Linseed for Sweet itch and Free feacal water syndrome?

[EJP15]

Anyone feed Linseed for Sweet itch and Free feacal water syndrome with good results? I'm considering using it but my horse is a good doer so worried about weight gain. Of course I'd give it in small quantities. Also are the linseed lozenges just as good as pure micronised linseed?

 

[Mustard]

A mixture of linseed, brewers yeast and salt was suggested to me for our sweet itch horse - can't remember who by, but I gave it a try. Nothing else had worked, except snuggy hood type rugs, and as he was an 18hh rug wrecker, that was very expensive. It worked; he was able to live happily without even a fly rug for his last years and grew back his mane and tail. It did take a while; it wasn't a quick cure.
Whoever suggested it did say it didn't work for all horses, but it's worth a try.
I found the cheapest way to do it was to buy a sack of each from Charnwood. They'll deliver if no one close by stocks it. Expensive up front, but lasts for ages.

 

[Birker2020]

Anyone feed Linseed for Sweet itch and Free feacal water syndrome with good results? I'm considering using it but my horse is a good doer so worried about weight gain. Of course I'd give it in small quantities. Also are the linseed lozenges just as good as pure micronised linseed?

I've been giving Lari Linseed Lozenges since he came back and amazingly at day 7 you could feel the linseed effect in his coat on his shoulder. So shiny.

I can imagine Linseed would be very effective for a lot of skin conditions as it contains Lignans which can soothe irritated skin and reduce redness in humans. And the Omega 3 and 6 which also helps with sweetitch in horses.

 

[Spiritedly]

I wasn't told about feeding linseed but my vet suggested Brewers yeast for my sweet itch pony...he ripped his Boett sweet itch rug and is a complete needle phobe so the injections are out of the question...she did say that Brewers yeast doesn't work for all but it's cheap enough to give it a try so all of mine have been having it in their feeds for the past month and I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

 

[Peglo]

My pony isn’t diagnosed with sweetitch but she was a really itchy pony. I fed linseed (she’s a good doer so just a little bit) and she was slightly better but after feeding her oily herbs she seemed to stop rubbing bald patches. As I say though, she wasn’t diagnosed with sweetitch so it may not help

 

[EJP15]

I've been giving Lari Linseed Lozenges since he came back and amazingly at day 7 you could feel the linseed effect in his coat on his shoulder. So shiny.

I can imagine Linseed would be very effective for a lot of skin conditions as it contains Lignans which can soothe irritated skin and reduce redness in humans. And the Omega 3 and 6 which also helps with sweetitch in horses.

I wonder if the lozenges are still micronised? Which do you use and how much do you give?

 

[EJP15]

I've been reading it's really good for the gut too which is my main reason for considering it. Especially as we are about to go out on fresh grass

 

[Highmileagecob]

Foods containing linseed did nothing for FWS for my old boy. After 12 years of winter bottom washing, I inadvertently added sugar back into his diet (molassed beet instead of molasses free) and this winter has been thr dryest he has been since sugar was reduced in his diet. Logically, the hind gut ferments, and yeast plus sugar is needed to produce fermentation.
Also check teeth carefully. Once the grinding surfaces start to wear, the chewing ability is compromised and the hindgut cannot cope with inadequately chewed forage coming in from the foregut. Possibly not scientifically proved theories, but they have worked for my old boy.

 

[nutjob]

Linseed lozenges are not the same at all as micronised linseed. A lot of the oil has been removed and the lozenges are made from what's left.

Lozenges:



Charnwood micronised linseed

 

[marmalade76]

I wonder if the lozenges are still micronised? Which do you use and how much do you give?

I would avoid them, they're probably filled with all sorts of other rubbish.

 

[EJP15]

I will just stick to the pure stuff then. Thanks for all your helpful replies

 

[EJP15]

Foods containing linseed did nothing for FWS for my old boy. After 12 years of winter bottom washing, I inadvertently added sugar back into his diet (molassed beet instead of molasses free) and this winter has been thr dryest he has been since sugar was reduced in his diet. Logically, the hind gut ferments, and yeast plus sugar is needed to produce fermentation.
Also check teeth carefully. Once the grinding surfaces start to wear, the chewing ability is compromised and the hindgut cannot cope with inadequately chewed forage coming in from the foregut. Possibly not scientifically proved theories, but they have worked for my old boy.

This is really interesting, thanks for that. My boys get teeth checked 6 monthly.

 

[Surbie]

I didn't find micronised linseed helped with sweetitch, though my horse's coat was lovely and he adored it. The mice/rats also adored it and they turned his poo into shrapnel to get the whole seeds - just a warning!

Brewer's yeast didn't work on mine either - the best thing I have found is keeping the skin clean, using killitch and rugging from about now.

 

[EJP15]

I didn't find micronised linseed helped with sweetitch, though my horse's coat was lovely and he adored it. The mice/rats also adored it and they turned his poo into shrapnel to get the whole seeds - just a warning!

Brewer's yeast didn't work on mine either - the best thing I have found is keeping the skin clean, using killitch and rugging from about now.

I don't even rug my lad anymore, I use a homemade fly spray after my vet recommended making my own (benzyl benzoate is the main active ingredient) and also apply creams if he develops any sore or hairless areas. My vet says that he's not seem many manage sweet itch as well as me. Sorry if that sounds big headed. I don't do much right but in life mind.

 

[SOS]

I believe my horse had FFWS earlier this winter (diagnosed on here so not sure).. he is on micronised linseed 2/3rds of the year so for him it didn’t help at all.

 

[EJP15]

I believe my horse had FFWS earlier this winter (diagnosed on here so not sure).. he is on micronised linseed 2/3rds of the year so for him it didn’t help at all.

Rich grass and haylage is a no go for us, he's also started reacting to the mite jabs. I find pro and prebiotic definitely help, a good amount of chaff/grass pellets (low calorie ones)

What have you used and found helpful?

 

[Birker2020]

I wonder if the lozenges are still micronised? Which do you use and how much do you give?

Sorry I have no idea. The feedstore I use have Supa Barley rings, Linseed lozenges and Speedibeet in convenient 1kg bags which they sell for £1.25 to £1.50 a bag.

They do this with shavings, hay and readigrass too! For people with rabbits, etc.

So in the winter and spring I normally buy a couple of bags of the speedibeet and a couple of the linseed to add to the feed, which last me two or three weeks.

 

[marmalade76]

Rich grass and haylage is a no go for us, he's also started reacting to the mite jabs. I find pro and prebiotic definitely help, a good amount of chaff/grass pellets (low calorie ones)

What have you used and found helpful?

Maybe it's similar to CPL where sticking to simple feed/avoiding grain, alfalfa, etc helps?

 

[Highmileagecob]

If you would like some bedtime reading, I'll update the Winter Faecal Water thread. It's worth ploughing through it just to get an idea of the many variables.

 

[EJP15]

If you would like some bedtime reading, I'll update the Winter Faecal Water thread. It's worth ploughing through it just to get an idea of the many variables.

Yes please

 

[EJP15]

Maybe it's similar to CPL where sticking to simple feed/avoiding grain, alfalfa, etc helps?

That's the diet we follow really, he's a very good doer so molasses and grains are a no go anyway x

 

[EJP15]

Maybe it's similar to CPL where sticking to simple feed/avoiding grain, alfalfa, etc helps?

Oh and he also has mallanders/sallanders, asthma, hay fever lol

 

[Highmileagecob]

Snap! Last year I tried Loratadine antihistamine tablets from the supermarket, to see if they would stop him coughing. Yes, they did, but it was also a damp summer, so not completely sure. He reacts badly to Dectomax (mites) and anything with Ivermectin in it. For leg mites I switched to Selsun 2.5% shampoo, and give him a good scrub and rinse on day 1, day 5 and day 10 to clear all the scabs and skin debris and clear off any hatchlings. Bit labour intensive, but good results for six to eight months.

 

[EJP15]

Snap! Last year I tried Loratadine antihistamine tablets from the supermarket, to see if they would stop him coughing. Yes, they did, but it was also a damp summer, so not completely sure. He reacts badly to Dectomax (mites) and anything with Ivermectin in it. For leg mites I switched to Selsun 2.5% shampoo, and give him a good scrub and rinse on day 1, day 5 and day 10 to clear all the scabs and skin debris and clear off any hatchlings. Bit labour intensive, but good results for six to eight months.

He's just started reacting to the mite jab after years with no problem. Also some hay still makes him cough even if soaked which is a nightmare. I will try that on his legs, he's clipped as his feather makes things so much worse. He's meant to be a cheap companion for my other horse. He even reacts to certain pollen but we don't know which. His eyes swell up like tennis balls!

What reaction are you getting with the jab? Mines a stomach reaction. His water syndrome gets bad after it.

We have just done a year no steroids for his breathing so that's a positive! The yard I'm at has it's issues due to other liveries but his health is pretty good on it and finding somewhere suitable isn't easy as certain plants growing around/on the yard makes a huge difference to him.

 

[Highmileagecob]

Dectomax triggers an asthma attack, as does ivermectin products. I have cleared around three acres of balsam over the years, and we thought we were getting on top of the ragwort, until last year's yellow carpet over ten acres. The willow trees are starting to pollen now, and I am watching him closely. He coughs badly when in contact with hay, so he has an isolation stable and pen at the top of the yard away from the hay stores. He is fed haylage, and now has 50% of his diet as soaked beet and chaff due to dental issues. He is 30, and the coughing started around the age of 17. Interestingly, when his gut dried up and his digestion improved, I also saw a reduction in coughing. The coughing started when he piled on a lot of weight during daughter's A level year, and vet immediately said to reduce sugar and treat him as EMS.

 

[EJP15]

Dectomax triggers an asthma attack, as does ivermectin products. I have cleared around three acres of balsam over the years, and we thought we were getting on top of the ragwort, until last year's yellow carpet over ten acres. The willow trees are starting to pollen now, and I am watching him closely. He coughs badly when in contact with hay, so he has an isolation stable and pen at the top of the yard away from the hay stores. He is fed haylage, and now has 50% of his diet as soaked beet and chaff due to dental issues. He is 30, and the coughing started around the age of 17. Interestingly, when his gut dried up and his digestion improved, I also saw a reduction in coughing. The coughing started when he piled on a lot of weight during daughter's A level year, and vet immediately said to reduce sugar and treat him as EMS.

Haylage is great for his Asthma but terrible for his FWS. He's also a fatty that puts on weight just looking at hay BUT shivers so easily