| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Letti |
Posted - 30 Mar 2008 : 6:23:02 PM
Hello everybody,
I'm sorry to disturb you but I live in France and my horse has Leucocytoclastic Vasculitis for 8 months now on two of his 4 white legs and the veterinarians are not able to cure it.
In France it is not comon at all (my horse is the one living case !)
I am very anxious cause it is getting worther and worther and I would like to know if some of you have had horses with leucocytocalsatic vasculitis and how did they treat them ?
Thank you very much if you can help me because I'm kind of desperate.
Thanks
Laëtitia |
| 25 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| mogwai |
Posted - 27 Oct 2010 : 09:47:12 AM
U.V light is the main one, though some report certain feeds as being triggers, or at least aggravators.
The trigger is different to the initial cause which again varies. Yellow plants seem to be one causes, though in our case i'm pretty sure it wasn't ingesting the plant, but from the pollen (from buttercups) being in contact with the skin.
Here's a Dr Knottenbelt paper on the subject (though about vasculitis in general there are some interesting points about L.V)
http://www.evj.co.uk/archive/downloads/EVE02_14_247_251.pdf
Like with so many equine conditions there seem to be few definitives
Ros |
| Pop |
Posted - 25 Oct 2010 : 12:26:37 PM
Thanks, yes, that was where my thinking was going. What are the other triggers? Thanks. |
| mogwai |
Posted - 25 Oct 2010 : 11:11:29 AM
Not sure to be honest. U'v light is just one of the (main) triggers for L.V. I wonder if photosensitivity is just undiagnosed L.V? |
| Pop |
Posted - 25 Oct 2010 : 10:13:26 AM
Whats the difference between Photosensitivity and LV? does anyone know. The symptoms and treatment seem to be the same.
Thanks. |
| mogwai |
Posted - 25 Oct 2010 : 10:05:48 AM
Just as a point of interest, since developing the L.V my 2 year old has had very very sensitive skin. Not just in the areas affected by L.V, but generally. All summer her coat has been scurfy, she's been really itchy (which started last year so may not be connected, it's difficult to tell because she's only 2 so there isn't a long history to work out normals) and she reacts to EVERYTHING! The only thing i can put on her without her reacting to it is aloe vera (organic, straight with no additives. tried another brand with added extras and she reacted to it!). She bashed her leg on something the other day abd cut herself just above the knee (dark pigment) so to be on the safe side i slapped on some sudocrem. She's had sudocrem on before and it's never bothered her, but this time the hair around the area fell out and she started to get little scabs and felt inflamed and hot. I washed the sudo crem off, sprayed on some steroid spray and covered the area with a tubi grip, and within a few days she was fine. The reaction was very similar to the one she had lower down the leg to sunlight.
You live and learn i guess. At the moment it seems that her whole skin is reactive, and that any blockage results in an exaggerated response. I'll be sticking to my (hugely expensive) organic aloe vera!
Every day's a school day
Ros |
| mogwai |
Posted - 16 Oct 2010 : 10:08:04 AM
I think there's two things here. The scabs MUST come off, otherwise the reation will persist.
I also think that any cream, whatever it contains has the potential to do more damage than good. I'd always go for the cortivance spray so the skin can still breathe.
Personally i'd never use purple spray. Some does contain chlorhexidine (active ingredient in hibiscrub) many are only any use for fungus, hence their use for foot problems but not skin and certainly not l.V.
From a supplement perspective, i wouldn't give anything that worked to boost the immune system. L.V is an autoimmune condition and the immune system is working overtime as it is. Cut out any of the potential triggers (alfalfa, molasses etc)and feed a natural diet free of chemicals if possible. Supporting the gut is always worthwhile too.
Ros |
| KittyB |
Posted - 15 Oct 2010 : 8:24:54 PM
I had the vet back again today. A new patch has appeared on her near hind cannon. The other legs are healing up where it first started, but still pretty scabby in places - and sore. This (different) vet sedated her, clipped her legs which took all the hard scabs off, we then washed with Maloseb (sp?) shampoo (anti fungal/anti bacterial) and she's given me some different cream to trial on two patches. One the new bit, and one old bit. This cream is Fuciderm, whereas I had been using Fucidin. Fuciderm contains steroid as well as antibiotic. She said they were initially concerned about using steroid as it can make the skin thin, but we're at the point of trying anything now. I've got this for a week, then we'll assess if it's doing any better than the Fucidin. After that it's biopsy time. The vet doesn't think it's anything to do with light now, as she's been in during the day for 4 weeks and we've still got a new patch.
I got my first bill, for the week's hospitalisation and all the treatment and drugs etc in that week - eek - OH had a thrombo. Hope it doesn't go on too much longer ... I'll have to start moonlighting. |
| Punky |
Posted - 14 Oct 2010 : 8:27:06 PM
My Pure bred gelding had "mud fever" this time last year. After a change of vet, my new (current) vet tried all the various treatments already mentioned by others in this forum with limited success. He took biopsies which confirmed the diagnosis of LV. What eventually worked was a 6 week course of Trantal (which dilates the blood vessels) backed up with Cortavance (a steriod spray for the skin). The Trantal was very expensive, but my boy now has hair on all four legs, no swelling and only slightly pink skin. He also wore Equichaps sun boots 24/7, with tubigrip underneath to stop them rubbing (thanks for the tip!).
I had one scab that appeared a few weeks ago. I could tell by the colour of the scab it was LV rather than mud fever or an injury. I treated it by washing with hibiscrub daily for a week (patting dry with paper towels), and spraying with Cortavance daily for three weeks. After three weeks the scab had gone! All of this time I kept the leg covered with the sun boots and tubigrip.
He is now stabled at night and turned out in the day without anything on his legs (although I'll change this if necessary) and has been free of any scabs or swelling for two weeks. I know it's early days, but I hope that if I monitor it closely, and treat any possible areas with the Cortavance as soon as they appear I can at least control the condition.
My vet says that what works for one horse won't necessarily work for all horses, but I think as it worked for my chap it could work for others. I hope so  |
| rosie |
Posted - 14 Oct 2010 : 7:32:27 PM
Re: boots
If its LV rather than mud fever, then the equi-sunboots worked for us.
Until 2 years ago I thought Rosie suffered from mud fever but then after reading on here, I realised it was LV.
She has boots on 24/7 from April-Sept.
The boots do slip down the leg, & do quickly get quite threadbare but they still work ok.
We've had 2 summers now with no symptoms on her, but she has worn the boots constantly. |
| angelarab |
Posted - 14 Oct 2010 : 4:47:27 PM
What boots are people buying? I have some short sportabac turn outs, do i use just during the sunny days?(we are clear at the moment used flamazine) |
| Kazzy |
Posted - 14 Oct 2010 : 4:00:15 PM
Mine has come back not as bad as last year but still its come back!!
I have tried the sudocream and have stopped using it after erading on here because a little scab has gone 20 times the size through using gunk!! I think dust and dirt sticks to it and makes it worse, so I have gone back to just wound powder and so far it seems to be drying up and the scabs falling off, he wont let me anywhere near his legs without a fuss so just puffing the dry wound powder seems to be doing the trick. I havent washed them down after last year, I think it made it worse, and it multiplied overnight so I will carry on with the wound powder and see if these blasted scabs fall off.
I have tried everything else ie, hoof to heel, sudacream, dermasol, antiseptic cream, every cream I can think off and I think all these creams made it worse.
Janet |
| KittyB |
Posted - 12 Oct 2010 : 1:50:31 PM
Latest update: after 3 weeks I've finally managed to get the condition under control. I got back to the vet as she just seemed to be getting worse, the antibiotics didn't seem to improve the condition, neither did the Flamazane. In the end, she went into hospital where she stayed for 5 days, injected everyday with strong antibiotic, she was sedated several times for leg cleaning, given painkillers, and washed with antibacterial/antifungal shampoo and Fucidem rubbed on. She's been home now for nearly 2 weeks. I wash every other day, cream twice a day, turnout just at night. She's finished antibiotics and hasn't had any pain relief for over a week. She's happy enough to wander round the field and the swelling is subsiding. The scabs are still there, but touch wood no new ones and the initial sores have now healed with new pink skin underneath. What an absolute nightmare, but hopefully now we're on the road to recovery. I need some bute myself to deal with the vet's bill! |
| Zena |
Posted - 21 Sep 2010 : 3:26:30 PM
Hi Kittyb my vet says purple spray is similar to hibiscrub .ive tried sudocrem/sunblock/iodinebased products/hibiscrub/udder mint/dermosolve/cooler boots and more recently manuka honey which i stopped after 2 days as her leg went more swollen and angry. i got from my vet today Fuciderm gel which is a steroid/antibiotic cream for dogs so very mild and to apply that twice day till friday when he will be out again and see some progress hopefully .i so didnt want to go down the route of steroids etc but ive tried almost everything so now have to be more aggressive with it as it seems to be getting progressivly worse. but dont just rush out and get what antibiotics etc speak to your vet and make sure you have tried all avenues first .also im to keep it covered so will be using tubigrip bandages when she is out but im bringing her in just now through day .keep her out of sun .would like someone to suggest a suitable supplement to strenghthen immune system and support liver also she will be lacking the vits that u get from the sun thanks nat x |
| KittyB |
Posted - 21 Sep 2010 : 1:44:43 PM
Has anyone tried purple spray? I can hardly touch my mare's legs at present. I thought someone'd tried it with vaseline over as a barrier? |
| Zena |
Posted - 20 Sep 2010 : 6:18:12 PM
Manuka honey does not work for this im afraid my mares leg is alot more swollen and sore im now back to sudocrem and plenty high factor sunblock till my vet comes .i dont understand how this has appeared as shes been managed the same for past 3 yrs and never shown any signs :( |
| KittyB |
Posted - 20 Sep 2010 : 1:39:56 PM
My mare now seems to be getting worse. All 3 white legs are now affected, despite her being in during daylight hours. Have stopped hibiscrub and using Flamazine very sparingly (when she'll let me touch it!), but she's even objecting to tepid water. The antibiotics don't seem to be touching it. I'm getting back to the vet. Fed up and so is she.
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| Zena |
Posted - 19 Sep 2010 : 11:24:43 PM
This sounds very familiar my mare has weepy scabs up her cannon bone .all 4 heels fine maybe a touch pink tried sudocrem/sunblock /hibiscrub iodine based products and udder mint now onto makuna honey see how we get on .shes not lame but leg swollen and area looks angry .u say mogwai your lot got it first in the snow my mare was out all last winter 24/7 in that snow n never had any sign of this thats why im struggling for a diagnosis . also never been near buttercups or hogweed etc. but after reading this thread i am ordering uv boots straight away as i feel that is def what it is thanks for telling me to read this thread im now more confident that its sun and damp that causes it x |
| mogwai |
Posted - 19 Sep 2010 : 7:25:16 PM
Glad you've seen some improvement. The thing that Dr Knott said to me that stuck the most (and i've said it before, so apologies!) is whatever you do, don't put any gunk on it "NO GUNK"! Bar the flamazine and that only needs to go on to soften the scabs, and steroid spray, nothing else.
All the best to you and your girl. Don't forget to wrap her up in the snow too, that's when mine got it.
Ros xx |
| KittyB |
Posted - 17 Sep 2010 : 1:55:38 PM
Blood test back - liver is ok, some slight raising of one out of five indicators but vet said it could be her age (15), or slight gut disorder (probably due to the stress of being in pain, in the stable and not able to boss all the geldings about!), but nothing to worry about. I brought her in at 6am today, unwrapped the bandage and cling film, wiped off the cream and was heartened to see that some of the scabs have softened. I gently dabbed it with warm water (no hibiscrub) and she was obviously still in pain so didn't do too much. Dabbed it dry and put her in the stable for the day. And all this before work! Tonight I'll put on the silver cream (Flamazine), and cling film it up again. Hopefully in a few days, with the anti-biotics aswell, it will ease up. I'm getting some Equilibrium close contact chaps tonight so once it's clear, I can put these on to keep the light off.
Thanks for the words of encouragement - it means a lot. |
| mogwai |
Posted - 16 Sep 2010 : 9:39:58 PM
I'm so glad it's been of some use to you. I hope her liver function tests come back ok. You'll be suprised how quickly it goes with the right management. It sounds very similar to my mare's symptoms, though hers were on all 4 legs. The pain was excrutiating, her legs were really puffy and swollen, and it seemed that every pore was weeping a yellow serum.
Best of luck with her xxx |
| KittyB |
Posted - 16 Sep 2010 : 9:25:18 PM
Oh dear. I think we have this, or photo-sensitivity. I thought it was odd - symptoms of mud fever, only without the mud. My vet gave me Flamazine today and some anti-biotics to treat my mare's condition. Scabby white leg - up her cannon to her knee, was oozing fluid, swollen and she was very lame. When I touched it she reared. She's been in for 24 hours, now I've put the cream on, clingfilm and bandage and turned her out tonight. She's never been like this before - the odd little scab on her heels, but never anything quite so bad. I hope it clears up soon. The vet took some blood and she's phoning with the result tomorrow - I asked her to check her liver function. I'm going to get some of those turnout boots at the weekend. Poor thing, it must be awful for her.
I've found the thread very interesting and extremely helpful - particularly the feeding and treatment suggestions.
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| shah |
Posted - 26 Aug 2010 : 08:24:28 AM
Not really. There was a subject on scabby heals on the AL discussion part just recently. All sounded like LV to me but people don't know what it is so may not necessarily come check this tread.
My new lad has had spots of LV this summer, it's all started as part of several other health issues, hence I think it's all part of a larger picture. He's been out with the Cashel boots and as he's stabled during the day anyway the LV has been very light and easily manageable. But I have been reading and researching loads and one thing that I would suggest is that for those with LV and hive-like symptoms you should really investigate leaky gut as a possible cause, in fact gut issues may be a possible cause of many immue system linked problems. My lad has ulcers and I'm curious to see if the LV goes away once the ulcers are healed. |
| ella |
Posted - 25 Aug 2010 : 5:33:03 PM
I came across a new, breathable, antibacterial, sun cream called "Filta Bac" today. May be useful for some?
There seem to have been less cases this year, is that because it's been drier I wonder?  |
| mogwai |
Posted - 12 Aug 2010 : 8:48:40 PM
Oh i'm so glad he's feeling better! All mine except the fatty get linseed, it'sa good for all sorts of things. You can micronised too, it's good the digestive system too that way, and you feed it whole without having to boil it for hours!
Yes, there's always something! You get over one thing and something else happens!
So glad he's enjoying life a bit more now
xx |
| mazey |
Posted - 12 Aug 2010 : 8:18:09 PM
Hi Ros, The boy is doing good. He's been on a homeopathic remedy from the vets for the past 2 weeks and I got some Aloe Vera/tea tree gel which I've been putting on him. It's clear and not thick cream so I figured it wouldn't block the skin pores, but it is healing and also hydrating. Most of the scabs have dried up and are like hard bits of grit, so are coming off without leaving bleeding skin. He's much more himself, was careering around the field yesterday so he is definitely feeling better, although he is still thin. I've just also started feeding linseed oil, I figure omega 3 will be helpful- its anti-inflammatory and his legs are still slightly puffy . I'm still putting him in if the UV is strong and turning out in the evenings, but he seems happy enough with this arrangement.
I've just spent an hour today scything hogweed from one of my fields so hopefully there are no more toxic plants for him to eat.
Next year I'll definitely have to be more vigilant. Now his legs are better he will probably go to Bristol to have xrays for the headshaking -flippin eck its just one thing after another. Glad yours is doing well.
Trudi |
