Losing the plot with itchy horse!

clydeviewequestrian

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Hi everyone,

I've had my Clydesdale since he was 2, he had never had any problems with itching until he moved to my yard and started to suffer from sweet itch, he is now rising 5 and we have the sweet itch sort of as under control as we can so that he is comfortable in the summer months.

Last year he started scratching in the winter quite badly, I treated him for lice twice even though nobody could see any and this helped a lot although he was still a little itchy.

This year he had a great summer and now we are in winter his itching is terrible once again, treated him twice for lice and it has made no difference, I am considering full clipping him so I can keep his sweet itch rugs on all the time incase it is something he is coming into contact with in his stable or turnout but hes so wet in the stable when he is in at night they would probably need washed every day!

Has anyone ever had any tests done on their horses for allergies/skin problems?What was involed and were they helpful? Also an idea of cost would be good if possible!

Thank you for reading all my animals like to fall apart at once just to stress me out 🙄😂
 

abbijay

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Just a thought, you've not mentioned treatment for mites. I presume you have dealt with this otherwise that's the first thing I'd be sorting.
 

cobgoblin

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Yes, treat for mites... and cut out any alfalfa if he's getting any... Alfalfa gave my cob the same symptoms as sweet itch.
 

Leo Walker

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Whats he being fed? I'd want to make sure he was on a very low sugar diet which would include restricting access to grazing. Huge dose of brewers yeast, linseed and salt, as well as a mineral balancer with high levels of copper and zinc and no iron. I've had huge success with a couple of itchy/sweet itchy horses doing that.
 

clydeviewequestrian

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Whats he being fed? I'd want to make sure he was on a very low sugar diet which would include restricting access to grazing. Huge dose of brewers yeast, linseed and salt, as well as a mineral balancer with high levels of copper and zinc and no iron. I've had huge success with a couple of itchy/sweet itchy horses doing that.

Thanks, I've tried feeding linseed previously but will try again I'd try anything! How much salt would you feed?
 

SEL

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What did you use for the mites? After 3 dectomax injections and sedation to clip not clearing the problem with my draft another vet recommended ivermectin shampoo. Cleared it up in 2 washes and he's been fine for months.

But he can't be on straw in the stable. Helps them breed. He's messy so costs be a fortune in woodchip
 

clydeviewequestrian

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What did you use for the mites? After 3 dectomax injections and sedation to clip not clearing the problem with my draft another vet recommended ivermectin shampoo. Cleared it up in 2 washes and he's been fine for months.

But he can't be on straw in the stable. Helps them breed. He's messy so costs be a fortune in woodchip

I've only tried the injections so far, was your draft itchy all over? My old Clydesdale mare got mites but it was just her legs that were itchy , my current Clydesdale is itchy all over except his legs and belly but I've been reading that different mites can affect them differently
 

SEL

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My draft is over there is my avatar. He's short, round and very hairy. He also has thick skin so the mites burrow right in.

He was itching his tummy raw, had raw patches between his back legs and was biting his feathers. If he could find something solid to scratch on he was there until he bled.

He hated being shampoo'd, especially as its a 3-stage process but it made the world of difference. Its not very expensive. I used a 'normal' shampoo to loosen the grease (heads and shoulders!), then the vet advised a dog shampoo especially for fleas and then the third and final part was the ivermectin wash that gets soaked onto them with a sponge and left on.

I did two sessions and fortnight apart and really wish I'd been told about it earlier.

It might not help yours, but for the cost (£40 ish for a large bottle) I think its worth a shot.
 

ycbm

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Do you feed him carrots? I have known horses get very itchy when fed carrots, so I would stop if you do. One could not tolerate even a mouthful of carrot before she started itching.
 

shergar

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What type of bedding are you using? I copied this down from google when a friend was caring for a itchy pony . Allergic skin reactions also known as contact dermatitis hypersensitivity to substances in the daily environment food bedding fly sprays shampoo liniment urine repeated or frequent contact with irritating substance will cause itch swelling lesions and hair loss .Echinacea herb to support body defences is a blood cleanser and lymphatic system cleanser is good for skin complaints .What do you use to wash your rugs ?
 

shergar

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SEL said 2 sessions of mite treatment a fortnight apart can I just add the timing is important as mites have a 7 to 11 day breeding cycle so you kill the mites with the first treatment the second treatment kills any new ones before they have chance to breed .
 

npage123

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Another product which you may like to consider is Camrosa. Their multi-purpose ointment is brilliant for all sorts of skin conditions (not only in horses - see their website). I believe if you use their hypo-allergenic shampoo in combination with the ointment, you'll solve your problem. Their 'starter pack' is very convenient if you want to buy it in smaller quantities first.

http://www.camrosa.co.uk/
 

Leo Walker

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Thanks, I've tried feeding linseed previously but will try again I'd try anything! How much salt would you feed?

10gms per 100kgs of bodyweight, at least a cup of linseed and 100gms of brewers yeast. I fed about 80gms of that but was feeding something 500kgs so I'd scale it up a bit. All balancers are not alike. Which one are you feeding? I'd want to eliminate food as a cause, make sure I had the supplementation right and treat for mites, although if the legs and belly are unaffected it sounds like a long shot. It really does sound like my friends mare. She is dramatically better after a diet overhaul.
 

clydeviewequestrian

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10gms per 100kgs of bodyweight, at least a cup of linseed and 100gms of brewers yeast. I fed about 80gms of that but was feeding something 500kgs so I'd scale it up a bit. All balancers are not alike. Which one are you feeding? I'd want to eliminate food as a cause, make sure I had the supplementation right and treat for mites, although if the legs and belly are unaffected it sounds like a long shot. It really does sound like my friends mare. She is dramatically better after a diet overhaul.


That's great thanks, I will definitely try that! I'm feeding him top spec light balancer at the moment, must admit I've been lazy this year I used to know more about feeding but I've just went for the easy option!
 

Mule

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He could be too hot. I knew a horse that itched constantly in winter until she stopped wearing rugs. Clipping so that he can wear the switch itch rugs comfortably is well worth a try.
 

Denbob

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I knew a pony who was incredibly itchy, after eliminating as many environmental causes as we could the owner tried salt therapy with great results. It isn't a long term solution and they're still working to identify the cause but the pony is much more comfortable and easier to handle as a result, may be worth considering in the short term.
 

BeckyFlowers

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If it's his bum he's itching have you considered pinworm? Mine has sweet itch and he also had a pinworm infection from 2016 until earlier this year (long story, yes I was treating him, he kept getting reinfected from another horse). He scratched his bum cheeks raw.
 

clydeviewequestrian

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I knew a pony who was incredibly itchy, after eliminating as many environmental causes as we could the owner tried salt therapy with great results. It isn't a long term solution and they're still working to identify the cause but the pony is much more comfortable and easier to handle as a result, may be worth considering in the short term.

Thanks for your reply, what is salt therapy?
 

clydeviewequestrian

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If it's his bum he's itching have you considered pinworm? Mine has sweet itch and he also had a pinworm infection from 2016 until earlier this year (long story, yes I was treating him, he kept getting reinfected from another horse). He scratched his bum cheeks raw.

He scratches his bum a little but not much mainly his side's but this is something I am considering doing anyway thank you!
 

SEL

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We had a connemara pony at one of my old yards who was itchy. They clipped a bit off the belly to see what was going on and the skin was inflamed. While coat came off on recommendation of the vet and the poor lad had some sort of skin infection.

Not sure what the skin samples came back with but he did a course of steroids and a tonne of cream that winter. Probably antibiotics too - lots of white powders.

Just thought it worth a mention because without clipping we'd never have realised how bad it was.
 

MotherOfChickens

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re the mites-ivermectin jaggs didnt touch it in my Fell, using fipronil spot on and topical fipronil did and although he did have it in his feathers I have also found small patches on his chest, crest and backside in the past. might not be mites but personally I'd no longer accept an animal being mite free on the basis of having had the jaggs.

for those of you that have used the ivermectin wash could you tell me which one please?
 
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