--- In [email protected], "janine4494" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > I'm putting it off till we get his diet under control. But... I wonder if Icelandics naturally have a higher Basophile count. Anyone have any experience with it? > Janine -n- Safi
--------------Janine, is Safi an imported or domestic horse? Imported Icelandics do have a higher liklihood of having Summer Excema (SE or Sweet Itch). This is an immune system over-reaction to an allergen, most commonly the bite of a cullicoid, which are black flies, biting gnats, no-see-ums, etc. I wonder if the higher Blasophile count could potentially be related to SE. My horse, Osp, has SE. We battle it every summer. I just found a product called "System Saver", which I put her on. The product doesn't just band-aid the side effects, but actually gets to the root of the issue - her body over-reacting to allergens. I've had to put Osp on dexamethisone for the past 5ish summers. I HATE to put her on it due to the increased risks of laminitis, colic and *insulin resistance*. Osp is another proverbial "air fern", and she has all the signs of being a candidate for insulin resistance/Cushings. I am skeptical of any new product that claims to be the next "cure all" for anything. But I am extremely optimistic about the System Saver. I've had Osp on it for over a month now, and in that month, all of her SE sores have disappeared, we've taken all of her fly gear off, and she is acting like a normal horse from an itching standpoint. We are at the tail end of summer, so I can't give it the full thumbs up until she's gone through an entire summer on it. But I'm cautiously optimistic. Anyway, I know this got long - I apologize. But I thought I'd mention SE as a possible issue that could lead to a higher Basophile count. Dawn Bruin-Slot, northern Michigan Fuzzy Logic Equine
