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Post by FlorayG Sun May 01, 2011 1:34 am

As all the regulars know, Dancing has a severe skin problem. Last week she started to scratch manically and as I had promised myself only one year of natural remedies and trying to find a cure I made the decision, rang the vet and had her injected with a steroid. I felt very relieved on the way home that at least she will be comfortable this summer.
The problem is, it didn't work. She was maybe 50% better for 24 hours and within 2 days was back to square one. This I didn't expect. The vet isn't open again until Tuesday but I strongly suspect she will say there is nothing else she can offer. I have now given myself 2 weeks to find something, anything, that will make her comfortable even if it destroys the hair or poisons her in the end. Otherwise I can't put her or me through that distress and pain again and I will have to have her shot. Can anyone suggest anything at all? All the natural remedies have failed and I just need something that will stop the itching right now.
thanks if you can help No
FlorayG
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Post by Cyndi Sun May 01, 2011 6:12 pm

Ohhhhh, I am SO sorry to hear that neither the injection nor the natural remedies have worked pale If I can find anything, I'll let you know! Even if there was nothing that could be done, it'd be nice if you could at least know what was causing the problem.

The only thing I can think of off-hand is to contact Marijke Van de Water at "Riva's Remedies" to see if she has any suggestions. But because she can't see what's in Dancing's environment, it might be hard for her to know what's going on. She can't see what's going on here either, but she's probably more familiar with what's in Canada than out your way.

I will also contact the homeopath I was dealing with and see if she might be able to give you some ideas (besides checking Dancing for heavy metals) or by some wild chance that she knows someone closer to you.
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Post by FlorayG Mon May 02, 2011 1:26 pm

Thanks Cyndi but she has been under treatment from a homoeopath for 9 months now with no result. She never did respond to it for anything.
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Post by Cyndi Mon May 02, 2011 2:26 pm

I'm so sorry to hear that. If I hear of anything else, I will let you know for sure.
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Post by FlorayG Tue May 03, 2011 3:14 am

I'm going to ask the vet today about Gabapentin she's probably never heard of it yay for the INternet
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Post by Cyndi Tue May 03, 2011 7:53 am

I've never heard of that either. Hmm...something else for me to look up Really bad news Icon_surprised

I got a couple of replies from the horse homeopath. I sent an original message to her, then sent another one saying that you have already been working with a homeopath. I'll paste her comments anyway...

Hello Cyndi,

Severe itching whether from bites from insects due to allergic reactions or allergies themselves have a common problem – the horse doesn’t have the means to deal with inflammation. This is mostly due to nutritional imbalances and toxic build-up. She can do a lot to help her horse so please tell her there are options. The hair test is a great way to see what her horse is missing – I’ve attached the sheet for more information on equine hair testing. If she has any questions please tell her she can contact me anytime. Also, she can go to my website and contact me through there www.homeopathy-for-animals.com

Thank you Cyndi and I hope I can help somehow – would be a shame to put the horse down if there are things we can do.
Ivana

I can forward you the attachment if you want it. Here's the second message she sent me, after I told her that you already had a homeopath...

Hi Cyndi,

We all do things a little differently – and what one Homeopath does can be vastly different. The detox and Nutritional component is huge portion without it the Homeopathy will have a hard time working. Please let her know that before she makes any major decisions.



Hoping for the best for you and Dancing!!
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Post by fin Tue May 03, 2011 2:47 pm

Hi FlorayG Can't offer anything useful, just sympathy and hope that you find something to help. Fin
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Post by lightertouch Thu May 05, 2011 2:17 am

How about the sweet itch vaccination? I don't think its on general release yet, but you might be able to get in on a trial? A long shot I know.... Best of luck, I'm thinking of you both, and sending soothing vibes to Dancing.
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Post by FlorayG Thu May 05, 2011 2:29 pm

I've tried the sweet itch vaccination and, hey, it works...for the sweet itch. This problem doesn't seem to be related and that's what is so frustrating about it.
Thanks Cyndi for contacting your friend, I have been addressing the nutritional and supplement problems, she has been on feed and supplement from Thunderbrook Equestrian for ages and, apart from the raw patches on her back, looks great. I appreciate her input but tell her I have been struggling with this for over 2 years and have promised my horse I will not put her through another year of experimenting and suffering.

Yesterday the vet doubled the steroid dose and made me sign a release against potentially fatal side effects - wish us luck

Oh...and gabapentin...the vet said yes, it might work but she would need about 10 tablets a day for the rest of her life and it's about £1 a tablet Evil or Very Mad
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Post by Cyndi Thu May 05, 2011 6:59 pm

I hope the steroids work.

Thinking about both of you...
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Post by Cyndi Sun May 08, 2011 2:42 pm

Not sure if you're interested in reading this, but thought I'd send it along since I just read it myself. It's from the "Riva's Remedies" website...

Penny and Krisi's Story

Krisi's hives started in July of 2006 and continued through November. Her only relief was when I gave her an antihistamine injection which usually lasted 3 or 4 days. I tried everything from changing shavings, fly sprays, feed and nothing was working. After 10 days on the Riva’s Remedies Equi-derm they were completely gone and have not returned.

As a side bonus, she had a silver dollar size growth on her side which I had cultured and was given a topical ointment to try. After trying many ointments and shampoos it continued to get larger every year for the past four years. I noticed that after the past 5 months of being on the maintenance dose of the Equi-derm it's almost gone and her hair is growing back.

Penny Higdon
Arizona

rrbg_back_to_top.png

sue_izzy.jpgSue and Izzy's Story

Hello Marijke,

I wrote you an e-mail (at the address I found on your website) asking if you thought you had anything that might help my daughter's 9 year old horse Isabelle (Izzy), that suffered terribly and constantly with hives at all times of the year with all diets. The vet had tried several different medications and diet changes, but the only meds that worked were ones we couldn't safely use for long periods of time, and as soon as the meds were stopped, the hives returned with a vengeance. We were at our wit's end because not only does my daughter love this horse to death, she also shows her, and in addition to not looking attractive, the poor horse was always irritable and uncomfortable from being itchy, so didn't perform to her full potential.

You were nice enough to ask me several detailed questions about my daughter's horse and after I answered, you wrote an explanation of the possible causes. You never tried promoting your products - you just honestly answered and tried to help. I asked, "if you had to pick just ONE of your supplements that MIGHT at least offer some relief to the horse, what would you recommend?" and you told me Equi-Derm. Again you didn't push or promote, just answered my question.

I purchased some, and of course we were not optimistic: we had been through so many medications and expenses, just to be disappointed over and over again. We started adding the Equi-Derm to the horse's food, and saw the hives clearing up about 4 days later. Within a week, they were completely gone. We still weren't convinced. We just assumed she was going through a period where they were letting up, but that they would soon return. They didn't. Unbeknownst to me, my daughter ran out of the Equi-Derm but didn't tell me - she figured we probably didn't need any more because the horse was finally "over" whatever was causing the hives. Surprise! They came back in full force after 3 days without Equi-Derm! As soon as we got more, the horse was hive-free within days, again.

We now have NO DOUBT that the mere addition of Equi-Derm to the horse's diet is all it takes to keep her hives free and healthy. We are so very grateful to you.

My daughter and her horse are happily attending shows, and winning lots of ribbons, but more importantly, the horse looks great in all the photos now too! There are many skeptics at the barn where we stable the horse, or perhaps I should say there WERE many skeptics. They all saw with their own eyes the difference in Isabelle before and after the Equi-Derm.

Sincerely,
S.A.
Connecticut
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Post by FlorayG Sun May 08, 2011 3:03 pm

Thanks Cyndi I didn't know of that one. It's a herbal again and I can't put Dancing through any more experiments at this time of year - maybe if she is still with me in the winter when symptoms are not so bad. For now she is 90% better on the steroids, so obviously much, much happier in herself. I've had really bad eczema myself once and I know how awful it makes you feel to never be able to relax and forget it. I was so lucky I WAS cured by a homoeopath and could thereafter avoid the trigger ( if you are interested, it was a tetanus vaccine I had).
And of course Dancing doesn't have hives - she doesn't have anything except the itch. I still think its neurological but no professional will agree with me.
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Post by Cyndi Mon May 09, 2011 1:28 pm

Well, as I said, I thought I'share what I'd read and you can do what you want with it Smile Our four-legged friends bring us such joy, sometimes we have to make hard decisions in order to show them respect and love. I have a friend who is putting her six-year-old dog down tomorrow because he has a very aggressive tumor. They had the tumor removed last fall, and it is back in full force already, so they are not putting their dog through any more surgeries and are letting him go.

I'm SO happy to hear that the steroid injections seem to be giving Dancing some relief!!! cheers
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Post by ccnaturally Wed May 11, 2011 11:36 pm

Having read all the replys to your post, I see most people have covered many ideas for treatments, but what about finding out the cause and removing that.
If you're in the northern hemisphere, which I suspect you are, then its the start of your spring, and with that the toxins in the grass can be quite overwhelming for some horses.
I've found many of my easy keepers get skin itching in the spring, and if removed from the grass and fed on hay, it relieves it and eventually it clears up - as it does completely in the late summer, autumn and winter when the grass is not growing as rapidly and being subjected to extremes of temperature.
Since feeding a toxin binder to my horses they seem to be less affected too.

It may be worth a try and certainly can't hurt your horse but I'd expect it could take a week or more for the symptoms to subside.
Hope this may help,
Cynthia.
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Post by FlorayG Thu May 12, 2011 2:20 pm

HI CC I've been through everything I can to try and cure it and she has it all year round, it's just worse in summer. Nobody can find the cause that's the problem - she has had allergy testing and is allergic to many things. Anyway the steroids are working at last - after 2 weeks - and today I rode her with a saddle on for I think the first time in 2 years. Fingers crossed for her future, ay? Question
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Post by Cyndi Wed Jun 08, 2011 3:06 pm

How are things going, FlorayG? Been thinking about you.
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Post by FlorayG Thu Jun 09, 2011 4:34 am

Thanks Cyndi
Dancing is fine Question on her steroids and I have been riding her and getting run away with regularly. I tried to reduce the dose but the itching came back so she is on 40 tablets every two days. I can only hope they continue to work. I am taking her to Ben Harts Workshop next week to see if he can fix her brakes.
What I want to know now is, what arthritis supplements can I give her with the steroids? She was on Vetrofen for 2 years and that stuff is fantastic but I rang the company and they said no, not to give it with steroids. The steroids of course mask the inflammation in her joints but they don't stop further damage occurring. Any ideas, anyone?
I was talking to a friend yesterday about Dancing's problems and realised she has been technically unsound for 12 years. She's not doing too bad, considering!
FlorayG
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Post by Cyndi Thu Jun 09, 2011 7:17 pm

I'm glad to hear that she's getting some relief.

Would be interested to hear how the Ben Hart clinic goes!
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Post by FlorayG Sat Aug 06, 2011 8:43 am

Update - the steroids stopped working totally about a month ago. Even a dose of 80 tablets (400mg) every day was having no effect and we were back to square one. I had already got the local huntsman's number because the vet had no other options to offer. Then at the 11th hour, literally, I found this site www.aromesse.com and they are so sure of their product they give an unconditional money back guarantee. Within 3 days the itching was much improved. After ten days it was almost gone and now in the third week I might even start trying to ride. This stuff is amazing - if you have an itchy horse, dog or cat GET SOME. Probably works on humans, too...costs an arm and a leg, of course...
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Post by Cyndi Sun Aug 07, 2011 10:53 am

How WONDERFUL!!!! cheers cheers cheers cheers

To be honest, when I saw that you had a new post, and then when I read the beginning of your post, I was dreading the worst. And then I read the rest I love you I almost cried when I read it, I was so happy.

I wish you and Dancing many more years of itch-free adventures!! Hugs to both of you!!!
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Post by lightertouch Sun Aug 07, 2011 1:35 pm

Oh that's just AMAZING news FlorayG!!! I'm SO glad for you both! Best of luck with it Smile cheers
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