Equine Folliculitis, we deal with it every year as the summer coat gets pushed out and the winter coat comes in. It only affects Journey and always begins under her jaw line, then on her face, and then elsewhere on her body. Sooner or late one of the nodules will become infected, abscess, and she has to have a course of medication for staph infection. Her's doesn't follow the text book since she is groomed, she is bathed, and she does not get it where saddle or bridle make physical contact. Face, chest, arm pit (do horse's have arm pits *LOL*). She has had two lesions already which have followed the typical pattern by erupting under her jawline. So far these two have resolved on their own, but I expect more. It is almost as if Journey is a carrier/host for what ever triggers this outbreak. Once it is cleared by 2 weeks of medication we will not revisit it until next year. Wish I could get to the bottom of cause and address that so she wouldn't have to go through this every Fall.
The other thing we address annually is that Journey begins to cough once we start keeping her overnight in her stall. LSEGH closed off her stall from the rest of the barn to cut down on dust particles, but she requires a daily dose of TriHist to remain symptom free. TriHist is now considered a controlled substance! This means in order to get her annual refill of medication I had to have a vet out from Indianapolis $85 farm call, an examination she did not need $35, in order to purchase her meds for 20 days at $50. This means her meds for the winter will cost $320 vs. the $200 I've paid in the past. Why? Meth cookers. Yes, your local drug dealer is costing YOU/ME a bunch on medication for our pets. The prescription will only be good for a year, so we will have to do this annually to keep her treated each winter...makes my blood do a slow boil! Why is it that the law abiding pay the price for the underbelly activities of the drug trade?
Poor Journey, to go through this every year, and poor you for the expense! It's irritating and frustrating how Big Pharma gets away with this, for human and pet drugs.
ReplyDeleteHave you considered her immune system as a root cause? It's just a thought. It goes without saying that you know her best. But I'd like to recommend taking a look at The Natural Vet website, if you haven't already. Dr Dan has literally hundreds of articles, videos and testimonials (several from me). His "Feed for Success" plan is a miracle worker, as is his Bug Check and Hoof Check. One of my horses lived with year-long rain rot, mud fever/scratches, and sunburn until I switched to The Natural Vet. It's been six years, and no recurrence. My OTTB had six or eight hoof abcesses a year for three years, but he hasn't had one in six years. He has a supplement for allergies that is just as highly recommended. Btw, no chemicals in any of these products. Every natural ingredient is on the labels.
I hope you'll try it, even for a month. If you don't see significant results, you'll get every penny back. Dr Dan and his small staff are awesome people, and I hope you'll give them a chance to help Journey!
Sincerely,
Robynne Catheron
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