Diagnosis Required - Help

diplomaticandtactful

diplomaticandtactful

Well-Known Member
Apr 25, 2003
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Two of our donks have lumps and bumps suddenly - bit like rain scald but as they are rugged up it isn't that.

Mainly on one side, top of quarters, coming down quarters close to hip on one, and closer to spine on other. Lumps which pull off with hair attached, doesn't hurt them, doesn't seem sore. They don't bleed, come away cleanly, leave pink skin underneath. Not particularly crusty, at first it feels a bit like they have scraped themselves i.e. a cut which is healing, but then you see that it is distinct round lumps.

Suspect it is some kind of insect bite. I have taken some scrapings which will drop off at the vet tomorrow, any ideas?
 
I might be wrong but I think they can get a rain scald type thing if they have got too hot under their rugs. Could it be something like this.

Its been very wet but mild where I am, bit of a pain for rugging.
 
we are on an exposed site very wet and windy. they have only a 40grm lightweight sheet on and only if the weather is going to be nasty - they come in at night and are not rugged, and they haven't been sweating up at all so i don't think it is that they are over heating and getting clammy. also the third one doesn't have the bumps, just these too, and she is rugged day and night.

one of them had some bumps on his face and it looked more like an insect bite as when the lump came off you could almost see a centre in it like an eye.

the horses haven't got them just the two donkeys. it is very much like a mud fever/rain scald type scab, but it doesn't ooze, is dry, and it grow back and re-scabs.
 
the sheets are all lined, ie. 40gr fal rugs, not a sheet which has no filling/cotton interior.

and it isn't all over them, just on one side. when they come in at night they are bone dry, not clammy at all, so don't understand it.

they had bumps like this earlier on, before they were rugged, but it seems to be spreading particularly on one of them, where it is almost making a line down him, which makes me think it is more an insect crawling or burrowing....
 
just a thought- this sounds like it this could be lice- red label powder will treat it easily and cheaply.
 
eml said:
I am afraid I know absolutely nothing about donkeys apart from they are cute and intellegent and must be kept dry???

I suspect they have some different ailments from horses though . Please let us know what the vet thinks.
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Ditto. My friend had some beach donkeys for the winter, they never had rugs, but the first sign of rain and they were in the field shelter.
 
at the moment they don't have access to a field shelter which is why they are rugged.

i will do them with lice powder tonight and hopefully the vet may get a look at the scabs this afternoon and see what they are but they are spreading.

don't think it is lice, they are not rubbing or scratching. also can't see anything crawling on them. the rugs were newly laundered, and one was in fact brand new this summer, so again, shouldn't be harbouring anything.

coat looks a bit scurvy that;s about all. will see if we can get a diagnosis as checked the wee man this morning and he has more bumps heading south down his quarters.
 
scrapings delivered to vet, looked at nothing in them obvious, no mites, lice.

suggested washing in hibiscrub and if no better take deep skin scraping and send to lab.

so off to shampoo some donkeys.
 
J had rainscald and Dyl got a little bit from me using the same brush (naughty mommy) on them both but Dyl's never spread. Sounds similar to what you describe, could the 'path' be from brushing?

JR -
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I used some selsun anti dandruff shampoo from the chemist - it's got sulphur in it and cleared it up in no time. I spray them both with a tea tree spray now to just keep anything lurking at bay.
 
it's nothing like rainscald, there are no patches etc, unless you ran a hand through their coats and felt the lumps you wouldn't know they were less than perfect. I have shampooed them both with hibiscrub and if that doesn't work the vet will come out and do a deeper scraping to see if they can get a diagnosis.

Ferguson has it on one quarter, his cheeks and gullet, Aimee has one small patch forward of her quarter, close to spine. aimee's coat is shiny and glossy, perfect nick, just you feel the bumps underneath. She gets sweet itch but it isn't sweet itch bumps either, i know what rain scald/sweet itch/mud fever ones look like and it ain't any of these so i am stumped.

Nowhere else. Vodka doesn't have it at all. They don't cross share rugs, but they do share a stable, so surprised that if it is something doing the rounds they don't all have it.
 
Anything foodwise different from the norm? No where near the same but we once had a cat that when given fish would have the same sort of reaction all down her spine - obviously they are donks not cats but ......
 
could it be skin nodule disease? It has the same symptoms as you describe, and the treatment is to wash the effected areas with warm water (and hibiscrub) to soften the scabs, and pick them off, wash off, and put a soothing cream on each one. Make sure you wash any rugs/numnahs that has contact with these areas..
I recently discovered the disease in one of the horse mags from aug-sep.. Its not uncomfortable, or sore to the touch, so horses shouldn't bother too much when you treat them.
 
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