New Pony has Sweet-Itch!

flying solo

flying solo

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Morning,

I recently bought a new pony for my daughter and it turns out it has sweet-itch! When we went to view it the poor pony looked very un-loved! Basically really dirty and in need of a good few baths along with a visit from the farrier!

Two weeks later the rubbing started. I have bought it a Rambo hoody and all the Net-Tex stuff to treat it and it seems to be working but is there anything else I can do to make the poor pony more comfortable. I bath him every week and use d-itch too. I have him in a field surrounded with electric fencing and add garlic to a small feed (he's VERY over-weight) and he has licks etc in his field. He has my pony for company and they groom/itch each other

I have never delt with a Sweet-Itch sufferer so would appreciate help and advice. x
 
If he is only scratching on his bottom, put him on a 5 day course of panacur guard as it could be pinworms

Otherwise if it is sweet itch, rug up, use nettex itch stop on the sheath and uncovered bits and the best spray is the absorbine black one (sold as a "room" spray) it has permethrin and citronella in it
 
Buy some Cavalesse from your vet, it really works. It makes them less semnsitive to the midge bites. You may find that you need a better rug than a Rambo hoody, that won't keep the midges off him.
 
Boett rug is brilliant. I didn't find Cavalesse helped at all. Aloe vera gel on raw bits is very soothing and seems to help repel midges.
 
i find with mine, leaving him in is worse as he can rub more and it gets more sore and therefore he wants to itch it even more - vicious circle really!! He is out in an electric fenced field with nothing to itch on. I found all the lotions and potions really just didnt work. Just lots and lots of flyspray and a sweet-itch rug. It's weird actually as mine hasn't even started getting itchy this year, and normally he is quite bad by this point. Not sure if this is due to having moved yards or the funny weather we are having. but I like it!! :)
 
My 19 year pony has sweetitch and this year we have been giving him brewers yeast and linseed oil and so far he still has a mane and a full tail so this seems to be working for him,we also use Healing Tree T-zone which has been brilliant if he gets a bit itchy and he's never out without his fly rug and fly mask.
 
Get rid of the garlic straight away, it makes the itching worse. Garlic boosts the immune system which is already in overdrive due to the itching. Garlic helps to repel flies but not the sweetitch midge.

I used to spend a fortune on fly rugs and creams and potions then decided to fork out for a Snuggy Hoods sweet itch set. He wears it all the time now and I dont use any creams potions at all. Although initial cost for the snuggy hood set is quite high, it will save you a fortune in the long run! Pony will need covering from head to toe!

You would never know my boy is a sufferer now, he has full mane and tail.

Good luck.
 
If it is possible move him to a windier field, further from water and less sheltered. If you can't do that the Boett rugs and hoods are brilliant and you can ride in them too. Fly spray on the bits left exposed; we used Carr and Day, the lotions and potions didn't work for us.
 
Thanks everyone, new snuggy hood has been ordered! My ponies have a more expensive wardrobe than I do!

I will try the supplements you have reccommended too

When I comb through his tail alot of loose haircomes out even though there isn't much of a loose/dry/dead skin on his tail bone?

Is there something I can buy to promote new hair growth? That obviously wouldn't make matters worse?

Thanks again for all your help xx
 
I saw a post on here someone reccomended dermashield. I think they are doing a trial apparently - they said it was worked well - worth a look?
 
Glad to hear you've ordered a Snuggy Hood Sweet-itch set. They are superb. I would still try and find something to feed him that will make him less itchy as you are already almost half the way through itchy season. Keep the snuggy on till Oct/Nov and next year put it on about March time and you should only need the rug then!.

Good luck
 
letrec_fan said:
I saw a post on here someone reccomended dermashield. I think they are doing a trial apparently - they said it was worked well - worth a look?
Click to expand...

I saw that post as well and contacted Dermashield. I asked them if my horse would be ok using their product and not wearing his rug but they couldnt guarantee he could become "rugless" and as he's ok with his rug on, I saw no point in paying out any extra.

I couldnt find any info about a trial either. On their website you buy the stuff and get you money back if it doesnt work.

The only way it would work for me would be for my horse to become rugless and they couldnt promise me that
 
Another vote for rugs and not too many potions - ours have snuggy hoods 'heads' and rambo sweet itch hoodies, and sudocrem on any bits they manage to still make sore. Never have any of them with anything less than a full mane and tail.
 
Could just be a reaction to the move, rather than confirmed annual sweet-itch. Don't forget cheap and cheerful benzyl benzoate from the local chemist.
 
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