ITCHY HORSE, WHAT TO DO?!

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allthatjazz

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Hi guys, my horse is really really itchy at the moment. Hes always been a 'riffer' due to having a really thick coat which makes him feel hot and sweaty and to be honest I think its his way of satisfying himself, its almost become like an obsession, as soon as I turn up at the yard hes nagging and nudging me with his head to scratch him, pulling me into him with his head to scratch his chest or his withers, anywhere really! Its got awfuly bad however over the last few weeks to the point where hes taking fence posts out in the field, either pushing them over completely or cracking them! This is not good! I've bathed him, groomed him, used a course of essential oils from a qualified animal aromatherapist, but hes still got the issue. He doesnt have any lice or skin complaints from what I can see. And luckily hasnt caused any sores or rub marks although he has lost a little bit of his mane. I think he just likes to scratch and the more he scratches the itchier he thinks he feels! Does any one have any advice about what I can do or products that I can use to just make him stop!! Thank you :)
 
Personally I'd treat this as if it were a sweet itch; is he itching his mane/tail primarily? Are there any bald/sore patches?

There are a lot of midges around at the moment, and this could be what's biting him and setting him off, and coupled with the fact he's changing coat at the moment which could be another factor.

What I'd do is firstly get him clipped as soon as you can; then you can see what's underneath the coat.

Then I'd treat as a SI; cover up with a sweet-itch hoody rug if turning out (and put on a lightweight turnout rug on top of the SI rug if needed).

Feed sugar/mollasses-free as far as possible - some proprietory brands have a lot of sugar/mollasses in them so be aware.

For a topical application you could try Benzyl Benzoate (brand name "Killitch") which should soothe him.

If its NOT Sweet Itch you won't be doing any harm by doing the above, and might do a lot of good.
 
I would treat as sweet itch too.

The diet is a very important factor in this as it is now thought that excess dietary sugars cause inflamation all over the body which causes the horse to be itchy, thus start scratching and then the insects bite, making it worse and so the cycle continues.

Itchy horses are usually sensitive to something, finding out exactly what can be tricky but Alfa-alfa and mollasses are two very common things...

if he grows a thick coat which makes him hot, itchy and uncomforatable I'd reccomend clipping him too.

Feeding Micronised Linseed has improved my boy's coat and skin immensely and reduced his itchiness, so this may be worth considering...
 
agree with the clipping idea, Em goes mental itching as she gets to hot with a full coat on, she ends up half bald with cuts from breaking fenceposts, damaging field shelters etc. much rather clip her ( in summer i use a blanket clip and in winter the fat pony belly clip as its known where i come from :) ) and use a light rug in bad weather than her cutting herself on something shes scratching on
 
Dectomax injections from the vet. Don't feed anything with alfalfa in or high starchy food. Feed micronised linseed for the coat and skin. Works for my itchies which is not
 
Thank you everyone for your advice its been very inciteful. I have been reluctant to clip him as this year he will be living out through the winter, we dont have any stables and the field shelters need pulling down and rebuilding so he will only have the natural shelter to keep out of the elements. I dont think its sweetitch as such, hes not really covered in bites I have checked him all over and do every day. Fortunately he doesnt have any sore areas or broken skin but he has thinned his mane out somewhat! He itches anywhere and everywhere. I was wondering if it could even be a psychological issue as he was abandoned in a field for 3 years before I had him and I have spoilt him with fuss, scratches and loves and I wondered if maybe he was using it to soothe himself in some way? Does that sound a bit silly :o he is a real fuss pot and absolutely loves attention. The injection dectomax is that the one thats used for feather mites? How much is the injection and how often do they have to have it? How successful is it? He has had feather mites before as hes a hairy cob, I've treated them with pig oil and sulphur but they do come back from time to time. He isnt on any feed as such at the moment, an occasional handful of plain chaff and has carrots and other veg every day, last year he was on fast fibre with flax oil and veg through the winter. As for his age he is 14 years old. I was wondering whether a blood test might throw some light on the subject. He was blood tested last year as he had a really bad coughing episode at our old yard triggered by a bale of hay I think, anyway vet was called and gave him ventipulmin and trimediozine in case of infection and took bloods but they came back clear. But he had suggested that he may have an allergy to dust/pollen that may have caused the coughing especially as it was after he'd had hay from a new source. Does any of the above throw any other thoughts on what may be causing the itching? Thanks everyone!
 
I too have an overly itchy horse with no specific area affected. after trying bathing, extra grooming etc i called the vet, who after the usual questions suggested i try 2 things. Firstly i caould try neem oil diluted to 1/100 with water and a drop of mild shampoo to emulsifie sprayed on daily.
The second thing to try is Ruggle-it, a natural mix of oils that comes as shampoo and oil. As yet i cant give any results as only just started using and not really long enough to get results. May be worth trying for you too
 
Yes for mites they can infect more than just the feathers. I can't remember the cost off the top of my head. Worth it though! One only needs one a year and another need two a year
 
erin82 said:
I too have an overly itchy horse with no specific area affected. after trying bathing, extra grooming etc i called the vet, who after the usual questions suggested i try 2 things. Firstly i caould try neem oil diluted to 1/100 with water and a drop of mild shampoo to emulsifie sprayed on daily.
The second thing to try is Ruggle-it, a natural mix of oils that comes as shampoo and oil. As yet i cant give any results as only just started using and not really long enough to get results. May be worth trying for you too
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Thanks erin82. I had heard that Neem can alleviate itchiness but wasnt sure if it was any good. I've not heard of ruggle-it but shall google it now and have a look! I'm willing to try anything as its really worrying me not least because fence posts are being destroyed by the day but I also dont like to see him going at it the way he does :(
 
allthatjazz said:
I dont think its sweetitch as such, hes not really covered in bites I have checked him all over and do every day.
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Sweet Itch doesn't necessarily mean your horse will be covered in bites. As others have said, it's primarily an autoimmune condition. The flies just make it worse. I hardly ever see fly bites on Chloe, but trust me, she has severe sweet itch when not managed correctly. She has no alfalfa, not a lot of molasses, is fed linseed, brewer's yeast and is always on restricted grazing. Basically treated like a laminitic. Topically I use Neem Oil, but beware, it keeps EVERYTHING away. Not necessarily good if you go to the office straight after applying. ;)
 
My horse and I have been dancing the fandango on a couple of days this week due to midges. You don't get any visible bites but jeez, does my head itch. No wonder my poor mare was frantically begging me to scratch her. I'm one of the unlucky people who attracts insects and I've always thought the fact that my mare is a red-head makes her skin more sensitive. Luckily my fly repellant smells nice because I sprayed us both!
 
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