I've put off asking about this horse because we've pretty much given up...and thought that nothing could help him. I've recently had so much success with homeopathy that I figured I would give him another try. I just don't know where to start with him.

Here is his histroy:
6 year old gelding. Two years ago he had surgery for adhesions on his penis and sheath that prevented it from dropping down so he could urinate. He had a lot of swelling before the surgery in his sheath area. His penis was resectioned to take off the adhesions. At that time we sent in a biopsy and it came back as eosinophilia. He also has a high eosinophil count in a CBC. We brought him home and was prescribed a round of dexamethasone. The vet said it had to be an allergic reaction to something that was making his body attack itself and wanted to supress the immune system with the dex and hopefully get the reaction to quit. I also rubbed a type of sauve that is prescribed for cancer on the affected area. The swelling did go down with the dex but came back as soon as he was off of it. I tried other nutraceuticals that I had around that were supposed to boost the immune system, nothing worked. I also dewormed him with three different types of dewormers in the course of a year to see if we could kill whatever was causing his problem.
It seems to be worse in the summer but I think that may be because the flies bother him. He has it all the time whether he is out to pasture or in getting grain and hay.
The vet said I could keep putting money into him and try things or maybe just turn him out and see if he would quit the reaction.
It has been two years now. He now has a large swollen flaky area on the back on his neck along his mane. The area around his penis is once again swollen and has flaky skin all around it. He also has a flaky spot on his midline in the girth area. If I were to biopsy these areas, it would show tissue packed with eosinophils. He keeps weight on well and does not have a bacterial infection. His breathing seems normal. He is a little lazy and does not want to move out much.
His is a really good natured gelding, very kind. He is just turned out right now in a big pasture, hoping someday I will go out there and this stuff will be gone. From what I read on the internet, it doesn't have a good prognosis. I can't find a lot of information about it. I guess it is a rare disease.
Here is a link with some information:
http://www.vetpathology.org/cgi/content/full/43/2/189

Do I just treat the outward symptoms of the raised flaky patches on his body or will the fact that it is an autoimmune disease change the way it is treated? Or is this a case where it would be best to use a constitutional remedy?

If I could help this horse, it would be a miracle!
Thanks!

Hello Sarah,

Although Dexamethasone and Hydroxyurea are the indicated allopathic medicines to treat this horse I`m afraid they seldom bring a full cure.

Unfortunately you can`t treat this very serious problem yourself with homeopathy and it can`t be done online either.

Homeopathic treatment is possible though, but only if there`s a very experienced vet. hom practising in your vicinity.

Full case taking and continuous close monitoring is necessary.

The vet.hom will first try to find the correct constitutional remedy and the correct nosode to remove the miasmatic block.

You could say in simple words that the nosode opens the door for the constitutional remedy to act properly.

These 2 remedies will have to be given for a (very) long period and usually in ascending potencies or in ascending LM potencies. Giving intercurrent remedies may also sometimes be necessary. The vet. hom has each time to decide if the potency/potencies etc. should be changed/increased.

Treatment isn`t particularly simple and should be done by an experienced hom. professional.

A great pity you live so far away from here !

Wim

__________________
Homeopath for people and animals.
(Sorry, Wim no longer works here.)

Thanks Wim. I think you just need to fly over and start working on all of these horses over here! I promise I do have some healthy horses here! It sure seems like I have a lot of ones with problems though!
I've been on the search for a good holistic vet around here. I found one on Florida but that is still over 1000 miles away from me. I'd give this horse away to someone who thought they could help him.
I sure am getting good responses from a lot of people when I mention homeopathy. That is nice to see.

If anyone reads this that knows of a good vet in the United States, please let me know. I'd really like to find a homeopathic vet that works with racetrack horses.

Hi Sarah,

I hope you`ll find a good hom. vet or vet. hom to treat this horse. It`s certainly worth trying. In my country people in general including several vets are getting more and more interested in homeopathy as well. Homeopathy is growing fast !

Wim

__________________
Homeopath for people and animals.
(Sorry, Wim no longer works here.)