Our horse, 6 years old now, developed "bumps" last summer from May through December. Mostly on his neck, on his rump between his back legs, and would spread to his back also. Would come and go; but some evidence of bumps were present all summer and fall. Didn't appear itchy. Changed his food, bedding, inside, outside - no common denominator to cause and why they would go away and then return. He is wormed every three months. Bumps returned this spring again; but even worse than before. His whole chest and back is wavy with welts. Our pastures are just greening up. Could we have some weed that he is getting into? Not a very good pasture but it is mowed and does not have any trees or shrubs. His bumps last year lasted through December so I can't believe it is bug allergy since they are long gone in the snow. Vet gave me TriHist to try this year; so far not much change. Any ideas please, and thank you.

Where are you from? Jamestown, NY

How did you locate this forum? luck

Hello Sally,

There is a condition known as “collagen granuloma” that you may want to ask your veterinarian about. It is caused by an immune reaction to the saliva of insect bites and the reaction is slow and steady, causing small nodules. They are painless and do not itch. But, they do not go away on their own. They often multiply and enlarge. If this is what your horse has, your vet can treat them with steroid injections or removing them under local anesthesia.

Your vet seems to think that he is having an allergic reaction of some sort. If that is the case, there are a couple of nutritional interventions that may be helpful. One, is a large dose of vitamin C --- 20 grams at one time, every day. And, in addition to that, a boost to the immune system by helping the body produce its own cellular glutathione – use ImmuSyn by Vita-Flex.

I hope this is helpful.

All the best,

Dr. Getty

Thanks Dr. Getty. The vet is going to pull some blood and send in for allergies/sensitivities testing. In the meantime I'll try your suggestions. The strangeness of his "bumps" is that they can go away almost completely at one part of the day (no consistent time) and come back at a later time. I have noticed so far this year that when it is wet or raining out and he goes out, the bumps tend to minimalize.

Hi Sally,

It does sound like allergies, so I’ll be interested in hearing the results of the bloodwork. Keep me posted.

Dr. Getty

Hi Dr. Getty,
Finally got the results back from the blood sample sent for sensitivities. The report says: borderline positive box elder/maple mix, elm mix, cedar mix, hazelnut pollen, sycamore mix, and elder mix trees (highest score was 194 for cedar; 200 being positive). Borderline bermuda grass and western wheat grass, ragweed mix, pig weed mix, goldenrod. Several molds borderline positive. Flaxseed 176. Borderline positive to dust mite mix, culicoides and 204 for black ants. Oats at 176 and molasses 171.
Right now he is better. Skin is not completely smooth but the large welts are at a minimum; (they first appear on the back of his buttocks between his legs) Could it be that maybe the pollen is the real instigator of is reactions and now it is late May and they may have calmed down some? Should I still try the immusyn? Thanks.

Where are you from? Jamestown

Hi Sally,

Well, well – your fella is sensitive to a lot of stuff in the environment. To answer your question – yes, pollen may very well be the real problem and allergies tend to be seasonal when pollen levels are at their highest. I’m pleased to hear that they are calming down somewhat.

An allergic reaction to an allergen, such as the ones found in pollen, is an immune system response. The healthier the immune system, the better the body is at managing the problem. Allergy shots, for example, illustrate this concept. These shots introduce small amounts of allergen into the body so the immune system can build up an immunity to the invader.

If the immune system is at all suppressed, such as in the case of stress, illness, or even over-exposure to the pollens that are bothering him, it becomes much more difficult for him to overcome the problem. So, if he were my horse, I would try to boost his immune response by giving him extra Vitamin C (Pure C by Vita Flex is an economical choice) along with Immusyn.

I’m glad you were able to determine the problem.

Please let me know if you have any more questions.

All the best,

Dr. Getty

I have recently had the same poblem has sally. I have a 15h coloured cob and love showing him in hand but this year he came up with all these bumps on his neck and shoulders it was quite disturbing and i have been getting pulled up by the judges about them.So i had a blood test done and it has recently come back and said that his allergy is OATS and MOLASSES now i am struggling with what to feed him. also on the test was a borderline of red clover. i wondered if you could help me and have any suggestions on what i can feed him? i would be most grateful

Where are you from? uk

How did you locate this forum? friend

Hi Ali,

You’re very fortunate that he is not allergic to grass!

Oats and molasses are easy to avoid. You’ll want to find a low starch feed that does not contain molasses. Allen and Page (http://www.allenandpage.com) makes a feed called, “Sugar and Cereal Intolerance Diet” that would be perfect for your horse.

In addition, add some Vitamin C to his diet.

Keep me posted!

All the best,

Dr. Getty