Have an idea, will it work??

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SonnysHumanSlave

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Ok so one of my ponies really suffers with sweet itch.

I just wondered if anyone knows if this would work....

If i get a leg of tights or a sock, cover them in fly spray, the slip it over the top of the tail (where a tail bandage sits). Held on with a hairband or attach a lace to tie it

Its just an idea I had wondered what people thought about it.
 
I wouldn't....

You'd have to tie it on quite tight for it not to fall off and would probably damage the tail.

Have you tried Nettex Itch Stop? Fantastic stuff!
 
I wouldn't. If it was too tight and rubbed you could be faced with all manner of problems. You hear of so many horror stories where horses have lost their tails. Someone I know had this problem last summer. They came home from being out with the horses all day, turned them out in the field and forgot to take one of the tail bandages off. (They helped each other take boots/bandages off. One girl thought the other had done it, and vice versa. It was dark so neither noticed) It had rubbed the underneath of the tail raw, the flies had gotten to it and it was full of maggots by the time they discovered it. Poor horse lost it's tail as a result of it. :(
 
Remember also that although horses with sweetitch tend mainly to rub/go bald on their crest and dock it is not because they only get bitten there, this is just the way the body responds. So covering just the tail won't stop the horse getting sweetitch as it will still react due to bites on other parts of the body.
 
AllySmalice said:
Remember also that although horses with sweetitch tend mainly to rub/go bald on their crest and dock it is not because they only get bitten there, this is just the way the body responds. So covering just the tail won't stop the horse getting sweetitch as it will still react due to bites on other parts of the body.
Click to expand...

ooo never knew that!
 
Ask your vet about Cortavance spray (made by Virbac). It's a steroid spray (only licensed for dogs at present but they are hoping to get an equine indication) which only acts locally on the skin, so minimal risk of laminitis.

The rep told us about it at a drug meeting and I gave some to a friend to try on her grandson's pony who suffers terribly with SI, has worked wonders to reduce the itching. You still need to cover them up etc but it must make life a damn sight more pleasant than being so itchy you rub raw.

Initially you need to spray it on the affected skin every day but once it starts to work you can drop to every other day, then every 3rd until you get as infrequently as possible.

Worth a try as less risk than other steroid treatments and shouldn't be prohibitively expensive.
 
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