What are these bumps on my horse?

Question

I just received a horse from a friend nearly a week ago and suddenly today I noticed a massive amount of bumps along her neck and shoulder that were most definitely not there the day before. My friend says it may just be fly bites, but for such a large amount to happen in such a short amount of time seems nearly impossible. I was thinking she might be having an allergic reaction to a type of fly repellent we just recently got called Absorbine Bug Block. They don't really seem to be bothering her but it still is worrying me. I'm really not sure what it is so any information would be so helpful.

Answer 1

It could be an allergy. Get it checked out by a vet. It is most likely bug bites. One day my TB mare slept in an ant pile out in the pasture. This happened to her. There are supplements that can help this.

Answer 2

Yeah, my horse had the same thing this week. Also, the flies and mosquitoes have been very bad lately.

Me and my instructor figured out that they were bug bites, he got them at night (so I saw them in the morning) then in the afternoon they were gone. The next day it happened again, so yesterday i put a fly sheet on him, and extra fly spray on his neck and the bumps were gone.

It could be an alergic reaction though. You might want to get it checked out.  

Answer 3

Lots of things that this can be and lots of things they can be caused by so i will give you all of my ideas

could be bug bites the bugs can get bad in certain areas especially around dusk and dawn (which otherwise is a good time to turn them out because it is cooler then)

it could be an allergic reaction to the fly spray and just keep an eye on it and make sure it doesn't spread and if it does try switching fly sprays

it could be funk which is a skin infection that could be caused by a bad load of shavings of hay and it can also show up after they get hives which could also be caused by bad shavings or hay

if this horse is coming from somewhere off property it could just be that the horse is not used to the hay, shavings, grain or anything else and you should probably talk to the old owner in that case to try and figure out what to change

I would talk to a vet as soon as you can because you want to make sure that this is not going to end up hurting your horse

Answer 4

Probably Horse Flies....even if you have spray on them they can still get bit...nothing to worry about unless they get much bigger and stuff starts coming out...other than that you are fine!

Good Luck

Answer 5

Keep an eye on it and see if it gets any worse...it could be from any number of causes, including multiple types of insect bites.  Unless you brushed the fly spray vigorously to get it onto the skin, it probably isn't that.  On the other hand, if you groom her neck more extensively than her other parts, it could be a reaction to the fly spray.  If it begins to crust, and the hair begins to fall out, the vet should look at it.

Answer 6

A horse at my barn has that. Its an allergic reaction to bug bites. They won't go away. I might be wrong but, still have them checked by a vet.

Answer 7

It is most definitely hives. My friend's horse has them, and you should get electrolytes to make them go away. they may come back, because most likely, they are an allergic reaction to something like bug bites, bot fly eggs, dust, and chemicals.  try to eliminate as much of these as you can, to keep your horse from continuous discomfort. use organic fly spray, and eliminate as much chemicals and dust you can.

Answer 8

She could have hives, i.e. be allergic, yes. Are the bumps large, small, medium? Are they warm? Try running some water over them to help bring them down...My gelding got hives all over the insides of his thighs once. We haven't a clue what caused it, as he's been in the same pasture, with the same feed, same horses, same dirt, water, fly spray, everything, for years. But running cold water over the area helped. Watching him for a while too, to make sure there is nothing in the pen in question that could be causing the hives that perhaps the horse rolled in, is always a good idea.

It could very well be the repelent. I'd take the horse off of it, and switch to something else, or just not use any all together and see if it goes away. If not, attack her feed. Maybe she's having problems with a certain supplement, or there is something extra in the hay that she is not use to?

If it persists, I would definitely contact your local vet for a professional opinion.  

Answer 9

they are bug bites, one of my horses get them within 4 hours of being out in the pasture even with flyspray on. its no big deal they usually go away when it starts to cool off