My longs sunburnt HELP?!?!?

Question

Oka well my sisters horse is sunburns on her nose (she's white and black)and because she is white she is prone to burn,anyways,it's really sore all around her mouth,we put some sun cream on,and a bit of after sun,I know it's sore but we try,what do we do?will we need a mask? Or something like that,we want her to go out now its sunny,it's really red and cracked and sore,what do we do help!!

Answer 1

Get a fly mask that covers her nose, it'll apply some shade and some fly masks protect against UV rays. How long do you keep her out? Try finding or creating a shaded place for her.



If you can't get a new fly mask for any reason:



Would she mind if you took a wet cloth to tie around the noseband of her halter so it ends up over her nose? It'd feel good on her burn and would protect it from the sun. I fear she may rub that off, but if you could put a hole on each end of the cloth and/or use something to tie it to the halter, she wouldn't be able to take it off. That is, if it wouldn't bother her too much for you to put it there in the first place.



If it wouldn't bother her, just take the cloth and dip it in ice water, when you put it on it shouldn't dribble, as that could annoy her. It'd be easier if you tie it to the halter before you put it on her. Check on it every once in a while, and add more cold water with a water bottle when it's too dry.



I've done this for one of the school horses I turnout when I had nothing else on hand to protect his sunburnt nose. His fly mask didn't cover his nose. And he was completely okay with it! A few days later when I had the time, I found him a fly mask that covered his nose to do the job and applied some Aloe Vera plant juice to his nose that my mom gave me(she's a gardener).



Try applying Aloe Vera, if you get it right from the plant, that would be the best! If you don't have the plant, use Solarcaine on her nose.



As "gallop" says, applying lip balm with sun screen to your horses lips will help too!



I wouldn't use bag balm since the petroleum jelly holds in the heat and will just cause more discomfort.



But I hope she feels better for whatever you do! :)

Answer 2

When I was younger my mum would always put me in a 'Rooibos' Tea Bath to soothe sunburn and I have to say it worked far better than applying creams to stinging skin.



For us we would add 4 to 6 tea bags into a warm bath and soak for at least 30 mins.



For a horse, add one tea bag to about 1 litre of hot water and allow it to steep for 10 mins, then let it cool down until it is barely luke warm and apply to your horses nose, either with a soft cloth or sponge. If using a cloth you can saturate the cloth and lay it over her nose for a few minutes.



Rooibos Tea is also known as Red Bush Tea should be available in most places specifically the UK or USA. Just do a Google search in your area. You can also use black tea or Earl Grey but it doesn't have as good a result as Rooibos.



For future prevention the best thing to do is get a fly mask that covers her nose, this won't block all UV rays and won't necessarily prevent future sunburn but if you use regular sunscreen it should help.



You should use a baby friendly sunscreen that is fragrance free and offers the highest SPF available. Sunscreen should be reapplied ever few hours especially during mid day sun between 10am and 3pm. Don't forget to apply sunscreen when it is cloudy as just because you can't see the sun doesn't mean the harmful UV rays aren't around.



You should also apply sunscreen in winter, especially if there is snow on the ground as the snow will reflect the rays and cause burning as well.

Answer 3

Your sister's horse sounds like she has dew poisoning as opposed to sun burn. Dew poisoning is caused by horses grazing on wet grass and then being exposed to strong sunlight. The moisture from the grass irritates the skin, and makes it more suseptable to being burned. Try using sunblock on your mare's nose for a while, and keeping her off the grass until later in the morning when the sun has had a chance to dry the grass off and evaporate the dew. You can protect her eyes and ears from the bugs by using a mask on her face and head. If the sores are open and bleeding, then they must be kept clean, or they will get infected. I would ring your vet up and ask for recommendations as to what to do if this situation happens.

Answer 4

That's what you get when you have pink skinned horse, the muzzle is the worst place because it is so difficult to make shade or cover for it. If you make something long enough to cover the end of the muzzle, it will get in her nostrils when she breaths. Desitin will help some. Keeping her in a barn during the day is the best way.



It will get so cracked and sore that she will go off feed. Try to help her soon before it gets worse.

Answer 5

I use and recommend the Cashel Crusader long nose fly masks which block 70% of UV rays and are very well designed and fitted. Horse's skin is more sensitive than human adult skin, so if you use human sunblocking agents, buy the ones formulated for babies with the highest spf you can get.

Here is the mask...............

http://www.cashelcompany.com/Product.aspx?DepartmentID=1&CategoryID=31&ProductID=10226



For an existing burn, you can apply zinc oxide ointment or a product like Vetericyn gel after gently cleansing the skin with 0.9% sterile isotonic saline available at your drugstore. You can also make your own sterile isotonic saline solution by dissolving 3/4 of a teaspoon of non-iodized table salt into 500 ml of well boiled water. Transfer it into a sterile syringe or other container and refrigerate it to cool it. You can soak sterile gauze in it which will remove heat from the burned tissues as you gently soak and pat the skin to cleanse and soothe it, and then apply your ointment.



You can also use human lip balm with sunscreen on the horse's lips if they are burned.

Answer 6

aloe vera is really good for sun burn. is she out 24/7? A lot of places keep them in during the day (in the summer) and out at night.

Answer 7

We always used sunblock on pink noses and near their eyes. Works great.