I'm new / Sweet Itch question

[Roux]

Hey I'm new!

I live in Sydney, Australia and I have 5 horses, i am studying to be an osteo / chiropractor for humans and horses.

I have a 10 year old Thoroughbred gelding, a 13 year old welsh pony, a 9 year old 3/4 irish draught mare and a 3 year old Warmblood mare.

I recently purchased the WB mare and she has sweet itch, I was just wondering what treatments anyone uses for itchy horses?

She has a fly sheet on and a fly veil with ears attached.

I am taking her to her first show and would like her to not be looking bald!

I am willing to try anything as she is driving herself crazy trying to itch.

 

[hobo]

hello Australia, I got on very well with Benzol Benzoate mixed 50/50 with water for many years before we had all this top to toe rugs avalible. I got it in a chemist it was cheap and easy just a bit messy but washes out when needed. I,ve heard some people mix with baby oil so not to dry the skin to much

 

[Sparkles]

Boett rug Normal fly sheets never seem to work as good I've found. Pricey but well worth it.

 

[lady lou]

Hi there, just seen your post and I know by experience that this condition can be dreadful, Yes Benzyl Benzoate is good if you can get hole of it? I'm using a product which is fantastic it has really turned mine and my horse's summer around it is called sweet relief, which contains BB I got mine from www.sweetitch.net My horse has a full mane and tail this year and no itching, nor do I need the fly rug which is great as it tends to rub and she gets hot underneath it, which I found can aid the rubbing. I personally recommend this very much..

 

[sazzle44]

heyy welcome to the forum!

With regard to the itching, I've just been sent a pony who appears to have some form of sweet itch and he wears a fly rug all the time which stops him rubbing his hair out, but he's still sooooo itchy! Spoke to the vet who said to keep him clean, try some Benzyl Benzoate (which you can get, he's going to get me a 5ltr can!) and if that doesn't work take a patch test to see if it's a specific allergy, and get a Boet rug. Hopefully the BB will work! Best of luck
btw; the vet said that just because their itchy, it's not always sweet itch as such, or it may be a different type. Don't know if you know this already, but he said it can make a big difference if you know exactly what the source is

 

[bumblelion]

Hi there! Sweetitch rug, good fly repellent and a dollop of marmite in feed (or vegemite in your case!!!)!

 

[babymare]

hello there and welcome - ok have tried everything and all products but johnson baby oil every 3 or 4 days- only apply at night and rub in and only if use a fly sheet so it doesnt burn - 3rd year of using and yep she as rub a bit tonight so more put on but full tail and mane and that never happened using fly sprays and rugs - I think it relieves skin BUT please only put on at night so can soak in and use a fly rig against sun bit wooooo hooo love you johnsons xxxx

 

[kalsi4654]

Hey I'm new!

I live in Sydney, Australia and I have 5 horses, i am studying to be an osteo / chiropractor for humans and horses.

I recently purchased the WB mare and she has sweet itch, I was just wondering what treatments anyone uses for itchy horses?

I am willing to try anything as she is driving herself crazy trying to itch.

Get a proper sweet itch rug and hood. There's one person in Australia selling DeMeulenkamp and Pagony sweet itch rugs, which work just as well as the Boett but are much cheaper. Have a look at http://www.premiumequine.com.au/ . These really do work!

 

[lady lou]

Hi austrailia, hope uve found something that works but if not I really do recommend trying Sweet Relief - its amazing it contains benzyl benzoate which is the only thing that will truely help sweet itch. It's also fab for most skin irritations, it's really good value for money. Good luck the website is www.sweetitch.net can't recommend it enough xx

 

[Echo Bravo]

Hi, If I'm really honest I would say get rid of her, have owned a mare suffering from sweet ich for the past 10 years and she has gotten worse over the years and I have tried everything. But the Boett rug and mask does help but expensive, so get two. The 2 B's Bens benso, can burn the horses skin if they are thinskinned like my mare, even if you water it down to 50/50 and my mare can smell it 2 miles off. The last 2 days is the only time I have taken her rugs off as it's been really cold and it was a pleasure seening her roll in the mud and getting her coat muddied, but she is unridable most of the year. Look it up and I think they tell you it only gets worse over the years. I didn't believe it to begin with but now I know better.

 

[Jnhuk]

Sounds daft but marmite sandwiches can work a treat in some cases!

 

[dapplepink]

I tried so many different rugs and ended up with a boett and have never looked back!! Pricey but well worth it, & youcan ride in it if needed. Also use Avon Skin so Soft dry oil spray on his dock, ears and mane where it's worse. A friend has used some tablets that she got from the sweet itch Center (who are the ones who sell the boett) and she found them really useful, but I think you have to start feeding them before the midge season (not sure what that is in Oz!) however the lady I spoke to at the sweet itch Center was so so helpful and full of advice so maybe give them a call too!! Brewers yeast & linseed oil are also meant to help but didn't see much change in mine tbh.

Also check what you are currently feeding ie no garlic. I also noticed a difference by changing his chop, from a mass produced one to just plain basic chop from the local corn mill as it was suggested to me that on top of sweet itch they may also have more sensitive skin, by doing all those things I noticed a huge difference but you have to keep on top of it!! I took his boett off too early this winter and in one afternoon he rubbed 80% mane out!! Good job we're not showing for a while!!!!

 

[Foxhunter49]

As sweet itch is from an allergy the best way to cure it is to alter the horse's immune system.

Try feeding Natural Animal Feed D-Itch or D-tox, this will alter her immune system. Best if you can start feeding it before the gnats start and keep it up all summer but if she is already scratching then it will ease it but nit necessarily stop it.

The other thing is to prevent the gnats from biting.
Get some pure Neem Oil, mix 5 ml with 3 ml of a good shampoo and make up with 1 litre of hot water and swab her all over with that. It doesn't smell very nice but that wears off after a couple of hours. Make sure that every part of her is covered and that will keep the gnats and flies away. It will last for about 2 - 3 weeks unless she sweats a lot.

Brilliant stuff stops dogs getting fleas and ticks too.