What's this skin issue on my horse's face? When to call the vet?

It looks like your mare may be developing vitiligo, a loss of pigment. This would be harmless. However such white spots can also appear with a fungal infection, so I suggest you have a veterinarian examine those spots. Fungal infections can be contagious to people and other horses and will need to be treated with an antifungal medication, Your vet may want to take a brush sample of the spots and culture it in order to facilitate a diagnosis.

This could be rain rot (a Dermatophilus congolensis infection) or a fungal infection. You should call out a vet for a skin exam. Your pony will likely need to be washed with a special antifungal/antibacterial shampoo. But before one can decide which kind of shampoo will be suitable, a correct diagnosis is necessary. Your vet can take a hair sample if necessary.

This looks like a pretty serious case of rain rot. ( https://thehorse.com/122494/rain-rot-in-horses-diagnosis-treatment-and-prevention/ ) I suggest using this medicated shampoo. Lather, let sit on his skin for 15 minutes and then rinse well. Bathe him every 2-3 days. If after a week to 10 days you really do not see that much improvement he may need oral antibiotics that you would have to get from your vet. ( https://www.jefferspet.com/products/davis-ketohexidine-shampoo ) Wash all your saddle pads, brushes, blankets, etc to remove the bacteria. Do not ride him if the lesions are in the saddle/girth area until they are gone.

Hello, thank you for using Pet Coach! Many skin issues can appear the same clinically, therefore, these bald patches could be due to any number of things. My top differentials would be: * mange * ringworm * bacterial infection * yeast infection * autoimmune disorder I do think you should take Twyla to your vet for an exam so you can get this figured out. Hope this helps. Best wishes!

There's no way to know for sure from a photograph, but it does look like a bacterial infection. It is important to have this seen by your vet to determine what it is so the correct treatment can be started as soon as possible before it gets worse or is a sign of an underlying problem. Your vet will do an exam, possibly labwork, and based on these results will be better able to tell you what is causing this and how best to treat it.

There are quite a few things this could be: * nasal hyperkeratosis * discoid lupus erythematosus, * bacterial dermatitis/mucocutaneous pyoderma * pemphigus complex * solar dermatitis * hereditary parakeratotic hyperkeratosis * uveodermatologic syndrome * cutaneous lymphoma (mycosis fungoides or epitheliotropic lymphoma) * squamous cell carcinoma Because a wide variety of diseases may present with similar clinical signs, the most helpful diagnostic test is a skin biopsy. So, I suggest you work with your vet to get the biopsy done. That is the only way you will know how to treat it.

My guess would be either an injury, a parasite or a tumor. It looks like he is rubbing his tail which can indicate pinworm infection. Has he been dewormed recently? Hard to say if he is rubbing it because he has the sore or if he rubbed it first and that caused the sore........ Maybe you should get a second opinion from another vet. This looks pretty serious and needs to be treated. I cannot diagnose over the internet with just a photo. A biopsy of that area may be needed to figure this out.