Tales of the accident prone horses - guess that ailment part 2

[elise]

Ok so last time I posted it was about Axel's inner thigh sores, which are getting better, he only has 4 left and they're all scabbed over but one. (newest photo here (http://www.ineedanap.net/farmgirl/photos/2006_08/602_axels_sores.jpg))

So now I show up at the barn to find this ...

http://www.ineedanap.net/farmgirl/photos/2006_08/600_codys_nose.jpg
Cody's nose (after I washed and put some zinc oxide on it)

http://www.ineedanap.net/farmgirl/photos/2006_08/601_coreys_nose.jpg
Corey's nose

http://www.ineedanap.net/farmgirl/photos/2006_08/603_kikos_nose.jpg
Kiko's nose

So all the pink nosed horses have some degree of red spots or scabs and sores. What the heck is going on here? If it was one horse I'd think sweet itch or sun burn. But everyone was fine last Tuesday and now 4 out of 6 horses are looking all beat up. Sweet itch is usually on their tails and withers and face isn't it, this is just noses? And I think sweet itch is an allergy, and I am not sure how likely it is that 4 horses would all react in the same week. And it hasn't been very sunny here the past week either.

Does anyone know of some kind of plant that could have done this? It really looks like chemical burns or something. And like they all stuck their nose in something. I kicked them out of the bottom pasture for now until we can figure out what might be causing it. I'm going back out tomorrow to try and clean them up again and get more stuff on their noses (man they didn't appreciate that much tonight).

[galadriel]

It does look like sunburn. Perhaps something has changed in the past week so that they are getting more sun.

[elise]

It does look like sunburn. Perhaps something has changed in the past week so that they are getting more sun.

Hmm well it is a bit cooler out. Maybe they're just standing in the sun more since it's not as hot out.

[julia gulia]

I can't beleive these pictures!!!!! They look just like Barneys nose four weeks ago!!!!
I always put zinc on his nose but he still came up for breakfast one day with a nose just like this!( Worse actually, his scabs were bleeding:) I figured out that the heat caused him to sweat which caused his nose to itch. I applied an anti histamine cream which took care of the itching (he stopped scratching his nose ) and then after two days I started with the zinc again. Problem solved :D
My boy has always had an itchy nose..just the way things go I guess so now I watch him carefully and when it is humid( I know he will start itching) so I do the anti itch cream and then the zinc :p