Help with sweet itch please..anybody?

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JingleTingle

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My mare, who has sweet itch, presented with very bad agitation and has torn her skin on her underbelly, inside back legs and a bit on her legs......this was yesterday, reluctantly I gave her a steroid jab, she has not had one since March this year and I had hoped to avoid a 2nd injection this season. Bad move ...should have given it in August as suggested by my vet, but she seemed so good this year with all my precautions it seemed OK. How wrong was I??

So today she is even worse, when I first had her and discovered she reacts very badly to SI, the steroid jab worked within hours as it did for the majority of this summer, not so this time.

Can hardly stand still, kicking herself, biting anywhere she can reach, shoulders, sides, legs etc. Managed to get her belly area slathered between the kicks, and seemed to settle her temporarily, then off she went again, the same manic behaviour.

Has anyone tried the monthly ivermectin (sp?) jab for help with SI. Got some linseed oil today but dont know how much to give her, so just bunged half a cup in her feed. Sigh...I am really clutching at straws now, she is worse than the day I first discovered she has SI nearly 18 months ago.....any ideas please? I need some ideas desperately!

She is fed 1 mug (dry) of fast fibre (soaked obviously) half a scoop of Hi Fi Lite, approx 50g of Cal Mag (Calcium and Magnesium)1 and half teaspoon of super Biotin, about 30g of Brewers Yeast, all year around. From today approx. 100 ml of Cold Pressed Linseed Oil. Usually on very restricted grazing, that is, fence moved a small amount every day. Now have her off there and on very poor grazing with small feed of hay once a day as I am worried about the lammi risk with the steroid jab, but she is not overweight and has never had laminitis, but still a risk of course.

She wears a good SI rug at all times.

Any ideas, it breaks my heart seeing her like this.
 
I don't have much help to offer, but a pony my daughter used to school had terrible sweet itch, used to run at the walls in the school when you were on him and rub like crazy. He has been getting the monthly injections for two years now and they have made him a lot more comfortable. He still has obvious signs of mild SI and still needs a SI rug and watched all the time, so I would say in my experience it is not an out and out cure, but does help xx
 
As a fellow sweet itch owner I do feel for you, and I do hope that you manage to find some form of resolutin to this as she sounds really uncomfortable. I have to be honest we have never used these injections. Our mare gets sweet itch on her mane and tail and on her belly near her rear end. We keep it under control with a good sweet itch rug, but this does not help the belly bit, and we did invest in a snuggy hood body, but she justs gets hot and even more itchy in it. We also use Avon Skin So Soft as it seems to work on her, and a good sweet itch cream if she is sore. We have also found some herbal tablets which help as well, which we have been informed are BE and BD legal. She loves being turned out at night rugless as well and does not rub herself overly much.

I have heard of saline injections being used with sweet itch sufferers, but to be honest have not researched it as we seem to manage our mare quite well. Sweet itch though is a horrible affliction and I do feel for any poor horse that suffers badly from it. I do wish you good luck with it and hope that your mare recovers soon. At least the midgey season is nearly over, plus if we have some more wet weather the dam things wont be flying around too much.
 
Can you ask the vet and give a small amount of Sedalin for a day or so to help her relax a little? and break the agitation. My previous lad had chronic Sweet itch. Wore boett and facial hood all year round. Full clip in Feb and Sept and was careful not to over rug so he didn't get too hot. Net tex sweetitch salve for his face and winky area. Washed mane and tail every fortnight in Polytar shampoo. He was also allergic to citronella and tea tree. Kept him out 24/7 with electric fencing. Hope your neddy improves very soon xx
 
Actually LMJ that is a brilliant idea, I have Sedalin here but I also have ProKalm that I find very good for one off issues with my lot. I shall go down shortly and give her a good dose of that. Thank you - why on earth didnt I think of that!

TheoryX1 - I do use the Avon So Soft, and once a fortnight she is treated with Primetherin (sp) I also use a gel fly repellent for her head and nether regions, I am really starting to think this might be some other allergy rather than SI. I couldn't leave her for even an hour overnight un rugged....she would just rub more of herself raw. We have electric fencing everywhere, but she just gets down and contorts to use the ground.

Councillor do you know the exact injection that he is getting? I can see what would happen riding her when she is like this....she is normally very placid and gentle to ride, the day before this manifested she was an absolute plonker, spooking at everything, cantering on the spot etc. Probably already starting up with the irritation I suspect. Poor horse and I was cross with her!:o
 
With such a severe case (as had my Friesian), I found that full Boett from Feb to Nov and Camrosa worked on all the exposed bits. I did every trial going of supposed vaccines/cures but nothing worked but prevention of her being bitten. She was always better turned out as less to scratch on and grazing kept her mind off it. Indoors she'd just rip herself to pieces.

Have you spoken to Sweet-Itch help line? They are great. http://www.sweet-itch.co.uk/
 
There are tablets you can get now from the SI website Bio Eos tablets. Not used them so don't know how effective they are but might be worth a go if yours is so bad? Think they are quite expensive though.
 
Thank you Nicnac, I think I will contact them Monday. She had a Boett but got so hot and more itchy in it that I sold it..She now has a Rambo SI Hoody or a Premier Equine, and a home made belly cover on too. She is out 24/7 in a fully electric fenced field - she would mangle herself and her stable if kept in.

Surreudeb, I tried to get those tablets but they would not send them to me as I am in Ireland (The Republic) - I think for next year I will get a friend in the UK to get them and send over to me!:confused:
 
Don't know where you keep your horse, but many SI sufferers improve dramatically if they are moved away from water, woodland etc to exposed windy sites. Perhaps you could look for a different yard? Also simple things which I'm sure you already do such as diligently poo picking and siting of muck heap far away. It's so miserable isn't it? My pony had her SI rug off this week and a lightweight turnout rug on bug I've had to go back to SI rug tonight as midges are back and she was going insane rolling everywhere.
 
Midges are still very veryactive and I creep about at 4am and they love my head light ;). T used to go on all fours on the ground like a dog and rub sheath and stomach raw. Tied up outside the box , would take his mane out or face would look like chain saw massacre :eek: Is she out with friends? When T was on sparser grazing/ mud he appeared to do more damage as area was flinty so strip grazed him behind his mate so he was always on a covering of shorter grass and couldn't cause as much mischief. He was on the S.I vaccine trials in 2005 ( had 4 jabs in total) but I don't feel personally it changed much .

Keep us posted!.
 
Surreydeb my little herd are kept at home so another yard doesnt come in to it. We are looking to move though, so coastal properties are getting priority viewing, I know where we are is typcial wet and mild Irish bog land - so it really doesn't help.

LMJ she is out with her little donkey herd (she is big Momma! lol!) and I also have 1 donkey who is a SI patient, but so far he is easy to deal with, rugs and fly spray does the trick. T sounds just like her.....she will find somewhere to wriggly along rubbing her belly etc. no matter where she is.:(

Thank you all for you in put...I will talk to my vet on Monday and see what he thinks...I will update when things (hopefully!) change for the better.:confused:
 
Found this on the IH site last year and tried it as a last resort for my mini shet, mix 1 teaspoon of iodine into 1/2 cup of shampoo (bearing in mind this was amount for mini), wet coat, mane & tail thoroughly with warm water, work in the mixture and leave on for 10 mins then wash off, this should remove most of the scurf, repeat 2 days later. Buy some 99% pure Benzyl Benzoate and can of pig oil, I mix 2 litre amounts at a time as follows, 400ml Benzyl, 6 teaspoons of iodine, make up to 2 litres with pig oil (so Benzyl is at 20% strength and iodine 3 tea spoons a litre). Apply to all areas that need it (in my case from mid face upwards, ears,mane, down neck 3" each side, withers to 6" down each shoulder, all over back, hip bones, rump, dock, chest, between front legs, strip down whole belly about hands width, around privates, between thighs). For 1st week apply every other day, 2nd week every 3 days, bath again in mixture at end of second week and reapply oils while damp, for rest of summer I have applied every 3 days and at the moment once a week unless I spot lots of midges. He doesn't wear rugs as rips them off - tried the electric fencing but he just scrubbed himself on the ground until trashed, I do realise this may not be ideal for a riding horse lol!! but it has prevented the 'big descision' as had already tried every other vet and supplement potion going and it's not nearly as greasy as it sounds after the 1st 2 weeks.
 
Love the replies as some do work, like the marmite sandwich.I have a mare that I've owned for 12 years, I can feed her anything. BUT cann't get anywhere near her with lotions or potions, she can smell them a mile away and that is my problem, if I could smoother her in lotions to help the itching I would, have tried her on the marmite, she loves it but the itching has gotten worse, also the itch free by dobson&horrell just as bad. One thing I have noticed over the years when she gets really hot she itches most, am thinking about wetting rugs to keep her cool and see how that goes,as I cann't do anymore damage to her skin.And my Xmas present is another Boett rug and why cann't you get anything for their legs???
 
my mare also suffers from SI. After trying many lotions and potions, I've now got a routine of various things that work well- she wears a fly sheet 24/7 whenever she is out, she's covered in avon skin so soft spray literally everywhere, she's fed 6 brewers yeast tablets every day and then nettex itch stop salve on her tail and coopers fly repellent plus in her mane. Also the global herbs skratch supplement is good (if you can persuade your horse to eat it!!) and I use that at times when she's particularly itchy.

I feel for you, as I know how horrible it can be seeing your horse so agitated.
I know many people suggest to keep your horse stabled when midge activty is worst, but it's just finding out what works best for your horse, as mine would just itch non-stop if left stabled for any length of time in the summer.

Best of luck :)
 
grumpyoldmare said:
My mare, who has sweet itch, presented with very bad agitation and has torn her skin on her underbelly, inside back legs and a bit on her legs......this was yesterday, reluctantly I gave her a steroid jab, she has not had one since March this year and I had hoped to avoid a 2nd injection this season. Bad move ...should have given it in August as suggested by my vet, but she seemed so good this year with all my precautions it seemed OK. How wrong was I??

So today she is even worse, when I first had her and discovered she reacts very badly to SI, the steroid jab worked within hours as it did for the majority of this summer, not so this time.

Can hardly stand still, kicking herself, biting anywhere she can reach, shoulders, sides, legs etc. Managed to get her belly area slathered between the kicks, and seemed to settle her temporarily, then off she went again, the same manic behaviour.

Has anyone tried the monthly ivermectin (sp?) jab for help with SI. Got some linseed oil today but dont know how much to give her, so just bunged half a cup in her feed. Sigh...I am really clutching at straws now, she is worse than the day I first discovered she has SI nearly 18 months ago.....any ideas please? I need some ideas desperately!

She is fed 1 mug (dry) of fast fibre (soaked obviously) half a scoop of Hi Fi Lite, approx 50g of Cal Mag (Calcium and Magnesium)1 and half teaspoon of super Biotin, about 30g of Brewers Yeast, all year around. From today approx. 100 ml of Cold Pressed Linseed Oil. Usually on very restricted grazing, that is, fence moved a small amount every day. Now have her off there and on very poor grazing with small feed of hay once a day as I am worried about the lammi risk with the steroid jab, but she is not overweight and has never had laminitis, but still a risk of course.

She wears a good SI rug at all times.

Any ideas, it breaks my heart seeing her like this.
Click to expand...

I was advised by the manufacturers of Thursday Plantation Tea Tree Oil to try this: morning and evening dip a large sponge in hand-hot water and then add a few drops of tea tree. Rub this along the horse's back from poll to dock. The oil acts as a local anaesthetic and antiseptic as well as an insect repellant.
 
My boy has SI and would rub himself on anything, I use benzyl benzoate, avon SSS, SI rugs but was still constantly itchy, I haven't tried any of the injections,he too was also on Hi fi lite which contains alfalfa and I read that some horses have an intolerance to it, so 2weeks ago I changed from hi fi lite to the honeychop unmolassed chopped oat straw and for the 1st time since I have had him I was able to leave him in stable for the day without him rubbing himself raw!
Worth a thought perhaps.
I hope you find something that works for yours :)
 
Surreydeb said:
There are tablets you can get now from the SI website Bio Eos tablets. Not used them so don't know how effective they are but might be worth a go if yours is so bad? Think they are quite expensive though.
Click to expand...

I was going to suggest this too....... next year with my boy I think I might try these.

The other thing that occurs to me is that OP you're feeding "Fast Fibre". There is unfortunately a little bit of garlic in it - which is something you need to avoid with SI's as it stimulates the immune system. I can get away with giving my boy a bit of it, BUT with a mare as sensitive as yours it just could be the thing that's tipping her over the edge a bit more, so personally I'd try avoiding it and see what happens. The problem with these complex concentrates is also that there IS still some sugar in there, unfortunately.

I would also switch to the Dengie Hi Fi Molasses Free rather than just Dengie Hi Fi Lite. Sugar is NOT what you want to feed a SI.

I'd be inclined to ask your vet to take some bloods, as there may be a lot more to this than just a midge allergy - she may be allergic to some of the grasses or other stuff she's eating and you need to know what that is to start with.

Feel so sorry for you; its so awful watching them in distress and not being able to do anything. But yours has obviously got a huge histamine reaction; and I think you need to establish as far as possible exactly what that is about.

(Sorry/addition: have had a quick read and has anyone suggested Benzyl Benzoate - "Killitch" - as a topical application? Also I wash my boy down in Head & Shoulders Shampoo which seems to get rid of a lot of scurf in his coat and soothes him too; similarly Tea Tree Oil Shampoo. When he's hot I also wash him down with a Lavendar Wash - he loves it).
 
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