I’ve seen it all now … sheath covers!

[spotty_pony2]

Sheath Cover

Unique Snuggy Sheath Cover protects the sensitive Sheath area from biting insects, flies & UV rays. Helps prevent Sweet Itch, allergies & protects sarcoids.

snuggyhoods.com

A good idea but I would be concerned they might not urinate normally because it’s different or restrictive. It would need washing everyday too!

 

[Surbie]

It does. But it's handy and not restrictive. We had a RDA pony that suffered from fly strike and this was brilliant. It needs careful placing or it can get filled with poo and that's revolting too

 

[SpeedyPony]

Mum had these for her old pony- he kept getting sheath infections as he was so sensitive to the flies, they do help (although not 100% effective) and are easy to velcro on and off to wash, although you need a lot of them, or to be running a wash every day.
He didn't seem to worry about peeing through them (they're pretty roomy) but they can smell a bit on a hot day, even when washed daily.

 

[meleeka]

I don’t think the tight straps sound very comfortable. I’d worry about chaffing!

 

[adamntitch]

There's 1 for udders to who thinks up theses things seams useful for reasons above but still

 

[little_critter]

If horses could order these themselves…
I can so imagine all the geldings going “yeah, XL, I’m definitely an XL”

 

[Rowreach]

There's 1 for udders to who thinks up theses things seams useful for reasons above but still

People who have experience of horses that suffer maybe?

 

[Goldenstar]

If the choice between no turnout or a sheath cover then I see the point .

 

[Gloi]

There's 1 for udders to who thinks up theses things seams useful for reasons above but still

We had the udder cover for a mare with bad sweet itch but no matter how it was fitted she always seemed to manage to pee into it

The sheath covers work and stopped the lad biting holes in his itchy sheath but they need washing at least daily.

Maybe we should have put the sheath cover on the mare too.

 

[HappyHollyDays]

One of mine suffers from really bad fly bites and I have to slather his undercarriage daily in a barrier cream to prevent it so I can see it being a godsend for those whose horses suffer from sweet itch or have sarcoids.

 

[Gloi]

If the choice between no turnout or a sheath cover then I see the point .

Get bad sweet itch and even being stabled with no turnout isn't an option too easy to rub in a stable.

 

[Mrs Jingle]

I have used an udder cover for my SI mare, but it got so smelly and disgusting too quickly to keep up even with using 3 on rotation. It did help with the midges on her nether regions but unfortunately as soon as it got stinky it attracted flies. Now I just slather her undercarriage and mid line with Biteback cream.

 

[poiuytrewq]

My old horse used to get maggots in his sheath, it was a regular thing in summer. Had i known about them back then I'd definitely have used one! Its a really nasty thing to have to deal with.

 

[Fransurrey]

There's 1 for udders to who thinks up theses things seams useful for reasons above but still

I actually bought one for my mare. Unless you've had a horse with sweet itch that self harms through irritation (she gets open wounds from biting herself), not sure you'll ever understand the anguish. I'm already smothering her in all sorts of crap because the midge population has exploded and she's shedding too much to wear a rug, yet.

 

[tatty_v]

I’ve been debating one for my older boy as he has melanomas in his sheath which seem to attract the flies - we had a couple of bouts of fly strike last year which was really, really upsetting. Hoping for a better year this year but I’d try one if it could help him.

 

[Fransurrey]

Get bad sweet itch and even being stabled with no turnout isn't an option too easy to rub in a stable.

Yep. My mare will rub herself raw on anything. I've got destroyed water buckets to prove it. The corner of the water trough is nicely polished, too.

 

[Gloi]

Yep. My mare will rub herself raw on anything. I've got destroyed water buckets to prove it. The corner of the water trough is nicely polished, too.

We had to fence the water trough off and put the water in soft rubber trugs .
After 20 years I'm so glad my current one hasn't got sweet itch despite loving my old boy.

 

[adamntitch]

I actually bought one for my mare. Unless you've had a horse with sweet itch that self harms through irritation (she gets open wounds from biting herself), not sure you'll ever understand the anguish. I'm already smothering her in all sorts of crap because the midge population has exploded and she's shedding too much to wear a rug, yet.

Never once said it was not a good idea only said you wonder how people think of these things

 

[spotty_pony2]

I actually bought one for my mare. Unless you've had a horse with sweet itch that self harms through irritation (she gets open wounds from biting herself), not sure you'll ever understand the anguish. I'm already smothering her in all sorts of crap because the midge population has exploded and she's shedding too much to wear a rug, yet.

I do have a mare with quite bad sweet itch but she has had the vaccine this year and so far no sore spots and all I am doing is leaving her sweet itch rug on her 24/7, not even using any products! Have you tried the vaccine?

 

[Meredith]

There's 1 for udders to who thinks up theses things seams useful for reasons above but still

People who have experience of horses that suffer maybe?

I actually bought one for my mare. Unless you've had a horse with sweet itch that self harms through irritation (she gets open wounds from biting herself), not sure you'll ever understand the anguish. I'm already smothering her in all sorts of crap because the midge population has exploded and she's shedding too much to wear a rug, yet.

I bought 2 of the sweet itch udder covers for a mare I used to own. She was always ‘fully wrapped’, head, neck body, belly, breast and udder.
Yes they get smelly, yes you need to change them daily, yes it is a faff, but when I sold her no one would have known she had sweet itch

 

[Fransurrey]

Never once said it was not a good idea only said you wonder how people think of these things

Don't put words in my mouth. You wondered. I and others responded as to 'how people think of these things'.

 

[Fransurrey]

I do have a mare with quite bad sweet itch but she has had the vaccine this year and so far no sore spots and all I am doing is leaving her sweet itch rug on her 24/7, not even using any products! Have you tried the vaccine?

The vaccine only works in a few cases (Type I IBH). She's got Type 4, too.

 

[Gloi]

I do have a mare with quite bad sweet itch but she has had the vaccine this year and so far no sore spots and all I am doing is leaving her sweet itch rug on her 24/7, not even using any products! Have you tried the vaccine?

I used the bio plus capsules from the people who sell Boett rugs for about 5 years. I think they made a bit of difference especially from the second year onwards. He stopped chewing holes in himself quite as much and that was a bonus. Of course the improvement might have been due to some of the other things we were doing.

 

[TTK]

I have a gelding with chronic sweet itch and even smothering his sheath with creams doesn't stop him getting bitten. But I bought 3 sheath covers last year and they really do help. He has a clean one on every day and has no issues at all peeing through it.