The wind of heaven is that which blows between a horse's ears.
Arabian Proverb
This is Bounce. He is a purebred Arabian and a real character and fits his name. I took this photo two weeks ago. Bounce is losing his hair. Two-thirds of his facial hair is gone now, large spots on his body and almost all of the mane and tail.The vet was out on Monday and she is fairly confident he has Alopecia. She took a couple of skin biopsies and some blood to check for thyroid and anything else it could possibly be, but it's more than likely that. It's an auto immune disease and it's not treatable. If he continues the hair loss he is experiencing, he will need to be put down. He is 8 years old.
He was a successful halter horse as a yearling and he made some money. He loved to show halter. He is rideable, although he is nervous about the mounting process, but once up he's really good. He's beautiful and he's a mischievous character who always wants to be in the center of everything. He plays harder then any of them and he's always good for a laugh.
I hope his hair loss stops. I have too many horses, but this is not the way I want to cut down the numbers.
15 comments:
I certainly hope that the tests show that the vet's suspicions are wrong. How sad that would be to put down an otherwise healthy 8 year old.
Oh Sandra...that would be terrible! You may think I am crazy, but after giving up all hope on one of my partners for a tumor, I contacted For Love of the Horse. Here's a link to our story and their web page.
http://www.forloveofthehorse.com/success_boyle.php
It may sound crazy, but I have used his herbs on other horses and have ALWAYS had a positive turn around. It just may help!
I'll be thinking of Bounce!
Alicia
Sandra, so sorry to hear - you had just put some training into him too, right?
Isn't that the way with horses.
Poor boy, but we will wait to see what the vet finds.
POOR YOU
It's just crappy for this to happen to him. I hope he stops losing hair, I don't want to put him down, it will break my heart. I remember when he was born how strong he was. He barely was out of the womb and he bounced around the stall like he was a couple of days old. He is menace, always looking for trouble. It doesn't seem right that such an energetic, happy horse should be euthanized.
boylerpf, I will look at the link tonight. I am taking a quick break, but I need to get back to the barn. Thanks.
wow, i've never heard of a horse going bald like that. usually it's only some spot on their mane that they rub out reaching through a fence to nibble something on the other side.
putting him down seems drastic, can't you just buy him a wig? :-)
You seem to be having a particularly horrible year. I do hope Bounce is ok. Someone with so much character & energy deserves a better fate.
Thank you so much for stopping by my blog.
He looks like he would have been a very handsome horse. I do hope you find a solution for Bounce’s problem.
If Bounce has Alopecia, which the vet is rather sure he does, He could lose all of the hair on his body, leaving him with only his skin. He can't survive without his hair. It gets very cold here. the bugs would have a field day with him and he would be really susceptible to the sun. There's only so much blankets and fly sheets can do and a blanket would not be enough in a MN winter. It would be cruel to put him through that. All I can do is hope he either doesn't have Alopecia or that it stops soon.
Thank you for your thoughts for Bounce, he needs some positive vibes.
Liss, your photos are incredible.
Any news? How long does it take for the tests to come back? Fingers and toes are crossed for him...
Sandra, as I thought about Bounce I would have to agree that homeopathic remedies would be worth a try. Alopecia seems to be one of those maladies that traditional medicine cannot handle.
That silly boy will always have a special place in my heart.
No news. It's about 5 business days for results
It won't hurt to try something. We have nothing to lose. Any help that I can get in the homeopath area would be appreciated. I really don't know anything.
I sent an email to for love of the horse.
Just getting caught up on your blog and reading about Bounce. I hope his hair grows back. I was reading about it in humans, and the hair often grows back. But of course, horses can't go without their hair.
Strange disorder...
Thanks Jean. Mark has a cousin with it. He lost his hair as a child and is completely hairless. The vet has already recommended euthanasia, but I am going to work with the herbalist and see how it goes. I don't care about his appearance, but I can't let him spend his life in misery. I'm not writing him off yet.
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