Does it sound like sweetitch?

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lensmith7

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Just had my trainer down to see Josie, (SHE'S STILL SOUND!!
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) she looked at her mane and said, oh I never knew she had sweetitch.

I hadn't even thought thats what it could be, as she still has mane?

She has been getting big BIG flakes of skin under her mane. I thought she was either run down from surgery, or it was scurfy, although I have bathed her.

She does rub her neck, as she'll have lines on it every morning. Her tail is fine.

Her mane did start falling out, after surgery, but it's growing back really quickly.

Do these big flakes sound like sweetitch to you?

How do I treat it? Sweetitch or not?

Thankies x x
 
My boy has sweetitch and without his sweetitch rug he gets a very scurfy main and tail.
It's odd it's only the mane though - have you looked between the front legs and around her udder area too for any signs of itching/scratching?
 
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My boy has sweetitch and without his sweetitch rug he gets a very scurfy main and tail.
It's odd it's only the mane though - have you looked between the front legs and around her udder area too for any signs of itching/scratching?

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Yep, there's nothing anywhere else, she looks great actually, even with surgery etc. Just 2 lines in the middle of eith side of her neck in the morning.
 
My boy only had it in his mane and a tiny area of his tail. Does she have any little scabs or just flaky skin and does she seem particularly itchy?
 
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My boy only had it in his mane and a tiny area of his tail. Does she have any little scabs or just flaky skin and does she seem particularly itchy?

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No scabs that I can see. She's not hugely itchy, I never see her scrating,. she's on box rest and I sepnd HOURS a day with her, pottering around the yard etc, so IU'm sure I would see her scratching.

She must rub overnight to get the lines down her neck though??
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I would have thought so, but maybe it's a behaviour thing rather than sweet itch - my dog scratches madly (and only at night) for no reason, we've had everything tested but the vet thinks it's just a habit!

Try washing her mane in head and shoulders - it's very good for scurfiness - if that does the trick it's probably not sweet itch (although it's also good for sweet itch in combination with a solution of 85% calamine, 10% bezyl benzoate and 5% meths) if it doesn't do any good try the solution and if that improves her condition then you'll know that it probably is sweet-itch. It sounds like it's fairly mild so I would worry about calling the vet unless it gets worse. It could be an allergic reaction to something else - maybe medication or something if she's just had an operation?
 
Does she actually itch her mane out? Id probably give her time to get over her illness, sounds like loose skin to me. Lots of horses itch their manes and tails a little if its a really bad fly day! Also, please dont assume its always sweet itch as I thought this with a horse I had but it turned out he had bad allergies which caused it!! So Id probably get her allergy tested if it continues.
 
If she is on box rest, you could pop a fly screen around her upper stable door (far enough 'out' so she can still stick her head over? That way midges can't get in, so if it was sweetitch it should clear up? To be honest tho, if she is in 24/7, unless you are in a really bad bug area, I would think it unlikely.
 
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could it just be grease or dead skin?? if she had sweet itch her mane would be all course and patches taken out.

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This was my initial thought, as although she has a thin mane, there's no patches missing
 
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Does she actually itch her mane out? Id probably give her time to get over her illness, sounds like loose skin to me. Lots of horses itch their manes and tails a little if its a really bad fly day! Also, please dont assume its always sweet itch as I thought this with a horse I had but it turned out he had bad allergies which caused it!! So Id probably get her allergy tested if it continues.

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thanks. It did happen the week I brought her home from horsepital, so put it down to a stress thing. She also got lumps all over her, which I treated for ringworm, it turnbed out it wasn't but thought that could have dried her skin out and caused it to flake?

It's hot now, so I'll bath her and see what happens.
 
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I would have thought so, but maybe it's a behaviour thing rather than sweet itch - my dog scratches madly (and only at night) for no reason, we've had everything tested but the vet thinks it's just a habit!

Try washing her mane in head and shoulders - it's very good for scurfiness - if that does the trick it's probably not sweet itch (although it's also good for sweet itch in combination with a solution of 85% calamine, 10% bezyl benzoate and 5% meths) if it doesn't do any good try the solution and if that improves her condition then you'll know that it probably is sweet-itch. It sounds like it's fairly mild so I would worry about calling the vet unless it gets worse. It could be an allergic reaction to something else - maybe medication or something if she's just had an operation?

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Thanks for that, thats really useful. I shall be mane washing this afternoon
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If she is on box rest, you could pop a fly screen around her upper stable door (far enough 'out' so she can still stick her head over? That way midges can't get in, so if it was sweetitch it should clear up? To be honest tho, if she is in 24/7, unless you are in a really bad bug area, I would think it unlikely.

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We've never really had it bad on our yard. We have 1 pony that has it and thats it, she's neevr suffered before either
 
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