Could my horse be allergic to alfalfa?

Question

He has a terrible skin condition; vet says he is allergic to something. He has bloody scabs all over his belly and on his chest and in various spots. I decided to feed him timothy hay and see if it clears up. I heard that many horses are allergic to alfalfa but don't know what the symptoms are.

Answer 1

I know that protein overload is associated with multiple body system malfunctions, including proneness to scratches (mud fever) and skin disorders, and parasite susceptibility.  I would want to look at the overall amount of protein to see if it is excessive before assuming it is an allergy.  So many long term damaging effects occur with overload, and they don't all show up right away, that I'd be sure the alfalfa is not putting the horse over the top on the protein intake. As for symptoms of allergy to alfalfa, I don't have that information.

Answer 2

I am going through that now myself.  trying to figure out if its flys or alfalpa...  i noticed that the hives and/or scrapes are only around his face chest and front legs no where else...  also he is acting strange he will paw and make noise in the middle of the night due to the itching.  i have been giving him baths 3 x a week and using micro tec bacteria spray daily as well as a oil based citronella fly spray and its not really working. No flys though.   so i have been slowly removing alfapha from him and am replacing it with oat pellets.   today he will get his first day of all oat based feed tonight.  i will keep you up to date.  also the vet is coming friday to check as well.  good luck and talk to you soon

Jamie

Answer 3

I have a mare that is sensitive to it, it makes her have gas colic. Anything more than a half a flake aggravates her, even though she loves it. That said I have a horse with very sensitive skin and have had him break out in hives from the bedding in his stall. If you have a photo of the scabs that would be helpful to some I would think, just in case someone has had a similar experience.

Answer 4

My horse Joker has what is called Queensland Itch.

put moisturizer on it twice a day (once in the morning once in the evening)

goodluck