Skin Hypersensitivity (ACVIM 2006)

There are three categories for hypersensitivity (non-insect-bite related) skin diseases. These include food allergies, atopic dermatitis (a predisposition to allergic disease in response to environmental allergens), and contact allergies caused by
Share
Favorite
Close

No account yet? Register

ADVERTISEMENT

Stephen White, DVM, Dipl. ACVD, a professor in the Department of Medicine and Epidemiology at University of California, Davis, explained that there are three categories for hypersensitivity (non-insect-bite related) skin diseases. These include food allergies, atopic dermatitis (a predisposition to allergic disease in response to environmental allergens), and contact allergies caused by chemicals, bedding, inhaled dust, or other allergenic agents.

True food allergies are very rare according to White. Those that are seen (real or presumed) are usually tentatively diagnosed using the horse’s history which might note an increase in scratching or rubbing or hair loss after a change in feeds or addition of new supplements. Confirmation of food allergies requires feeding a new diet for at least six weeks, eliminating all supplements, and thereby eliciting a decrease in the scratching or rubbing. Final confirmation would require eliciting the recurrence of the scratching or rubbing by challenging the horse with its initial diet.

Initial diagnosis of atopic dermatitis requires a close examination of clinical signs that can include pruritus (the sensation within the skin that causes the horse to scratch or rub itself), alopecia (partial or complete loss of hair), and sometimes pyoderma (bacterial infection of the skin). Depending on the allergens involved, the clinical signs might be noted only in certain seasons.

To give the owner a choice of hyposensitization injections (similar to those used to treat severe "hay fever" in people) White also suggests using intradermal tests (IDT, performed by injecting known allergens into the skin and noting a reaction at the site of injection) or serological allergen tests to determine the actual allergens to be used in the hyposensitization solution

Create a free account with TheHorse.com to view this content.

TheHorse.com is home to thousands of free articles about horse health care. In order to access some of our exclusive free content, you must be signed into TheHorse.com.

Start your free account today!

Already have an account?
and continue reading.

Share

Written by:

Chad Mendell is the former Managing Editor for TheHorse.com .

Related Articles

Stay on top of the most recent Horse Health news with

FREE weekly newsletters from TheHorse.com

Sponsored Content

Weekly Poll

sponsored by:

Where do you primarily feed your horse?
280 votes · 280 answers

Readers’ Most Popular

Sign In

Don’t have an account? Register for a FREE account here.

Need to update your account?

You need to be logged in to fill out this form

Create a free account with TheHorse.com!