For those with itchy, grass sensitive horses…

[tatty_v]

How are yours faring? One of our trio really suffers and this spring has been so difficult. We’ve gone through three rugs (shredded), his crest is lumpy, he’s itchy and just a spooky nightmare.

He’s been muzzled throughout, on restricted grazing, all hay is thoroughly soaked, no hard feed bar a handful of chaff, balancer and recently a magnesium supplement, and is worked regularly. He is always covered up (despite the rug trashing) and thoroughly sprayed with deosect. He’s been scoped and no ulcers.

I’m at my wits end with him, we’ve gone from confidently schooling novice/elementary to barely being able to school some circles in walk without spooking, and hacking it’s pot luck whether we have a nice ride or a hysterical overreaction at a drain cover.

Not expecting any miracle solutions, he’s struggled every spring since we’ve had him but usually it’s for max a month, maybe two at a push. This started in feb with the grass and hasn’t stopped. Please tell me I’m not alone!

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

Feed niacinamide all through the summer I start Louis on it in march and the last 2 years I can turn him out now without any rug now.

I also wash his mane regularly with medicated shampoo and I also use the bite back products and recently started using hedgewitch repellent and its been brilliant.

 

[Hormonal Filly]

Mine starting to get really itchy again after taking her muzzle off, she now has it back on and is fed hay in the field plus comes in during the day. She has almost totally stopped itching, she wears her sweet itch rug pretty much 24/7 though. I wonder if its grass related and not true 'sweet itch'

I also use the bite back products

I also really rate Biteback, brilliant products.

 

[Highmileagecob]

Our field is a mass of buttercups this year, and almost all the horses are itching and scratching. We are reluctant to spray as we are on 'old' pasture. Ideally it needs topping but it's currently not possible as it's too wet. I can't use Deosect, as my old boy reacts badly to it, but having some success with Lincoln's Ditch The Itch.
PS Killed three horseflies yesterday.....

 

[rabatsa]

Mine has not seen any grass this year and has not itched at all. The winter loafing area/barn/stables are her lot. It does not seem fair when I have fields full of grass and usually track round them, but she is a lot happier in herself.

 

[tatty_v]

Mine has not seen any grass this year and has not itched at all. The winter loafing area/barn/stables are her lot. It does not seem fair when I have fields full of grass and usually track round them, but she is a lot happier in herself.

I fear this is the way we are going too, but we just don’t have the right setup for this

 

[tatty_v]

Feed niacinamide all through the summer I start Louis on it in march and the last 2 years I can turn him out now without any rug now.

I also wash his mane regularly with medicated shampoo and I also use the bite back products and recently started using hedgewitch repellent and its been brilliant.

I’m really interested in this as niacinamide has been a game changer for my own skin! What product do you use?

 

[MuddyMonster]

Have you tried contacting Calm Healthy Horses? They have really helped my native cope better with grass in the past.

 

[Wishfilly]

Mine is an itchy one, but I think it's more flies than grass. That said, because of the wet weather, they haven't had a lot of lush grass and they've quickly trashed a lot of what they do have. He is itchy but not as much as previous years, he has had a fly rug (with waterproof back) on most of the time, in part because of the constant showers!

I am feeding a small amount of garlic daily, I don't know if that is helping!

I try and wash him when I get the chance, sometimes with an oat based shampoo, and I also rub an anti-itch gel on his neck and the top of his tail as and when he comes in which does genuinely seem to help!

 

[webble]

A horse on the yard Im at has an injection every couple of months for his itchiness. I think it's formulated specifically for his allergies

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

I’m really interested in this as niacinamide has been a game changer for my own skin! What product do you use?

I just buy it in powder form on Amazon I think its 100g for about £8 and I put it in water then feed 25mls a day, I used to feed herd leader itchy oral solution which was niacinamide and water but was £35 so I just started making my own I just use the old bottle to dilute it.

I use niacinamide & zinc soloution on my face as well.

 

[Jambarissa]

One of mine seems to have developed grass/sugar sensitivity. Itchy and occasionally footsore, I just didn't join the dots.

Not doing well with the muzzle but he's in during the day with soaked hay and out at night and it's so much better.

He seems under control now so it's just this routine plus sweetitch rug (highlander, very strong) and a deet/icardin based fly spray. When his skin flared up I was using grape oil and Benzoate on mane and tail, summer fly cream quite thick on anywhere the rug didn't cover and asorbine ultra black over the rug - it's an insecticide not licensed for use on horses in the UK but it is in other parts of the world so I'm OK with that, and it actually works.

Supplement wise niacinamide as above or brewers yeast which is similar. Black salt. Linseed.

Vet also said anti histamine (700kg horse, 30 a day!) and recommended Cutasol but it went missing in the post so I never got to try it.

Hope you can get yours comfortable again.

 

[Jambarissa]

This is a useful paper, I think someone patented niacinamide as a treatment (surely not?) but you can read about dosages here and instructions for how to turn it into a topical drench too.

EP2271342A1 - Use of nicotinamide for treating summer itch in horses - Google Patents

The present invention relates to the use of nicotinamide, as pure nicotinamide or in the form of vitamin B3, for the treatment of summer itch in non-human mammals such as horses and cattle.

patents.google.com

 

[Highmileagecob]

Might be worth considering a Cushings/EMS evaluation.

 

[lauragreen85]

How are yours faring? One of our trio really suffers and this spring has been so difficult. We’ve gone through three rugs (shredded), his crest is lumpy, he’s itchy and just a spooky nightmare.

He’s been muzzled throughout, on restricted grazing, all hay is thoroughly soaked, no hard feed bar a handful of chaff, balancer and recently a magnesium supplement, and is worked regularly. He is always covered up (despite the rug trashing) and thoroughly sprayed with deosect. He’s been scoped and no ulcers.

I’m at my wits end with him, we’ve gone from confidently schooling novice/elementary to barely being able to school some circles in walk without spooking, and hacking it’s pot luck whether we have a nice ride or a hysterical overreaction at a drain cover.

Not expecting any miracle solutions, he’s struggled every spring since we’ve had him but usually it’s for max a month, maybe two at a push. This started in feb with the grass and hasn’t stopped. Please tell me I’m not alone!

I strip graze along with hay. Been using ponease calmer this year and there has been a noticeable difference. been using avon so soft spray (its for humans) and hes hardly itching

 

[tatty_v]

One of mine seems to have developed grass/sugar sensitivity. Itchy and occasionally footsore, I just didn't join the dots.

Not doing well with the muzzle but he's in during the day with soaked hay and out at night and it's so much better.

He seems under control now so it's just this routine plus sweetitch rug (highlander, very strong) and a deet/icardin based fly spray. When his skin flared up I was using grape oil and Benzoate on mane and tail, summer fly cream quite thick on anywhere the rug didn't cover and asorbine ultra black over the rug - it's an insecticide not licensed for use on horses in the UK but it is in other parts of the world so I'm OK with that, and it actually works.

Supplement wise niacinamide as above or brewers yeast which is similar. Black salt. Linseed.

Vet also said anti histamine (700kg horse, 30 a day!) and recommended Cutasol but it went missing in the post so I never got to try it.

Hope you can get yours comfortable again.

This is very similar to what’s worked for our boy for several years now (apart from the niacinamide - noted and will definitely try that) so I’m at a loss to work out what’s changed this year.

We do have cutasol and it is good, but it’s a small can and quite expensive, so best used for localised itching.

Anti histamines are also a good shout.

 

[tatty_v]

Might be worth considering a Cushings/EMS evaluation.

I have thought about that - on the EMS front though I’m not sure what more I can do within our existing setup (they’re kept at home) as I think what we’re doing is consistent with treatment for EMS? Will definitely see if we can cushings test though, it crossed my mind but my older boy went lethargic and quiet with it so I hadn’t considered alternative presentation!

 

[Wizpop]

A bit off at a tangent but we used to own a Labrador who was very itchy and was found to have an allergy to grass ( amongst other things but that was the main one) she came out in red wheals on her tummy with scratching, and would constantly chew at her paws. She had allergy tests done and a vaccine was made which was very successful. She had this for the rest of her life.
Hopefully, there will be a less expensive solution for your horse. Just highlighting this as a possibility?

 

[Jambarissa]

Actually I usually also say to be aware of liver damage if your horse is itchy and you can't figure out why or resolve it. One on our yard died of liver damage (prob ragwort poisoning) after every possible itch/mite treatment for 18 months. If it doesn't get better do do a blood test.

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

This is very similar to what’s worked for our boy for several years now (apart from the niacinamide - noted and will definitely try that) so I’m at a loss to work out what’s changed this year.

We do have cutasol and it is good, but it’s a small can and quite expensive, so best used for localised itching.

Anti histamines are also a good shout.

I've used niacinamide for 2 years now for Louis and he has cushings his only on half a prascend a day as was borderline but I used to use a shires sweet itch rug on him previously because he was so itchy, I don't have to use it all summer now I only use it if the horse flies ir midges are really bothering him now.

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

I have thought about that - on the EMS front though I’m not sure what more I can do within our existing setup (they’re kept at home) as I think what we’re doing is consistent with treatment for EMS? Will definitely see if we can cushings test though, it crossed my mind but my older boy went lethargic and quiet with it so I hadn’t considered alternative presentation!

I remember an old vet I used in Essex he said to me once sweet itch is often caused by too much sugar as in rich grass that some horses react to, hence the name sweet itch makes sense really when you think of it.