Itchy horse

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emfen1305

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I posted a couple of days ago about having an itchy horse - some suggestions were either the alfalfa he was on (which I had already taken him off) or the mild weather. He's was still quite itchy tonight despite the temperature dropping here and he's been off the alfalfa 4 days now - is this long enough to know whether it was causing the itchiness or does it need to be longer? He's been on it for a while but only just noticed the itching over the last week so I don't think it was as bad before if he was doing it. He was clipped about 7 weeks ago so it's grown back a bit but he's not fluffy by any means, i popped him in a 100g with the temperature drop and I popped my hand in tonight and he didn't feel warm but maybe he is!

I rubbed him all over with oil tonight to see whether maybe he's got a bit of dry skin and just popped him in a fleece. I don't know whether to be concerned about him, he's eating fine, drinking quite a bit (which is what makes me think maybe he's warm but the haylage is also quite dry), poos seem normal (if not a little smelly when fresh but he's on pink mash so not surprised).

I've checked for mites as best I can but not sure where to go from here. My plan was to give him a chaser clip to get rid of the areas that he's itching so i can check a bit better but any other recommendations? Trying to avoid a vets visit if possible as money is a bit tight at the mo! Thanks very much!
 
Sorry if this was asked in original post, but does your horse have Cushings? Only asking because my oldie developed very itchy skin out of the blue one year - no adverse conditions, no change of management - and he had Cushings. It can be one of the many symptoms.
 
I would do the Cushings test but would also give it longer than 4 days to see if the alfalfa was the cause, it can take up to a month for it to work out of the system. Treating for lice wouldn't hurt either.
 
Thanks all, cushings test is on the list for when he has his hocks injected in January so hopefully they will be rerunning the free test voucher then as well - my current vet is not on board with him having cushings as he's only 10 so won't test unless I demand it and I am not giving them £100 to be made to feel like an idiot so waiting to change to the new vets for his hocks.

I've got some deosect already diluted from the summer so I'll give him a spray all over with that. He seemed better today in the no fill so maybe he's been getting too hot in the 100g! He's been religiously clipped every 4 weeks since March so this will be the longest coat he's had!
 
The cob I look after is really itchy, but it's warm in the day here and midges are around then. (I get bitten too!) He's got sweetitch so I am snuggy-rugging in the day and removing at night if it goes cold enough.
 
Part of my problem is that we don't have a livery service, someone chucks him out for me in the morning as a favour so I have to rug him the night before before the next day but there can be a 10 degree difference so 100g is probably about right for the night but needs a no fill in the day! Might just have to bite the bullet and keep him in his no fill for a while and keep an eye on him, he's not thin by any means but i like to keep him warm because of his arthritis. He's just very grumpy at the moment and don't know what to do to make it better for him!
 
I am still having to put Benzyl Benzoate on my horse's mane and tail due to the little biting flies we have. He is also very sensitive to overheating, so I have to be careful not to over rug him. I have to feed a minimal amount of low sugar/starch Dengie just to get his supplements into him. No carrots because of the sugar content and only a couple of apples a day. He is still eating last years' hay. He is not a hairy cob type, but quite fine with little coat and only 4. If he is really itchy or has a lot of bumps/bites, I give him 6x Piriton tablets at night for 2/3 days.
 
Last edited:
Minkybear said:
I am still having to put Benzyl Benzoate on my horse's mane and tail due to the little biting flies we have. He is also very sensitive to overheating, so I have to be careful not to over rug him. I have to feed a minimal amount of low sugar/starch Dengie just to get his supplements into him. No carrots because of the sugar content and only a couple of apples a day. He is still eating last years' hay. He is not a hairy cob type, but quite fine with little coat and only 4. If he is really itchy or has a lot of bumps/bites, I give him 6x Piriton tablets at night for 2/3 days.
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Thanks! I didn't have this issue last year and the only thing that's changed is that I haven't clipped him as much so maybe he's not as cold as i thought he was so I have gone back to "under rugging" him to see if that helps before looking into any further.
 
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