Horses with Sweet Itch

xMoodyMarex

xMoodyMarex

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My mare who I absolutly adore, sadly suffers from bad sweet itch (she's still itching a bit now, even in November) She get's in literally everywhere...legs, face, neck, mane, tail area, and in her ears the worst. Even an injection from the vet didn't help at all :( Last summer was a complete nightmare, but it was my first summer with her, so i've now got a routine of different treatments that were starting to work a bit, that I would start straight away in March. I adore her, but I'm really stuck as to whether I can really have her for another summer (everyone that knows me and her, know how horrible last summer was) it may sound like I'm exaggerating , but she literally got to the point that she'd rubbed her ears raw- I was literally doing everything I possibly could though, and spent hours each day with different sweet itch treatments. Next summer my plan is to spray her everywhere with avon skin so soft, she'll have a fly sheet on 24/7, brewers yeast in her feed, nettex cream on tail area and calamine lotion in her mane. She's such a lovely little mare, but I don't know whether I can face another summer seeing her so miserable no matter what I do :( anyone else have a horse with sweet itch??
 
I have one with fairly bad sweet itch. It is really hard to do anything with him as he is so itchy bless him.

Did you have a rug on her this summer? That really should help although a normal fly rug just doesn't cut it, you really need one specifically made for sweet itch (Boett, Rambo sweet itch hoody or similar) as the weave is tighter and they are more robust.

Unfortunately no one method works for every horse. I add new one new thing every year, if it improves the situation it stays being used, if it doesn't I scrap it and try something else. I have had success with a supplement called hippo eczema and the hippo itch care gel. I know these do show vast improvements for my horse but next year I will try something else at first and if that doesn't work ill revert to the hippo stuff.

I also found out this year that my poor boy has a reaction to benzyl benzoate and his coat falls out where it is applied which limits me in what I can and can't use as most sweet itch lotions contains this ingredient
 
You need a proper SI rug, not a flysheet. Personally I prefer the snuggy hoods one.

Try putting the rug on her in mid feb (or earlier if its mild) to hopefully beat the midges out and keep it on 24 - 7. Also try bringing her in during the day in the summer if she usually lives out. The rug needs to stay on all the time.

I find keeping them clean helps with the itching. We bath our worst SI horse regularly over the summer then pop his rug back on.

Just some ideas. We have 5 with SI of varying degrees and it is a managable condition, you just need to suss out what regime fits her best :)
 
Hi,


Bath once a week and she needs to live in a sweet itch rug, another vote here for snuggy hoods! I know there aren't really any midges about now but I have an itchy pony and he lives in his all year round, it just comes off to ride and then he's coated in various gunk. Also keeping her in at dawn and dusk will help greatly, she will do better if she is out for a few hours a day then stabled over night, pref. in a barn as far away from the much heap or any water source (lakes, ponds etc.) as possible.
 
My lad suffers really bad so I know how you feel. I was thinking the same the other day about mine as we live near fish ponds so would he Be as bad with somebody else? Or am I making it stay bad by where we live?
My lad stays in a Rambo hoody andis still in it now, in fact iv decided I'm keeping it on him all year round now but when I start to back him next year I really don't know how we will get on.
 
Some vets (not all its is a very new treatment?) are now doing a blood test so they can give a very specific antidote ... that may be worth discussing with your vet, or if not PM me and I will let you know of my local vet who I understand is offering this service and maybe you can follow it through (my friends horse has sweet itch and she is going this route).
 
Thats really interesting Canteron, I will make a note of that for when my vet is out next thank you for posting that.

OP - I have a pony with sweet itch, his ears in particular were bad when he arrived

The vet injected him and put him on steroids, the steroids really ravaged him and he lost weight and looked poor for a while but he is off them now and all of his hair has grown back, thats after about ten weeks (since he arrived) but of course this time of year things settle down naturally anyway

The Snuggy hood set is very good and we will be using that next year (I also have a Masta set which is a good reserve suit and a Rambo for less midgey days)

Bathing often is a good idea as already mentioned, he is having brewers yeast in his feed and I will be using Neem oil on him next year
 
Canteron that sounds interesting. My boy rubs himself raw but he lives out and a rug lasts less than a day, he gets the others to rip it off and he will walk through electric to get to them if I try and separate.
I feel terrible, I did not find anything that worked, benzyl benzoate helped his hair grow back although cornucrescine worked better but Avon didn't touch it for him. I have tried almost everything other than rugging which I just can't do and stabling cos I don't have the facilities :( the tea tree shampoo helped to ease the itch for a little while. I have heard that coopers do a fly spray that is only licenced for cows and sheep but it works on the midge that causes SI. My friend keeps cows so I am going to ask him to get me some and I am going to try that this year. It was particularly bad this summer though as it stayed damp!
 
Nicolenlolly, I suggest you invest and rug NOW if you start now you may be in with a chance, and make your fencing better also!
 
Had my old mare pts in Oct, I had had her for 12 years and her SI got steadily worse as the years went by. I used the Boett rugs and facemasks 2 of each so one in the wash/other on her. I couldn't put any lotions on her what so ever or get anywhere near with a needle as she would never allow a vet in her stable. She was stabled from 3pm-10am every day,until this summer. And since the winters are getting milder the midges are living longer, I think you will find you will have to keep her rugged up permenatly.
 
My boy has been ok this year since Ive been useing farnam tri tec fly spray, and spraying domestic fly spray round the stable regulaly, previouly he rubbed his mane and tail off not saying he was as badly effected as some cases but im convinsed affective fly/midge control is a big part of succefull management of this condition....
 
Thank you all for your feedback, I have taken note of everything that has been suggested :) Forgot to add, but last year her mane and tail weren't actually much of a problem even with just a normal fly sheet on, it was her ears and legs that were the worst (strangely a fly mask made the itching worse- I think midges may have been getting trapped inside it!) as soon as it was taken off for a few days, her ears got significantly better.
 
xMoodyMarex said:
Thank you all for your feedback, I have taken note of everything that has been suggested :) Forgot to add, but last year her mane and tail weren't actually much of a problem even with just a normal fly sheet on, it was her ears and legs that were the worst (strangely a fly mask made the itching worse- I think midges may have been getting trapped inside it!) as soon as it was taken off for a few days, her ears got significantly better.
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If you take a look at the snuggy hood rug there is no way any midges can physically get to ears. One of ours in a snuggy hood rubbed his eyes raw but a flymask on top of the snuggy helped along with alot of sudacrem.

I fogot to say in my last post that electric fencing is your friend. Set up an electric fenceline along the inside of any gates / post and rail fencing to stop itching / rug destruction.

Good luck :)
 
I know someone with a mare who gets bad SI. She is fully bathed every 5 days during the summer with a fly repellent shampoo and wears a Boett 24/7. They also wash the Boett every 5 days as the belly flap does tend to collect hair which they have found sometimes tickles her and causes her to itch but they have 2 Boetts for her so this isn't an issue. Even this summer when there was a lot of rain, if it was raining, her turnout went on top of the Boett if it was needed, the Boett wasn't ever off while she was out in the field. She also wears it all winter (but only when turned out). She lives out pretty much 24/7 in the summer and only out during the day in winter. Obviously she has the cream re-applied every time she is washed as well.

I know several people with sweet itch horses but the above has worked best in terms of managing it than any others I have come across.

It is hard work but totally worth it :)
 
I lost my boy in April at the age of 21. He had awful sweet itch, I kept him well away from fences and anything in the yard as he would rub himself raw, it got to the point where he would try rubbing with me on him in the woods. It's a hard decision to make but after seeing how bad others were this damp summer it's a relief to know he wasn't suffering, try switch from your vets and I found the only thing for sores was aloe Vera gel as its cooling, hope this helps
 
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