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Re: [RC] Allergies, etc. - heidiOkay, here's the thing about allergies. Usually, with each exposure the the substance causing the allergic reaction, the reaction becomes worse; so, just because she has never had an anaphylactic reaction to anything she has eaten doesn't mean she won't. And itchiness and watery runny eyes are a couple of the early stages of anaphylaxis (it is just that in true emergency anaphylactic reactions those stages are gone through VERY quickly :)) Ummm... Not exactly.... (as they say in the rental car commercials...) There are two entirely different classifications of hypersensitivities (allergies). The immediate class involves the release of histamines, serotonin and bradykinins, causing edema, muscle contraction, etc. These immediate types of hypersensitivity are further broken down into three classifications (and I don't seem to have a reference at my fingertips, no time to hunt for one, and I won't pretend to remember which number is assigned to which type). Only one of these types is anaphylaxis, but all three involve the runny eyes and nose bit, etc. As you state, severe anaphylaxis runs through these stages so fast that one isn't aware of them. But--it isn't accurate to suggest that the runny eyes, etc. are necessarily mild cases of anaphylaxis--they usually aren't, and as such can't "progress" into anaphylaxis. Food allergies CAN fall into the immediate class (including the anaphylaxis category), but (as I know all to well as a sufferer of multiple food allergies myself) also often fall into the delayed class of hypersensitivity along with some forms of contact dermatitis. These involve reactions of specialized lymphocytes with the antigen, and are generally expressed as rashes and itching. Because of the delay (often 24-48 hours) before symptoms occur, these can be tough to pinpoint sometimes. Mixed forms of reactions can and do occur. I went to the site that she provided (and despite the fact that I consider much of the information provided suspect considering what I know about my own allergies and would look for corraborating information elsewhere...which Mel is) and one of the things that it says is:Since horses cannot be hyposensitized to foods, elimination is the only form of treatment in the case of food allergies. Should your horse test positive to foods, your veterinarian will recommend the proper diet based on the blood test and your horses medical history.So, by the site's own treatment recommendations, it says that their shots aren't going to do a horse any good for its food allergies. As a consequence, (if the allergy tests are right, more on that below), then this particular horse, because it appears to be allergic to virtually everything that horse's normally eat, would fall into the category of "picky eater" (not because it won't eat everything that is put in front of it, but rather because it shouldn't). OTOH, specific allergies exacerbate all allergies in general, so desensitizing to environmental allergens can (and often does) reduce reactions to food allergies to the point that they become tolerable. I was free of reactions to food allergies for years following desensitization to pollens and danders, and did not have a problem again until I tried to take a progesterone-containing contraceptive several years ago. One little-known side effect of progesterone is that it can excite mast cells and hence exacerbate allergies--and it did it to me big-time. It took nearly four years to get back to some semblance of normal skin (my chest and back looked like a weepy welt and itched like crazy) but now I can once again partake of the more mild foods in reasonable quantities. (My two worst ones are coffee and tomatoes--I skip coffee altogether, but an occasional pizza or a rare bit of tomato in salad or on a burger is tolerable.) Allergies are also exacerbated by stress, illness, poor diet, inadequate rest, etc. And I have to agree with Karen, _I_ wouldn't consider a horse that is this picky of an eater to be a good candidate for endurance. Especially if I were in Southern California (which Mel is) since most of the grass that covers the Southern California hillsides is oat grass, so if the horse does any grazing along the trail its gonna be getting one of the foods it is allergic to. I agree that in acute stages, this horse is "not a prospect"--and I don't think that is what the poster is asking. But like any other illness, if this one can be successfully treated and kept under control without drugs at a later point, there is a good chance that the horse might be a "prospect" again at a later date. However, the site also says:If it has an allergy to pollens, you might expect to see all or more of the symptoms in the spring or summer. If, however, the horse has a problem with molds or food related allergies, you are more likely to see year-round symptoms.And Mel says:I was thinking the same thing EXCEPT that I've had problems with bumps, watery eyes, scratching herself bloody in the chest from March to Nov.Which, if the allergy site is to be believe suggests that it is not food that she is allergic to since in food related allergies "you are more likely to see year-round symptoms." I agree. See above about allergies exacerbating each other. And because of the above, I'd suspect that if the environmental allergies can be gotten under control, the food allergies might be mild enough to be workable. No, I wouldn't recommend an alfalfa diet--but she has a good probability of getting to the point that grabbing a bite of someone else's alfalfa at a vet check won't be cause for alarm. All that said, if I had a horse that was this allergic to what appears to be normal in most horse's lives, I would concentrate on figuring out how to manage these allergies and wouldn't be trying to do endurance rides on the horse at the same time, so the question of whether the shots are legal with the AERC is irrelevant. While I agree in the acute stages, IF this mare requires occasional injections to remain desensitized, then the question is indeed relevant. Heidi ============================================================ Black care rarely sits behind a rider whose pace is fast enough ~ Theodore Roosevelt ridecamp.net information: http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/ ============================================================
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