Equine Allergy Clinic | by Springhill Equine

Why is Allergy Testing Important?

Horses most commonly manifest their allergies as itchy skin or respiratory signs, called Heaves. Some signs you may see are dry skin, hives, itching of the tail and mane, and coughing. Sometimes it's as minor as poor performance for no good reason! Just like humans, horses are rarely allergic to just one thing. There are many ways to approach the allergic horse but the best way to start is by determining what your horse is allergic to.

Culicoides (gnats or no-see-ums) allergies are generally identified by the pattern of itching but skin testing is the best way to confirm this allergy. These horses have swelling, crusting, and pustules around the top of the tail, center of the mane, and ears. Avoidance is the best treatment for this allergy. Putting your horse in a stall at dusk and dawn under a fan, fly sheets, and long acting fly sprays are great ways to address this allergy.

Food allergies are more difficult to identify. These are easiest to spot during wintertime since there should be few allergens around. If a horse is itchy in January then food allergies must be suspected. Single source food trials and skin testing are two ways to test for this type of allergy. A food trial means your horse is maintained on one type of hay and one type of grain (oats, barley, or corn are the most common starting points) and one type of roughage for 30 days with re-assessment at the end of 30 days. Additional grains are added each 30 days. When the offending source is found, your horse will get itchy again. The most common causes are corn and alfalfa. Skin testing is not 100% but can give us an excellent place to start a food trial.

Now for the trickier ones: Pollens and molds! For these, skin testing is by far and away the best way to identify these allergens. To skin test we inject a very small amount of potential allergens common to our geographic area under the skin. After 30 minutes, 4 hours and 24 hours we check the horse's response. A large response means a likely allergen. Once your horse's allergies are identified we can begin immunotherapy. Through skin testing we produce a customized immunotherapy program for your horse. With gradually increasing dosages and longer times between treatments your horse's immune system learns to tolerate allergens. This allows your horse to live comfortably and drug free!

Intradermal testing and targeted allergy treatments are the safest way to help horses with hives, itching, and heaves. Many of these horses require steroid therapy to stay comfortable. With allergy therapy we treat your horse with gradually increasing strengths of a customized allergy serum (much like a vaccine for allergies) to tell the immune system not to worry about these allergens.

Our goal is to keep your horse comfortable, happy, and drug free. Intradermal testing and targeted therapy offers customized care for your horse's needs.