Gruesome pics

Here are a couple of update pics of Zanas face,dont look good im afraid so make sure you sat down.

poor baby... have they done skin scrapings I can't remember??? could it be some kind of mange?

Skin scrapings normal,we been down the mange route.

Now there has got to be a vet out there that can tell you what this is. That poor girl. Has your vet contacted any others to ask about this. I feel so bad for her. I wonder if Benadryl would help.

Is it only on her face and nowhere else?
It looks alot like a friend's horse who had a reaction to alsike clover.
Poor girl, she must be miserable.

Poor baby. I hope they get it figured out and get her some relief. There has to be somone out there that knows what is going on and what to do for it.

http://www.roodandriddle.com/

Why dont you send these photos and all the treatment information, and test run to them, explain to them your in england and may have to be put down. Its at least a good try.

we have a diagnosis.Its Alopecia Areata theres no cure/treatment.
All we doing now is making her comfortable with steriods,cream and anti biotics.
They also found a microscopic thorn in her muzzle which has caused this Alopecia Areata.It was such a tiny fragment that it could have easily have been missed it was just a stroke of luck it was in her biopsy that was taken.

What body system does this involve? Is it just the skin or does it have something to do with the lymphatic system as well? I am trying to get you some help for a really good friend of mine, but I've never heard of this, just need to know how it's caused and what body system it affects...

Found this....

Hair growth occurs in cycles and is influenced by photoperiod and, to a lesser extent, ambient temperature. Hair growth is regulated by a complex interaction of the hypothalamus and hypophysis of the pituitary gland (in the brain) to regulate multiple hormones, including melatonin, prolactin, thyroid hormone, and cortisol. The exact signals to the equine hair follicles that induce active hair growth (anagen), the transitional stage (catagen), and the resting stage (telogen) are not known. The length of time the hair spends in each of these stages is dependent on the region of the body, age, breed, and sex. The growth of hair can be modified by a variety of physiologic or pathologic factors.

Hair cycle stages and, thus, hair growth and loss, occur in a mosaic pattern in horses, meaning adjacent hair follicles are in different stages of growth at the same time. Horses in temperate climates generally shed the long coat of winter over several weeks to the shorter haircoat of summer. But occasionally horses will have a less-coordinated transition from a seasonal coat (winter to spring, fall to winter), during which more hairs are shed in a period of time than new hair growth occurs, leading to a very thin coat or, very rarely, to areas of alopecia (baldness). In this condition the skin is normal and a skin biopsy reveals normal hair follicles. Over a period of several weeks the new hair growth "catches up" with the hair loss, and the coat is normal.

Hair loss, either patchy or total hair coat, can also occur following periods of stress (such as pregnancy) or generalized illness in which the growth period of the hair is considerably shortened

and many hair follicles enter the resting stage at one time. Patchy or generalized hair thinning or alopecia can occur four to 12 weeks following the stress.

Hairs shed during the resting stage can be recognized by microscopic examination. A febrile episode, infectious disease, or metabolic problem might also interfere with the growth phase, which can result in abnormalities of the hair follicle and the hair shaft. Hair loss in these instances occurs rapidly--within days of the insult. Microscopic examination of the shed hair shows damage to the hair shaft. In both of these instances, the hair will regrow when the initial insult is resolved.

Alopecia areata is an uncommon condition in which the skin is totally normal and patches of well-circumscribed (limited in space, well- localized) hair loss can also occur. The lesions are most often seen on the horse's face, neck, and trunk. The lesions are not painful or pruritic (itchy), and exposed skin might have more pigment than normal. A skin biopsy can be useful in establishing this diagnosis. In some horses hair might regrow, but it will appear thin and lighter in color. No treatment is currently available.

In any skin condition where changes in the skin itself occur with the hair loss, one must consider infection of the hair follicles (such as with staphylococcal species), dermatophilosis (an infectious exudative dermatitis caused by Dermatophilus congolense), dermatophytes (parasitic fungi such as ringworm), or Demodex mites. If in doubt, a careful examination of the entire horse to rule out systemic conditions and a skin biopsy are most likely to yield a definitive diagnosis.



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Triple J .. I have been looking all morning on line too..

I just wonder if the little needle they found may have caused this reaction and once removed she will recover I did notice the articles I read said the hair may grow back a different color. I hope she gets some relief and the swelling goes down..

At least now you know what it is. According to Triple J's info, it sounds like although it looks terrible, she isn't in any pain from the alopecia.

According to my vets,its not supposed to form broken crusty patches like it has on her.All her bloodwork came back normal,the vets just cant believe that her bloodwork was normal.They have never seen anything like this before.

If you dont mind long text i will copy my report

Thats the strange thing she is in pain and alot of it,she getting real itchy with it to.

From all the stuff I read on it the diagnoses is hair loss and it's the same thing for animals and humans. Doesn't really explain how and why it happened.

The wheeping and itching sound more like an allergic reaction that may have occured. If they found a little needle in her nose this may have caused the reaction It will be interesting to see if this goes away after removing that.

Steroids are used on horses to reduce inflimation among many other reasons.. I wonder if they have some thing other then that for an allergic reaction? Such as epinepherine (not sure of the spelling EPI for short). This is what people who are allergic to bee's (and other things) use when they get stung. Course these reactions in humans who use this are life and death situations. Maybe an antihistomine (not sure about that spelling either..LOL) Would be nice to bring that swellling down, stop the wheeping and get rid of the pain.

RIGHT HERE GOES.

Clinical information:
At 9 months gestation developed alopecia on face,swelling of skin on face,and nodules between mandibles. Negative for ringwrom and parasites. Bloods at 9 months gestation normal. No respose to antibiotics and NSAIDs. Foalled normally. Has now gotten worse. Include biopsies from cheek and muzzle. Aspirate from nodules between mandibles.

Macroscopic description 1) 2 grey skin punch biopsies 6mm bisected. Cut section pale and grey. Skin fragment embedded whole. 2) Scabby grey skin punch biopsies,6mm. Bisected,cut section pale.

Microscopic description: Haired skin, 1 and 2:Obscuring the superficial dermis to the deep and lateral margins are myriad macrophages,lymphocytes,plasma cells and occasional neutrophils with rare multinucleated giant cells. Mulitfocally follicular epithelial sheaths are infiltrated and destroyed by neutrophils and lymphocytes, with pools of dengerate neutrophils within the intact lumen. Focally there is a 100 x 300 um fragment of material with numerous oblique PAS postive octagonal components, each with an indidvidual central pore (plant material,PRESUMPTIVE) within the mid-dermis. The overlying epidermis is moderatley to markedly hyperpalstic with multifocal ulceration. Ulcerated regions are infiltrated by myriad degenerate neutrophils within an eosinophilic martix(serosuppurative crusts). Entrapped with these crusts are variably sized colonies of gram postive cocci. There is multifocal parakeratotic hyperkeratosis..
Examination of cytology preps reveal normal blood

Thats was hard to type with all those big vet words.

She is on steriods now,fuciderm cream on face twice a day,hibiscrub her face twice a day.Plus antibiotics.
Steriods in form of 100 tablets a day,yikes

epinephrin would not be of use... as it is basically adrenaline. Say if you had a horse in anaphylactic shock, thats where EPI would come into use.

I have equine antihistamenes for my mare... and maybe that is something this situation could use?

Poor Zana

Quote :

noun
a catecholamine secreted by the adrenal medulla in response to stress (trade name Adrenalin); stimulates autonomic nerve action [syn: epinephrine]

I'm glad they figured out what it was. I hope the meds kick in so she can have some relief. I would think it would be real itchy. Looking at the pics I just want to scratch it for her. Sending quick recovery thoughts!

shazgeoff wrote:

Thats the strange thing she is in pain and alot of it,she getting real itchy with it to.

Well you know when your healing you itch Maybe that is a good sign. Could your vets be wrong?? I mean is this a guess on their part? Why dont you shoot an email over to the link I sent you, They fly horses from all over the world to them. Wouldn't hurt?

They really arnt to sure on what it is

ive emailed those people TJ with pics,will see if anything comes of it.

It really looks like some kind of auto-immune thing.

This is the reply i got form Bryan Waldridge at Rood and Riddle equine hospital.

Alopecia areata usually affects the entire horse and should be hair loss only. The biopsy has some of the lesions expected. If only the head of the horse is affected, I would be suspicious of some other problem, such as cancer occluding blood or lymph flow from the head. It is possible that some deep seeded infection or abscess could be doing the same. Special staining of the biopsies for immune complexes against the skin or hair follicles may confirm some sort of auto-immune disease. If the horse has been on steroids for a week or so (prednisolone I assume) and has not improved, then I doubt that they will have much effect.



From what little I see from the pictures, and without examining the horse- the prognosis unfortunately does appear very poor

They are sooo good. I know of horses being shipped from England to there for treatments, Like Race horses. I am so sorry the news from there was not better, From what I read, It didnt sound like all that I was reading fit your mare. Darn! I was hoping for some, OH ITS THIS, and This is the way we treat it!

I was hoping for some kinda miracle myself,but there you are.
All i can do is make her comfortable until foaled is weaned.
Steriods at mo still not working.