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Post by pigmentation help on Jun 13, 2015 22:07:53 GMT
We have a pony who has suddenly developed loss of pigmentation below one eye. This seemed to happen a few weeks ago when we had some warm weather, came in sweaty after work and the following day had what looked like a rub mark below one eye. It's getting bigger instead of better. Been tested for copper levels and all fine so not sure what to do.
Has anyone seen this and any tips to reduce it would be greatly appreciated.
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Post by leevale on Jun 14, 2015 5:22:03 GMT
I have a pony with this. It seems to come and go but never disappears entirely. The pony lives out at grass. It is always worse in winter. I tried feeding seaweed powder as a supplement once, and I'm sure that helped.
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bugs
Junior Member
Posts: 121
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Post by bugs on Jun 14, 2015 6:56:09 GMT
I have a pony with the same condition. He has been to newmarket and it has been diagnosed a equine vitiligo. We can't stop it completely but we now have it under control and limit it in the summer months.
He wears a full face mask such as the one from Shires from early March until October even in the stable until darkness. He wears 50+ sun cream every day applied at least twice a day. We also have used a herbal treatment called aconite which was recommended by a Spanish vet for the condition and worked a treat to get it under control but it does have a calming influence and may not be what you want for the show ring!
He still has pink patches around his eyes and muzzle but they are more limited where as previously he had full rings around his eyes in pink and his muzzle was fully pink.
Judges don't mind at all. We haven't had a problem with it. Most are inquisitive and ask about it and we have found if anything it makes him stand out from the others!
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Post by pigmentation help on Jun 14, 2015 7:27:58 GMT
Thank you for your replies. The vet said he thought it was vitiligo but apart from testing for copper levels didn't offer any treatment other than seaweed but it's got worse while he's been on the seaweed.
Thanks for the aconite suggestion, have found some online which is surprisingly cheap. Do you know how long and how much you fed to him? He's pretty laid back anyway but I want to get this under control so I can work round that.
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sarahp
Happy to help
Posts: 9,510
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Post by sarahp on Jul 4, 2015 9:59:50 GMT
I bought a 21yo stallion with a bad case of this in the autumn a couple of years ago - not grey, where it is I believe more prevalent, although I do know his grey grandsire had the same condition. I fed him Blue Chip Stallion Fertility supplement all through his first winter because of his age and it all re-pigmented completely, much to my surprise, although it did return slightly last winter after a summer at grass. I have no idea if the two facts were connected though!
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Post by leevale on Jul 4, 2015 10:29:26 GMT
I bought a 21yo stallion with a bad case of this in the autumn a couple of years ago - not grey, where it is I believe more prevalent, although I do know his grey grandsire had the same condition. I fed him Blue Chip Stallion Fertility supplement all through his first winter because of his age and it all re-pigmented completely, much to my surprise, although it did return slightly last winter after a summer at grass. I have no idea if the two facts were connected though! That is amazing, the pony I mentioned in my previous thread has also re-pigmented completely after about 10 years with pink eyes and loss of pigmentation on the muzzle, and I have been feeding a small amount of Blue Chip Balancer for the last 6-8 weeks, that can't be a coincidence, maybe we have hit on something
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Post by pigmentation help on Jul 4, 2015 11:35:33 GMT
Ladies, thank you both, I am off to research the ingredients in Blue Chip! x
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sarahp
Happy to help
Posts: 9,510
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Post by sarahp on Jul 4, 2015 14:40:43 GMT
I know copper has been implicated in loss of colouration, and in the case of my boy and the same condition in the grandsire I hazarded a guess that in the line was a genetic difficulty in absorbing it from the diet leading to a tendency to discolour and requiring a higher than normal level of copper in the diet to enable enough to be absorbed.
I used to breed Black Welsh Mountain sheep, and it was said that that Welsh flock owners liked to have a few blacks in their flocks because if the dietary copper levels were low they would get white rings round their eyes, thus giving an early warning system for the rest of the flock.
leevale - I must admit this pony had no other balancers while I owned him, perhaps any might do! I was just hoping it might aid failing fertility if he had it, bearing his age in mind.
Pigmentation help - perhaps it might also be worth checking the copper levels in the rest of his diet?
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