Help - I have a super itchy horse!

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M and S

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Hi everyone,
Just looking for some advice. My horse is clipped, appears to have good skin (it’s not dry or flaky) but she is scratching frantically. As soon as I take her rug off, she will scratch herself until she bleeds and dosnt even seem to stop then. This is around her shoulders and across her back and sides. I am not sure what to try next. She has been like this now for approx 2 weeks. I have bathed her with just warm water, once with hibbiacrub and once with shampoo, none seemed to make any difference. I have put soothing cream on the itchy areas which didn’t appear to help either. She has been wormed recently and nothing in her diet or routine has changed. Anyone have ideas on what it could be or how I can make her more comfortable? I’m going to call the vet tomorrow anyway but just wanted to see if anyone had experienced anything similar. Thanks
 
Sounds like a rug problem. Could she be too hot? What is the rug lined with and is it one you have used before? If it is, has it been washed? Could also be mites.
 
Possibly over rugged causing sweat scald.
Dilute hibiscrub baths for about 3 days should kill the bacteria and stop the itch. Only use Flamazine ointment, some oily creams will trap in the bacteria and make it worse.
However if horse has raw patches I would check with vet first. May need antibiotics. If your rug has a neck cover change it for one that doesn't.
 
Mine has been doing this to....his normal chaff had run out so bought one with added oil and I'm wondering if it's caused a reaction. He's bitten his sides till they've bled. I've applied aloe Vera and given him some bute and swapped his New Zealand rug for a fly sheet which has meant he's staying in for time being. I've also swapped his feed for fast fibre for now....seems to be working. Just wondered if anyone else had problems with chaff with added oil?
 
M and S said:
Hi everyone,
Just looking for some advice. My horse is clipped, appears to have good skin (it’s not dry or flaky) but she is scratching frantically. As soon as I take her rug off, she will scratch herself until she bleeds and dosnt even seem to stop then. This is around her shoulders and across her back and sides. I am not sure what to try next. She has been like this now for approx 2 weeks. I have bathed her with just warm water, once with hibbiacrub and once with shampoo, none seemed to make any difference. I have put soothing cream on the itchy areas which didn’t appear to help either. She has been wormed recently and nothing in her diet or routine has changed. Anyone have ideas on what it could be or how I can make her more comfortable? I’m going to call the vet tomorrow anyway but just wanted to see if anyone had experienced anything similar. Thanks
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Mine does too - they can be changing their coat or the beginnings of it, my pony starts in Jan normally
 
I have an itchy pony which can be started due to a variety of reasons, coat growing/changing, getting too hot, allergic to something, some tips I use to help keep her more comfortable and stop the itch/scratch/itch cycle once it starts. Hose/sponge the itchy areas with cool water to reduce the heat/inflammation. Use a cotton sheet directly against the skin (helps the skin breathe, vet recommended this one!), don't wash rugs etc with washing powder, just rinse or if really dirty use a little non bio but do a complete rinse after with nothing. Watch out using hibiscrub, someone recommended this to me and turns out mines allergic to it and vet said it can be too abrasive. Head and Shoulders itch relief shampoo has been a god send. NAF DTox if the skin get hives and they don't go down in a day or two. Steroid jabs from the vet will help stop the itching but I try to avoid those unless really necessary.
 
my horse goes itchy as soon as I clip him, last time I used a clear clipper oil instead of a brown one and that helped slightly. Also, we currently have a nearby strangles outbreak and when taking his temperature, he is always hotter than everyone elses horses and now ive started leaving his rugs off a bit he is a lot less itchy so taking it that he is too hot.
 
I have this exactly at the moment. Totally out of the norm for my horse as well. I ended up getting the vet last week who said probably mites of some description and I got a lime sulphur dip and some meat deosect. I’ve done both and he seemed better at first but a week later he is itchy again. The vet suggested I get my rugs washed but I’ve found that tricky given it was over Xmas, so I’ve been spraying them with the deosect instead. They seem pretty difficult to get rid of if it is mites. Think you can buy deosect neat from some online places like viovet
 
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