Itch free supplements - recommendations please!

Z

zachryconk

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24 February 2002
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Messing around with horses and Soay sheep in Staff
horseandhound.co.uk
Our yard is sadly not a good place for itchy horses, hegdes, river, stream etc.
3 of our horses are itchy - not Sweet Itch but enough to toilet brush a tail..
Currently I am trying NAFs D-Itch powder but one horse will refuse to take more than 1 scoop in her feed (she needs 2) without giving her a huge bucketful! Have looked at the ingredients but it doesnt list the herbs and smells very similar to curry powder.
Has anyone tried any of the others on the market with success? I am going to try Dodson and Horrells next in the hope she will eat it.
All suggestions/ideas greatly appreciated.
 
I've had a lot of success with Global Herbs Skratch. It does smell like curry powder and does (IME) have to be introduced carefully. I believe the smell puts the horse off but once they try it they don't object to the taste, so it's a case of starting with tiny amounts. I usually start with just a tiny pinch and build it up gradually. I have never had a problem getting any of them to eat it as long as I start this way.
 
Hi - I have a horse with severe sweet itch if not controlled and other skin allergies .
As well as feed supplements have u looked at any lotions for direct contact with area - I would also recommend trying to find a cause for the itch for example flies etc and then it's easier to treat. Hope this helps and if u want me to recommend some skin lotions I don't mind but each horse is different .x:)
 
Um, OP, just being numpty here, coz if its NOT SI then what do you think it is???

Sounds a bit like SI to me; and being near stagnant water would mean that there would be a lot of midges around.

Personally, I've been there and done it, got the T-shirt with the expensive supplements like "Think Fly". Sorry, but IMO a waste of money the lot of 'em!

I feed mine (who has SI) Brewers Yeast and Linseed; one scoop per feed. Oh and avoid Garlic if you know the horse has SI as this can make the thing worse.

But if you want to avoid the horse/s being bitten in the first place then get a fly rug or a SI hoody and bung on, simples. Better that than a rubbed-bare mane or tail surely.
 
Whats helped the most with my mare is removing all molasses and excess sugar from her diet and feeding her a vit & min supplement with a good amount of copper in and linseed.
 
I have experienced classic sweet itch (the latest pony we lost last year) and this lot dont have it. Itchy doesnt always have to mean sweet itch.

Landscaping nearby has done me a favour and upset the ditch so that it doesnt run anymore, I am not complaining..

I use fly rugs with success but was looking for something to help them from the inside, I will definately give the linseed a go, the Itch Free is still in its early days for us.

The one horse can go out with numerous others and will always get the lions share of the flies, the other horses must love him.. He tends to get a greasy coat and will itch his heels all year round (not mites etc) so I think he must give off a lovely fly attracting stink, the poor thing!

Thanks again everyone
 
I was also going to recommend the global herbs "skratch" supplement - it's amazing! One of ours has sweetitch and I feed it to him, and it's made a huge difference, completely stopped him rubbing himself to pieces. It does have to be introduced slowly as it smells very strong, but once they've tasted it they seem to be okay with having larger amounts (hope that bit made sense!)
Could be one to try if the Itch Free doesn't have much of an effect x
 
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