at the route of the grass. We also gave her 10 antihistamines a day, just regular superdrug ones that were on buy one get one free and this managed the pollens in the air. I sold her 3 years ago now and the new owner has kept this up and only had one little outbreak so far and this only lasted a couple of days as she had weened her on to old hay and was fine so put her on horsehag timothy, kept her off the field and gave her some antihistamines and they went and all good again. Tryt this before spending too much money at the vets because i know exactly how you feel and i was tearing my hair out for years! Good luck


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## Damnation (28 April 2011)

Speak to Shilasdair - she has a mare with an intolerence to grass. Pm her, she doesn't bite.. much


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## Shilasdair (28 April 2011)

Damnation said:



			Speak to Shilasdair - she has a mare with an intolerence to grass. Pm her, she doesn't bite.. much 

Click to expand...

Hello!  I do indeed have a spectacularly allergic horse.
Feel free to PM me, OP, I promise not to bite.
S


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## yellowdun (28 April 2011)

Thanks. Allerhy test was via bloods. I've checked ut the grasses he seems positive to and unfortunately it seems to include common ones used for hay. He cant have hayledge as he is insulin resistant. Nightmare.

I'll PM Shilasdair and hope she doesnt bite and thank you everyone else, especially Escada for your suggestions.


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## Escada2004 (29 April 2011)

thank you everyone else, especially Escada for your suggestions.[/QUOTE]

No problem at all, try the Alfalfa Horsehage and see how you go with that. Its not regularly stocked by my local feed store wynnstay farmers but they had no problem getting it in for me. Good luck and feel free to pm me if you need any further advice, i know how frustrating and upsetting it can be


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## cptrayes (29 April 2011)

yellowdun said:



			Thanks. Allerhy test was via bloods. I've checked ut the grasses he seems positive to and unfortunately it seems to include common ones used for hay. He cant have hayledge as he is insulin resistant. Nightmare.

I'll PM Shilasdair and hope she doesnt bite and thank you everyone else, especially Escada for your suggestions.
		
Click to expand...

I gave away one last year who I am sure was very insulin resistant (no test but all the symtoms including the feet) and he now lives on haylage. I had a lamintic a few years back and he was fine with haylage too. If  you're sure he can't eat it, fine, but if it is what a vet has told you then it might be worth a trial of some single species he is not allergic to (ryegrass is most common ??) stuff, maybe?

Test the alfalfa carefully too, there are a few owners on a barefoot forum - uknhcp.myfastforum.org whose horses do badly with it, some of whom are sure that it has triggered laminitis in their horses.


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## Escada2004 (29 April 2011)

Another option is email Derek Knottenbelt @ Leahurst, he called me and emailed me and gave me so much good advice all for free and it was down to him that we got the diet etc sorted and the hives dissapeared. I spent a fortune at the vets as said above and they were no help at all. Dereks email address is knotty@liverpool.ac.uk he is so helpfull and even replied to my emails when he was on holiday in Australia!


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## _Samantha_ (8 March 2013)

I realise this is an older thread but just found out my rising three year old is allergic to grass, rapeseed, thistle amongst other things which I can't remember from the phone call with vet. 

She's sending me a copy of blood results in the post so will know a bit more next week hopefully. 

Suggested method of treatment is weekly injections for 24 weeks, increasing dosage to build up immunity. Been advised that its reduced symptoms in 86% of horses treated with the remainder having little or no improvement.

Anyone had any success with this or any ideas on management if it doesn't work?


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## _Samantha_ (10 March 2013)

Shamefully bumping this back to top as I am desperately seeking advice on this condition and experiences good or bad, although success stories would be best :-D 

right now I'm considering buying a snuggy hoods sweet itch rug to ease the itching as much as possible and looking at changing her feed.


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## Jojo_Pea4 (13 March 2013)

My boy has allergies to lots of different things mainly dust mites in feed, bedding, hay, harvesting. He is on immune therapy which i think is what samantha is asking about, he is injected once a month. Which has taking a year to fully work and this summer will be our test and its gone down but worried once the rugs come off and the air is more dusty it will come back. 

I have a strict managment for him, clean bedding and on bedmax, clean cobwebs in stable, in summer wash his floor with disinfectant twice a week, on hayledge and fibre nuts only as feed has been a problem with him, i feed linseed to help the skin. In summer i fly rug him. 

Feel free to pm me if u want anymore details.


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## _Samantha_ (16 March 2013)

Thanks for your reply  that's interesting.will pm you

 Yes it's the immunotherapy treatment my vet has recommended but looking to find out whether anyone has had success with it or any other methods. She is allergic to all three mixes of grass amongst other things so not sure how I can best manage it without treatment.


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## EventingMum (16 March 2013)

One of my liveries has a pony who has allergy problems. Blood testing showed he was allergic to most grasses and insects, dust mites etc etc. The only grass he wasn't alergic to was alfalfa so he went on to an alfalfa diet whilst having a high dose of antihistamines plus steriods and injections to desensitise him. The alfalfa diet cause some other problems - increased urination and a swollen sheath which wasn't pleasant for him. At his worst he was covered in hives for months which were weeping profusely and he looked thoroughly depressed.

Unfortunately nothing has provided a cure as such but things are much better. He still gets monthly desensitising injections but when the vet was struggling to get the high dose antihistamines over a year ago he was weaned off them with no ill effects. He still has a very low dose of steroids twice a day and is back on normal haylage and turnout.  If the hives start to reappear he has his steriods immediately increased for a few days and this seems to work. Obviously being on steriods, albeit a very low dose, all the time is not ideal but careful checks are kept and it has transformed him back into the happy pony he was, able to be ridden and out at pony club regularly.


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## FelicityCottonsocks (10 April 2016)

yellowdun said:



			My horse has been ill for a while- werid skin issues, hives, then his breathing became compromised. Scoping showed raised nodules but sample showed no infection. Liver enzymes raised.  Further allergy tests have shown an allergic response to many grasses (inc common ones in hay), a weed found in hedgrows and birch, elder and one other type of tree. We are due to have more liver tests this week following a month on a liver supplement.

I'm waiting on the vet saying how he feels I should manage the condition, but I'm bothered he may advise pts as he can be hard line.

Has anyone got experience of managing this condition? Unfortunately I am not on my own land, so I am limited in how much change I can make unless I can rent a space that allows me to make significant changes. I am willing to look at this though as he is only 7 and I have put a lot of work into bringing him on- plus I love him to bits.
		
Click to expand...

Hi,

Just in case you see this as I know it is a very old post!

Do you know why your horse had high liver enzymes?  Mine has up and down liver enzymes and the Vets cannot get to the bottom of it... searching for answers since August last year!  He has had so many tests and scans, poor boy.  I have noticed that he seems more unwell after turnout, so just wondering if there could be something metabolic going on... perhaps a grass/natural sugars intolerance.
Thanks!


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