Horse really itchy - sweet itch or something else?

spotty_pony2

spotty_pony2

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My old boy Puggy seems to be coming in with a different rub everyday at the moment, he seems really itchy in general. It all started when he had a reaction to a fly bite about six weeks ago, which the Vet gave me some steroid cream for and that has more or less healed now and the hair is growing back. Vet warned me of not overusing the steroid cream though because of laminitis risk so I think I’m going to end up calling them to see what else I can try. The last couple look really sore and are both behind the ears (see photos below)

I have recently changed fly sprays and found one that actually works - it’s completely natural so I can’t see it being an allergy to it as the first reaction was before I used it, but I’m not sure. He’s off the antihistamines currently as they are mainly for hay fever but I might get some more and try them as he didn’t have this problem on them. He has been tested for cushings a while ago and all was fine but I’ll mention it to the Vet in case they think it’s worth another test. Could he have developed sweet itch aged 26?!

I’ve put some fungatrol cream on it today to try and soothe it and stop it itching. Any ideas? I’m wary of ringing the Vets for every little thing but think I’ll email the photos to them tomorrow.
 

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Ooh those look sore. I would contact the vet. I wouldn't have thought sweetitch would present like that. I wonder if the fly bite has triggered an allergic reaction.

One of mine is currently on immunotherapy because he's so itchy. He also has 40 antihistamines a day. He's never rubbed himself sore like that though.
 
Hackback said:
Ooh those look sore. I would contact the vet. I wouldn't have thought sweetitch would present like that. I wonder if the fly bite has triggered an allergic reaction.

One of mine is currently on immunotherapy because he's so itchy. He also has 40 antihistamines a day. He's never rubbed himself sore like that though.
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This happened in the space of being in for 5 mins - one one day and one the next. Yes, I’ll contact the Vet tomorrow. I’ve ordered him some more antihistamines and also some milk thistle as I know it’s good for skin. When I turned him out again, I put more cream on and they seem more itchy. Yes I think it might be an allergic reaction that’s just not settling down too. Surprisingly he doesn’t mind them being touched and his fly mask just covers them. (thank god it’s raining at the moment so their aren’t many flies about)

How big is your horse? He has been on 30 antihistamines per day in the past but he is only 15 hands.
 
Is he doing that to himself with a hind hoof?
If not you need to electric fence off whatever he has found to rub on.
I'd certainly be treating as if it is sweet itch until proven otherwise with a proper sweetich rug and hood and all parts sticking out of the rug covered in something oily like summer freedom , neem, biteback or similar. July to September is always the worst time.
 
Gloi said:
Is he doing that to himself with a hind hoof?
If not you need to electric fence off whatever he has found to rub on.
I'd certainly be treating as if it is sweet itch until proven otherwise with a proper sweetich rug and hood and all parts sticking out of the rug covered in something oily like summer freedom , neem, biteback or similar. July to September is always the worst time.
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Not with hind hoof I think just by rubbing on stable door frame when he comes in we both times that was when I first brought him in, then he didn’t do it again after, my mare has sweet itch and it’s a prime area for midge bites without a sweet itch rug. Hers is completely under control though. I already use the biteback super fly and more recently Hedge Witch which is really good and tonight he’s got fungatrol on it to soothe it which is oily so that should help. Think I’ll have to look at sweet itch rugs. He is very sensitive though as is allergic to quite a few things (power phaser, barley, certain types of fleece material when he is clipped) and I think he’s getting more sensitive with age - he’s 26. I’ll contact the Vet to get their thoughts too. He’s never been a fan of summer bless him, he’s akways preferred winter and I think this summer has been so hot it’s made the flies so much worse!
 
spotty_pony2 said:
Not with hind hoof I think just by rubbing on stable door frame when he comes in we both times that was when I first brought him in, then he didn’t do it again after, my mare has sweet itch and it’s a prime area for midge bites without a sweet itch rug. Hers is completely under control though. I already use the biteback super fly and more recently Hedge Witch which is really good and tonight he’s got fungatrol on it to soothe it which is oily so that should help. Think I’ll have to look at sweet itch rugs. He is very sensitive though as is allergic to quite a few things (power phaser, barley, certain types of fleece material when he is clipped) and I think he’s getting more sensitive with age - he’s 26. I’ll contact the Vet to get their thoughts too. He’s never been a fan of summer bless him, he’s akways preferred winter and I think this summer has been so hot it’s made the flies so much worse!
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I hate it. I had one with terrible sweet itch for many years 😢
Odd thing with him was when he got cushings the sweet itch got less. Probably due to the weaker immune system. Sadly it came back with a vengeance once he was on Prascend.
 
Gloi said:
I hate it. I had one with terrible sweet itch for many years 😢
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my mare is bad, but is well managed. She had the Vaccine in Feb/March, has a good sweet itch rug, had the biteback super fly and sweet relief lotions applied daily and comes in when it’s really hot. She had a bad reaction on her back about a month ago and got sore from rubbing it but N gave her antihistamines for a bit and it settled it down again. I also bath her at least once a week in neem oil shampoo.

I think I’ll give him a bath tomorrow and thinking about it, it has coincided with me stopping the antihistamines for about the past 4-5 days as the pollen count has been low and I was giving them to him primarily for hay fever but it has probably been managing the itching too. 🤔 hmm thank you for your help!
 
spotty_pony2 said:
my mare is bad, but is well managed. She had the Vaccine in Feb/March, has a good sweet itch rug, had the biteback super fly and sweet relief lotions applied daily and comes in when it’s really hot. She had a bad reaction on her back about a month ago and got sore from rubbing it but N gave her antihistamines for a bit and it settled it down again. I also bath her at least once a week in neem oil shampoo.

I think I’ll give him a bath tomorrow and thinking about it, it has coincided with me stopping the antihistamines for about the past 4-5 days as the pollen count has been low and I was giving them to him primarily for hay fever but it has probably been managing the itching too. 🤔 hmm thank you for your help!
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Hope you sort it out for him. It's horrible when they start mutilating themselves.
 
Gloi said:
Hope you sort it out for him. It's horrible when they start mutilating themselves.
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Thank you, yes he’s never done it in 20 years of owning him! He seemed happier when he went out and I’ve been keeping an eye on him all afternoon on the stable camera when he was on and haven’t seen him itching again thank goodness. I think it will be trial and error but I’m sure we will work out what’s causing it.
 
I had one ages ago who developed a bad reaction to fly spray which was due to a liver issue. He had itchy swellings wherever it had been applied. It settled down when the liver enzymes were back to normal. That looks really sore but it looks more localised than sweetitch. Hope the vet can sort it out.
 
nutjob said:
I had one ages ago who developed a bad reaction to fly spray which was due to a liver issue. He had itchy swellings wherever it had been applied. It settled down when the liver enzymes were back to normal. That looks really sore but it looks more localised than sweetitch. Hope the vet can sort it out.
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hmm I have considered liver issues (having another horse here which is recovering from a liver issue currently which is not caused by anything toxic, he has had proper medication and is on milk thistle too and latest blood test last week showed a big improvement) which is another reason for my thought process of ordering him milk thistle too! Yes he has had a few bumps appear too lately which have been itchy but haven’t broken the skin caused by fly bites.
 
spotty_pony2 said:
This happened in the space of being in for 5 mins - one one day and one the next. Yes, I’ll contact the Vet tomorrow. I’ve ordered him some more antihistamines and also some milk thistle as I know it’s good for skin. When I turned him out again, I put more cream on and they seem more itchy. Yes I think it might be an allergic reaction that’s just not settling down too. Surprisingly he doesn’t mind them being touched and his fly mask just covers them. (thank god it’s raining at the moment so their aren’t many flies about)

How big is your horse? He has been on 30 antihistamines per day in the past but he is only 15 hands.
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Mine is about 15 hands too. Vet said 20 in the morning and 20 at night. Thank goodness he doesn't seem to notice them in his food.
 
spotty_pony2 said:
Cetirizine Hydrochloride
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Yes this. Just the normal packets of human dosage. I get mine from Amazon, tipped off by the vet. I order 24 months' supply at a time. No-one seems to care that I get through 24 months in a matter of weeks, but popping them out of their foil packets and into my tablet dispensers is a pain.

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Hackback said:
Yes this. Just the normal packets of human dosage. I get mine from Amazon, tipped off by the vet. I order 24 months' supply at a time. No-one seems to care that I get through 24 months in a matter of weeks, but popping them out of their foil packets and into my tablet dispensers is a pain.

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So do I! £8 for about 360. I use one packet per day and am always ordering them. 🙈
 
Update - Vet had prescribed steroids for five days to try and settle it down and break the itch cycle. Never had him on steroids before so slightly nervous because of the Laminitis risk but Vet said he should be fine if I manage his diet whilst he is on them. He has had steroid injections in his hocks in the past though. I’ve given him a full bath today including a whole head wash which he really enjoyed. He’s feeling well in himself though - cheeky photo below! 😃
 

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My mare was suddenly very itchy, vet thought SI but it appears to be grass/sugar intollerance causing generalised inflammation that also affected her feet.

I keep her in during the day when grass sugars are highest, no molasses or grains, vit b, magnesium, milk thistle, fennel seeds, white willow, meadow sweet, nettle. Only took a week to see a difference.

Also jock itch powder anywhere that's itchy, it soothes, reduces sweating, deters flies and has healing minerals usually zinc or copper.

I hop he recovers.
 
Jambarissa said:
My mare was suddenly very itchy, vet thought SI but it appears to be grass/sugar intollerance causing generalised inflammation that also affected her feet.

I keep her in during the day when grass sugars are highest, no molasses or grains, vit b, magnesium, milk thistle, fennel seeds, white willow, meadow sweet, nettle. Only took a week to see a difference.

Also jock itch powder anywhere that's itchy, it soothes, reduces sweating, deters flies and has healing minerals usually zinc or copper.

I hop he recovers.
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thank you, he is also in most days too, that’s interesting. I’ve also read it can be breathing/gut related which is interesting as he gets a bit wheezy in the summer when the pollen count is high.
 
Hazzelnutt said:
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That's interesting. Not related to itchiness directly, but when AJ developed vasculitis on his white legs, after 5 months I stopped the antibiotics and steroids he'd been on because I thought they must be compromising his immune system, and they didn't appear to be doing any good anyway. I put him on a course of L94 instead and his legs cleared up. It could have been complete coincidence of course.
 
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