need help on sweetitch please

[amberlou]

Ive had the vet today to amber and they think that she has got the start of sweetitch, shes just turned three which would suggest why it has only just started, her mum had sweetitch as well but i just need some advise on what to treat her with really because she has such a lovley main and tail and i dont really want to losoe it to her rubbing which she is doing quite alot of, i have been keeping her fly rug on all the time although she is still getting really big fly bites. I cant really afford to keep trying diffrent things becuase they arnt cheap so if anyone knows of something that works i would be really gratefull. xxx

 

[merlinsquest]

Bite the bullet and buy a Boet blanket quickly.... maybe if she never gets really bad then she will avoid the terrible scratch itch cycle, if the midgies dont get to bite her she wont react.

I have bad excema and my daughter showed all the same symptoms as me as a baby..... I smothered her with moisturisers and she does not often get bad, although its still there obviously. Whereas when I was a kid there was not the knowledge about excema and I was always a scabby little kid :-(

 

[Law]

I totally agree that a Boett is the absolutely best form of defence but it is already too late to catch it this year unless you don't mind it getting a bit damaged and having to repair it. It might be ok on a mare- they say that geldings are more likely to tear it playing etc She may still be itchy as the desire is there already.
You could start with Benzyl Benzoate which you can get from a normal chemist or boots. It's used to treat scabies in humans so be warned! There is usually a shortage of the stuff at this time of year when people are buying it for horses. You would water that down- I used a small amount in a syringe and then added water and squirted it deep into the area that needs it.
I found benz benz too strong for my horse so then you can try other things like NAf D-itch (didn't work for mine) Garlic (which there is debate about as some say it stimulates the immune system which makes the Sweet itch reaction stronger and others say that the smell keeps the midges away. You can try the other magic potion- Avon 'Skin so Soft' pink variety which many people swear by. It's not too expensive and definitely worth a try as it has worked for many many people.
Then there is Marmite. The B vitamins in it are meant to keep the flies away and this has worked for us. I give mine his by using a teaspoon and scooping some out, put it in a mug of boiling water for a minute or two and stir it until it is disolved. I then add this to a handful of dengie hi fi lite or chaff.
You can then step up to the expensive stuff that has also worked wonders for us- Nettex Itch Stop Salve Complete. Nearly £20 a tub but lasts for a couple of months and definitely works!
And the amigo bug rug is a great buy as well.
The last thing that we have tried as well is homeopathic drops. They are around £25 for two different bottles which last forever (i'm still only a 1/4 of the way through since last year)
You administer them twice a day for 7 days and then only once a week for the whole of the season and they are very effective for us.
The boett is the definitive best thing to combat it but you really need to put the rug on from late Feb through to late Oct. If you are too late to catch it then it's not worth forking out for, only for your horse to trash it

Sorry for the mammoth post but I wanted to be as thorough as I could and i bet i've still missed something!

 

[piebaldsparkle]

Feeding Marmite or Brewers Yeast helps keep the midges away.

 

[Frankstown]

I give mine brewers yeast tablets, so far so good.
He's spotted so has a thin mane and tail anyway.
I need to keep what little he has.

 

[Honeypots]

Its not too late to get a Boett...its never too late. Within a few days she will stop itching so much.
Just make sure there are no sharp objects/wire that she can catch it on.I would rcommend completely electric fencing off her turnout paddock if possible then she can't rip her rug..she will still be able to itch herself on the ground..
A normal fly rug ins't usually enough protection for sweetitch. Here is a cheaper alternative of the Boett..it may be worth a try although I haven't tried it
http://www.divoza.co.uk/product6981.aspx

Net Tex Sweet Itch Salve is good too for the areas that the rug doesn't cover ie face and legs.

Just remeber that when you ride your horse is exposed to midges which will start off the itch again so make sure she's well protected. You can even ride in the Boett without the belly flap if need be.
Make sure her stable/filed is well away from the muckheap too and any water source like a stream/lake.
Apparently Marmite or Brewers yeast are said to help too.
www.sweetitch.com

 

[lynspop]

agree with the other posts-we've had great success with boett rug and marmite worked a treat with one of our ponies who suffered really badly from it- he liked his either dissolved in water and put into his feed or he would eat it in a sandwich!!

 

[druid]

Start feeding brewer's yeast NOW, Get a sweetitch Hoody (horseware) or a Boett on her asap (the former is more rip proof and you could get a boett next season as likely hood dis she'll rip a boett now....) Arm yourself with "NetTex Summer Salve or Summer freedom ..(.same product advertised diferently ocasionally) apply as she needs (usually once a week). Get fly spray and apply liberally over her rug twice a day.

 

[carthorse]

Mine is on marmite, itchfree [dob & hor] sprayed with fly spray and wears a snuggyhood sweetitch rug. No rubbing yet this year.GRRRRRRRRRRREAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Chex]

Chex was getting quite bad about a month ago. Since then I've stopped his garlic and started giving him marmite, and all the scabs have gone! He's stopped rolling all the time and his mane is starting to grow back

. I've not even had to have his fly rug on 24/7 which is nice for him. It could just be coincidence, but I'm impressed!

 

[chunklovescooks]

boet rug every time =] silver gets s itch sometime and we also use deet spray (extra strong fly spay) good one made by naff off

stephen

 

[harmony_]

Ask your vet about having an injection that stops all the itching.
my friends mare had incredibly bad sweet itch, Which it got to the point that the dock was infected and actually pussing.
We got the vet out and she had an injection which stopped it all together.

It's not to late to get it either!
and its not that expensive.

Good luck!

 

[tashyisaudrey]

A friends horse who has had really terrible sweet itch in his mane and tail has been on a nettle supplement and she applied natural mint leaves and water every day. I used to work at lush and I know that peppermint and mint stimulates hair growth and strengthens kinetin so this may be worth a try. Since she applied the mint and water his tail as grown back and the itchiness gone. He also had a fly rug though and tea tree home made fly spray applied every day as well. Hope this helps.

 

[ru-fi-do]

I would get her on brewers yeast straight away and if at all possible a boett rug or similar just got my shettie one from here Solva Sweet itch soloutions practically the same as Boett but cheaper. It is quite a lot of money to fork out but you then save on all the lotions and potions in the long run. I spray the vulnerable areas with Avon skin so soft and fresh (blue bottle) and apply Camrosa to his sheath and inside of back legs. Because he is a shettie he is clipped out and given weekly baths to stop the build up of scurf and itchyness! We also try and prevent him from having anything to rub on if at all possible, once he gets sores then they get worse.
Fly rugs are OK depending on the severity of the case but they tend not to cover the most vulnerable places to sweet itch sufferer's.
Have a look at this site too Sweet itch
Hope this is of some help to you.

 

[Theresa_F]

So far this year Chancer has not been too bad - he rubs his tail and his willy and gets mild sweetitch.

He has had a rambo protector on but with the neck cover removed as his mane is not affected and masses of my home made fly spray - which contains a lot of skin so soft and fresh on the top of his tail and on his belly and around his sheath area.

He has stopped having garlic and is having brewers yeast.

One or two small rubs and a few ground humps, but nothing as bad as last year. I also rub in megatek rebuilder to his tail to encourage back hair growth and keep the hair strong and have found this also acts as a repellant.