# Horse bald patches?



## laddieisthebest (Feb 17, 2010)

Hey everyone ! 
I've noticed today, that my friends horse has bald patches on her head/face (and my friend had not noticed). It's worse around the eyes, ears and muzzle. It has been bleeding but its now scabbed over. We have no idea how long its been there. They are fairly large, with no sign of hair growing back. It is over all the face, and it it still showing signs of hair continuing to be lost - it hasnt stopped. The other horse in the feild has very small patches of hair loss, and I am concerned that these will get bigger too. 
Has anyone got any ideas what this may be , whether it is serious or not & what we should do ? Thankyou.


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## Baby British (Jan 24, 2010)

I don't keep horses myself but it sounds like it might be ringworm. Does it look anything like the horse on this link "+""+enc(b)+"");c.close();a.frameSaving= It might be worth getting a vet to have a look and rule it out.


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## Freyja (Jun 28, 2008)

Sounds like ringworm to me. Your friends need to get the vet to check it out. I think they do a scrap or something to find out what it is. 

I think it is easily treatable with washes I remember years ago when I worked at the riding school some cows had it.

If it is ring worm it is infectous to other animals including dogs and people can get it too


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## shula (Oct 18, 2009)

if its ringworm, its really easy to treat. my horse had it some years ago after mixing with cows, and the horse in the stable next door got it and so did one of my friends who had had handled my horse. the vet can give you a wash for it but if it is ringworm you will have to clean all your head collars, rug etc with a special disinfectant, it stinks and so did I for ages after I cleaned everything !. funny really she had a real issue with cows, she would bolt if she saw one, I got her over it and she made friends with the ones in the next field and got ringworm !


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## laddieisthebest (Feb 17, 2010)

okay thanks everyone, 
the vet is coming out tomorrow, so hopefully answers then. thanks !


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## Jess2308 (May 12, 2009)

If not ringworm it could be mites. If theres any cows around they can sometimes carry some nasty mites that can make the horses REALLY itchy to the point of scratches patches of hair and skin out - yuk! My mare had it last year (i thought it was sweet itch!) after some cows had been turned out in an adjoining field. Only took a couple of injections to clear up 

This is what my horses head looked like when it was starting to clear up after the treatment. It was scabby and bleeding previously but i cant find any pics to show that!!


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## merlyn26 (Feb 4, 2010)

this time of year its most likely to be lice causing itching and hair loss - simple to treat just get some of that coopers fly repellant - white liquid in a bottle covered by green and yellow packaging - as it treats for lice too. - but worth checking with a vet that its not ringworm as its not only contageous between horses but zoonotic too so you could catch it yourself!


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## Melx (Dec 23, 2009)

One of my horses had lice and ringworm about a month ago now from the place I bought him from. I first noticed when his furr starting falling out when I was grooming him one day and a layer of his skin along with it. 
The biggest problem with Ring worm is that it can lay dorment for up to 6 months and being so contageous could mean that any horse he has come into contact with could be infected.
I called the vet as obviously the panic alarms started ringing, But she told me straight away what it was and gave me 2 treatments to give him. The one for ring worm was a solution I mixed with water, the first time I had to cover his body in it and then 4 times after, with 3 days between each treatment, I had to just put it onto the patches of hairloss. 
The lice treatment is exactly what merlyn26 said, it is a white liquid you mix with water and I found the easiest thign to do was to buy a spray bottle (one you would usually use in the garden of something) And sprayed him all over everyday for 5 days. The first time you use it, it isnt nice as where the lice try to escape the liquid they run all over the body which does cause the horse a horrible itching sensation, Mine started running around in his stable around in circles!!
They are very easily treated but you must remember everything that has come into contact with the infected horse must be teated too. The horses stable (if in one) needs to be disinfected, or if the horse is living out make sure the fence posts get treated as that could carry the disease too.
Good Luck


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## laddieisthebest (Feb 17, 2010)

Thankyou for all the help guys! much appreciated ! 
It turned out to be lice , and its has now successfully been treated & it has vanished! Thanks everyone!


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## silly gilly (Apr 7, 2008)

I have never used coopers fly repellant as i didnt know it treated lice as well. I will get some as the louse powder u get now is pathetic. They seem to be prevellent this year as well. Thanks for the tipxx


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## sunnygg171 (Apr 14, 2010)

They want to make it possible to return the Necromancer in a future expansion, so the Witch Doctor is using plagues instead of the kind the real dark magic kinda spells.By the way plagues and stuff fits the Voodoo concept alot more than curses... Although I guess they could have a skill where you hurt enemies by using a voodoo doll or something..


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