He never used to do this, but now I notice that he is starting to scratch his tail. He has a lot of dandruff on the base of hie tail, so I brush it off everyday. I am currently feeding him flax as well (It helped with my other horse's dandruff problem).
What other things can I do so that he will stop scratching his tail?
I'm assuming you have him on a good deworming schedule, becuase worms can definitely cause a horse to rub his tail. It could be allergies, but it could be just dry skin. Sometimes just applying a good spray-on conditioner like this one made by Healthy Hair Care
http://discounthorse.com/i-917039-health ... is useful. I have also heard that spraying the dock with Listerine helps reduce itching and tail rubbing, but never tried it myself.
Wash and rinse his tail really really good and use a good conditioner (including under his tail)
Clean the inside of his sheath. Sometimes when a horse has a dirty itchy sheath they cant scratch there so they will rub their butt (tail)
pets question and answers,www.5d2d.com If he continues to rub, you can use listerine mouth wash on his tail, (this kills any bacteria and will stop the itch)
If his tail continues to have dandruff put baby oil on his tail and comb it in really well.
Not sure why the one person said horses have no feeling in their tails ..... they certainly do have feeling all the way to the bottom of the bone!
It sounds like it could be sweet itch which involves an allergy to no-see-ums or cullicoides insects. In this case, the omega 3 fatty acids in flax might help some and won't hurt. You need to keep the bugs off, preferably with a natural spray. A topical ointment might help, but not too oily. In my area, there is a shampoo called Toad Jelly that has worked wonders for my horses used every other day and usually just on the affected area. Avoid using any shampoo that will dry out the skin. There is also a product called Calm Coat that can be used after the area is dry.
Make sure your deworming program is effective and that your horse's sheath is clean. If it doesn't go away with home treatment, then talk to your vet. We have used an antihistamine hydroxizine pamoate with my horses when they get bad. Ot is better for them in the long run than using steroids. My vet has also had me use an acne shampoo at times ... can't remember the exact name.
pets question and answers,www.5d2d.com Good luck!
Just make sure he is hydrated and I would continue feeding him flax. It also doesn't help that this time of year its particularly dry outside and he may just have dry skin. Horses don't have any feeling in their tail, so any discomfort he is experiencing is coming from the skin around the base of the tail.
it could be an allergic reaction that's just making him itchy or it could be sweet itch.
My girl was allergic to everything, and when I say everything i mean it. Grass, flies, hay, horse flies, deer flies, leaves, the bushes. The list just goes on and on but all it did was make her bum itchy but she perfectly fine and happy now:)
so don't worry if it is its nothing dangerous but im thinking that it is sweet itch or that her tail is just really dry and itchy.
You don't say where you are or what your weather is. We have seen that kind of behaviour from irritation by ticks, from fungus (which we try to cure with Betadine (povidone iodine), and from a sheath or udder that needs cleaning. If we need to stop an obvious itch instantly we might use a benzocaine ointment ( such as Lanacane) topically. (Lanacane is not specifically recommended for horses, and I would not use it more than once or twice because all it does is to hide the problem.)
do you deworm? a horse suddenly scratching its tail often means it has a worm infestation. have your vet check a fecal sample.
pets question and answers,www.5d2d.com if teh fecal sample is fine, feed extra vitamin E. ... helps with skin and coat issues (visit smartpak.com to see whats out there. also use something conditioning topically (a conditioner or something like showsheen)
does your horse have allergies? maybe you need something for that.
you can also try using a numbing lotion like lanacane (found in human drugstores) on it! worked for my mare! you have to get it down to the skin though! you can also try dandruff shampoo! (yes people use it for their horses ! the drugstore is better than any tack store for half of your horse related needs!)
One thing you might try is to get a tight grip on a small clump of hair at his tail head between your thumb and side of your forefinger and pull as you bend it over your forefinger. You will hear a pop like when someone pops their knuckles, do that in several places, it may help.
He could be allergic to something. my horse went bald from itching so much last summer. but then we had and allergy test done and found out he is allergic to everything! he is allergic to every single hay except orchard grass. if there is even a teeny bit of alfalfa in it, he itches. just something to consider :)
