New to Sweet Itch - advice please

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sonjafoers

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I have just taken on a young Shetland who suffers from sweet itch and having never had a horse with this before it's a very steep learning curve.

He has had a fly rug on for a few months and his body hasn't got any patches on it apart from a small one at the top of his tail which looks to be healing, however his face and ears are very sore and he has huge patches which are raw and bleeding.

I've spoken to a few nutritional companies and the Sweet Itch helpline & the general consensus seems to be don't feed him any supplements now as they probably won't take effect until the season is over. I have however ordered him Feedmark Equidermis Plus which I'm hoping will help heal and strengthen his skin over winter.

I've been recommended Killitch so have spoken to Carr, Day & Martin and they've advised not to use this whilst his face has open sores ( which I'd guessed anyway! ) so I'm currently coating his face & little ears in Camrosa twice a day which seems to be easing him.

I ordered him a DeMeulenkamp rug which has arrived today so I'll get him straight into that, but although I've ordered a Boett hood I won't use it until he feels better as I don't want him to itch his face & rip it so it may not get used until after the winter.

My plan is to start feeding Think Itch at the end of Feb and get him into his rug and hood at this time, combined with Killitch lotion on any bits that need it. Does this sound about right?

One thing that's puzzling me is on website testimonials I see a lot of " the supplement is so great I haven't needed to rug this year" - how do people know this? Surely if the rug goes on before the midges start then they would have to remove the rug during the midge season to know the supplement works. What happens if you remove the rug and/or hood & the horse reacts to the midge bites - surely that puts you in the very position you're trying to avoid? Or is it that people don't rug until later in the season?
 
I've just taken on a Welsie with sweet itch, it's not been easy but after 5 weeks I am seeing huge improvement

My pony had the same raw face and ears, his ears were actually thickened and swollen :(

I took the aggressive route and had him injected and have been giving steroid tablets daily, this gave fast relief. Luckily my pony is underweight so this was fine, you have to be careful as steroids put them at higher risk of lami

The vet gave us cream with an antibiotic in to heal the wounds but I have also been recommended Carr Day Martin Protection Plus so have bought that too it's a pink soothing balm with a fly repellant in

The last thing the vet gave us is Deisect insect repellant which you can buy over the counter, it's strong stuff but seems to work well

Now my pony is healing my plan for next year is to get his snuggy hood suit on in Feb and use the Deosect

His diet is high fibre nuts, chaff, brewers yeast powder, micronised linseed and fast fibre, he gets one small feed a day

I have been advised not to feed him alfalfa, anything containing molasses and no fruit/veg because of the sugars

The vet said it takes three weeks from a pony starting any sort of treatment to them actually stopping the itch so I think you are right that for this year it's about damage limitation and healing but hope the above helps for next year

I will post some pics of my pony when he arrived and once he started to heal
 
if you type sweet itch into the hho search box there are lots of threads.
the main point is to cover up BEFORE the itching starts and use electric fencing to protect your rugs
 
Thank you guys, WelshD it sounds like we're in a similar position - my poor lad's ears are very thickened too and he hates me touching them they are so sore, I have to try and get some camrosa on whilst he's eating or I don't stand a chance. I just wish his previous owner had put a hood on him :(

I've put his new DeM rug on today & it's not a great fit but it's miles better than what he was in, the only problem is the neck is slipping right down & it needs the hood to keep it up but I can't put him in one until his face and ears start clearing up. I may have to attach it to a headcollar but I don't really want him turned out in one 24/7.

I can't chance steroid injections because he is a little plump and I wouldn't want to put him at risk, but thank you for the info on the Deosect and Protection Plus - I'm off to look it up now.
 
Just thought I'd better clear up confusion about steroids and lami. Corticosteroids act in the same way as cortisol on blood vessels, causing vasoconstriction. This is why they increase lami risk. They don't need to be overweight. :)
 
Mine is very mild luckily, and manage to control it with a light weight fly rug, and regular applications of benzyl benzoate, plus a weekly bath of main and tail area. He is fed lots of fibre, including soaked grass nuts, with pink powder, brewers yeast and micronised linseed. Seems to be under control. Had one in the past who rubbed himself raw and nothing worked at all, but that was a long time ago and things have improved hugely since
 
I've started him on Benevit Advance today alongside the Equidermis Plus so he's getting plenty of linseed but do you think it's also worth adding brewers yeast?

My main worry now is that his new rug is a bit disappointing and the fit of the neck is poor, I'm guessing he'll have a whole new area of itchiness where the rug slips down and exposes his neck :(

mulberrymill what do you recommend to bathe him in? Is it too late in the year to do it now, I don't want him catching a chill.

WelshD yes please post some pics, being new to sweet itch I'd be very interested to see how mine compares.

Fransurrey I won't be going down the steroid route, I'm just too wary of it to be honest but thanks for reminding me about neem oil, I've heard of it before for dog fleas but didn't think of it for this.
 
Brewer's yeast is in equidermis. Tea tree oil shampoo. DEET spray or cream is good, as is anything oily even baby oil can help, midges don't like biting through it. I use barrier animal healthcare super plus fly repellent or their parasite repel spray both help sweet itch and dermoline sweet itch lotion in the tail. Midges are around from a temp of 12 degrees plus. Aloe vera gel will take the heat out of rubbed sore skin, allow to sink in then put whatever else you're using on top.
 
Mine rubbed his tail and mane badly last year now im not sure if it was sweet itch
this year I have been using farnam tri tec no major fly bites and little or no rubbing!!!
fingers crossed and hoping the same for next year..
 
I swear by Benzyl Benzoate (buy online;hyperdrug or chemist direct). Its an insecticide prep. Apply to crest and tail daily or e.o.d from early April right through to now. Killitch works because it has Benz Benz in it.
Apologies if I'm off thread, I haven't read every post. By the way, you can buy it as 'ascabiol' from your chemist but be warned, you'll be asking for a treatment for your scabies...!
 
A couple of pics. Sadly I didnt get any when he first arrived

A week after he arrived. 3/9/12.

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16/9/12.

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I bought him the Masta sweet itch set which is very good and the hood fits very well. I have also bought a Snuggy Hood set which is excellent, they will make small sizes to order, mine was a special order size 4'0

I also wondered why the last owners of Milo didnt put him in a fly mask but as it turns out he is very keen to remove them so I now think it was maybe a losing battle for them and cannot have been at all easy. He is fine in hoods though
 
i had a horse with sweet itch, awful condition but can be ok when in a routine and managed well. i used a product botanica
http://www.botanica.ie/eshop/cart.p...rget=product&product_id=16139&category_id=248

its great for all over body, the 1st year my horse had it, i used it and sudoacream and all fly sprays money could buy and all the supplements. cost a fortune. but 2nd year i was in a routine.

its all just routine, every morning and evening i wash the face, ears top of neck and legs and under belly quickly with sponge, just where rug doesnt cover and flyspray and check rug always have a few rugs for back up as if ripped i would change rug and when got home from work would sew the other. every few weeks full body wash unless hot then once twice a week. it is very hard to watch your friend scratch and rub, but when they protected that all you can do it look after them and it becomes a 10min job morning and evening so not much time, winter nothing just winter combo turnout, no need for washing or flyspray unless midges are about, you only get a few months of freedom, i still wouldnt stable then as they still have the scratch tendacy, dont know when to stop.

electric fence, i wouldnt stable a sweet itch your just letting them rub raw, full rug and spray and wash uncovered areas.

best of look at start it is dauting but once you get a routine, you will be fine, but its still always heart breaking watching your best friend look so uncomfortable, even after all you do. but they have good days too, and can enjoy life once looked after.

also tea tree is great shampoo, dont use and tricks like rubbing pigoil and sulphere as i done a strand test and was clear and when rub it all over her took allergic reaction. he had no reaction to a small area but when applied her took reaction all over body, had to get vet, also avoid steriods as brings on lami, if he is chubby.
 
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Every horse I've had has suffered from sweet itch!

Not sure what other people do re rugging - I tend to start putting a fly rug on early May which is quite late but seems to work for my pony. She gets horrible sores all over her face and ears and poll too from itching!

I tend to dilute some hibi scrub with warm water and clean the cuts. Then ride/groom/whatever I was going to do, then about an hour later rinse them with warm water again and apply sudocrem, or there is a steroid cream used for mud fever which I have found to be very effective this year. Then I cover her in fly spray.

A fly mask might help, but could make it worse as he may try and scrub his face to get it off if he doesn't like having it on. Medicated shampoo is also good for the top of their tail. You can also use avon's 'skin so soft' oil diluted with water on their underneath to repel the flies, and baby oil works too, especially on the top of their tails where they itch. Getting the mane hogged is also an option if he scrubs his mane badly.

Other than that there's not much you can do. Just keep the cuts dry and clean and he should be ok - it's nearly winter now anyway! :)
 
Yes there's a lot of stuff on SI in the archives on here so worth a trawl.

I've had a quick look at people's posts on this thread; don't think anyone has mentioned feeding?

Avoid feeding anything with Garlic in it!!! (OK so I'll try to explain the science!) Garlic stimulates the immune system, which isn't what you want, as SI is basically a disorder of the immuno-suppressant system, i.e. the midges bite the horse, the horse then produces histamine in response (immuno-suppressant reaction). Feeding Garlic will only make this worst, so avoid!

Also try to eliminate suger & mollasses from your pony's diet (think "sweet" itch). Many proprietory brand names are full of the stuff! Even though they say "mollasses free" there may be some still in there, so be watchful.

It may be worth getting the vet to take some bloods from yours so you can pinpoint exactly WHAT allergens are involved; also you can establish the severity of the SI, which will be helpful long term.

Personally I'm highly cynical of supplements that are supposed to do wonderful things for Sweet Itch. I'm afraid I've been there done it got the T-shirt etc etc. I've gone right back to basics with mine: he has a scoop of Brewers Yeast, plus Micronised Linseed in each feed during the Sweet Itch season (i.e. school half term in February through to October half term break). I also give him some Cleavers (sticky stuff in hedgerows) in his haynet when its growing, plus the supplement when its not.

With SI you have to be prepared to cover up with a SI hoody or rug at ANY time of year not just when you see the midges out! Last year I was out on Xmas day as it was very mild and midges were out!!! Also stabling to cover the dusk to dawn period may be necessary if its a still/muggy evening and midges are biting. Mine always asks to come in if midges are bad.

Good luck with yours anyway.

(Edited) sorry meant to say that Sudocrem is fantastic stuff for putting on sores on the pony's face. Cheap and cheerful, covers up so flies can't get to the wound and easily available. I also swear by Killitch (Benzyl Benzoate). Be careful of Pig Oil & Sulphur (which people will recommend) as it can be very harsh. Mine's got pink skin and white hair and it made him very pink and sore when I used it.
 
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Chloe also removes fly masks. Muzzles too I've discovered! Remember not to put any benzyl benzoate on open wounds or grazes. Oh and buy shares in sudocrem, lol!
 
Sudocreme has Benzyl Benzoate in it so is doubly effective as a soothing healing cream and repellent :) unfortunately it doesn't seem to agree with my pony.

I briefly mentioned feed MJ but you have explained it far better, it was advice on here that got me on the right track with the feed
 
Everyone's been really helpful, thank you.

Luckily I seem to have stumbled my way onto feeding the linseed & brewers yeast but I'm currently used Ready Fibre Mash to mix it into and I'm sure this contains molasses so I'll have a look and rethink his diet. I was given some free garlic by my feed store but when I researched it I found out not to use it so I'm glad I didn't.

WelshD mine is about the same as your initial picture although I think in the few days I've been using the Camrosa it's starting to look slightly better.

As for all the other tips I'll try anything to help him so I'll trial everything until I find what works for him and as SKY says get into a routine with him.
 
Neem oil is very good for the bald sore patches.
Killitch, definitely. NOTHING is as good. My eventer has sweet itch and you wouldn't know it. A combination of Killitch on mane and tail and tummy stripe (they bite her along there too, argh) or Neem oil, and a Rambo Sweetitch hoodie, and she's 100%.
She wouldn't eat Brewer's Yeast, even though she's a total pig who has never refused anything else. Weird.
Good luck with your little lad OP.
I think the vets can inject them with something to counter the effects of their allergy to the midge's saliva... prob worth asking if he has it that badly. Has to be done early in season before bites start.
 
SuseP said:
I swear by Benzyl Benzoate (buy online;hyperdrug or chemist direct). Its an insecticide prep. Apply to crest and tail daily or e.o.d from early April right through to now. Killitch works because it has Benz Benz in it.
Apologies if I'm off thread, I haven't read every post. By the way, you can buy it as 'ascabiol' from your chemist but be warned, you'll be asking for a treatment for your scabies...!
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A friend of mine has 3 horses that suffer badly with sweet itch... she has tried every lotion and potion under the sun and they have still suffered badly with it. She swears by Benzyl Benzoate, it's unreal the difference it has made this year, she has struggled to get hold of it in large amounts but has now found a supplier online who makes a veterinary formula and they will sell it in large amounts... One of her horses lost all of the hair on his face and was almost completely bald and within a very short space of time of using Benzyl, the itching stopped and his hair grew back and you wouldn't even think they had suffered with sweet itch at all...
 
I too have a horse that has sever sweet itch, supllements do not seem to work, the only thing that works is a rug 24/7 365 days a year. In the summer I use either a Boett (expensive, but the best) if finances do not permit Rambo Sweet Itch Hoody (approx £95) look on e bay for cheaper 2nd hand. The one thing that my mare cant do with out is the Boett hood, I use this with any rug, it shouldn't come off, doesn't need to be attached to anything as it is elasticated, but Boett will tell you it wont fit/ go with other rugs, but it will, if it looks like rain or is colder use a no fill, full neck rug, or warmer one if necessary, along with Boett hood. You need to put the rug on now even if he has sores as they need to heal up, and you need to break the bite itch cycle, dont give up flies have been awful this year, damp warm weather, and spring and autumn is always the worst time anyway, I have got through it for three years, and most people wouldn't have kept my horse going she has it so bad, but I think she is worth it, she seems to know that the hood and rug helps her, and almost helps to put her head down to put the hood on. I live by the sea at 500 feet above sea level, a place where sweet itch shouldn't be a problem, but it is. Another point, try to fence off any thorny hedges or anywhere he can scratch, this will save expensive rug tears etc. If you are worried about the sores use Sudocreme regularly, it is very soothing, but please please just keep your horse covered with a good rug designed for the purpose. Dont give up, you will get through it.
 
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AdorableAlice said:
Is Neem Oil used neat or diluted.
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Diluted. You can dilute in any carrier oil such as Olive Oil, or whatever. Or Pig Oil, but pig oil can be too harsh for sensitive skin like my boy's got (white hair, pink skin).

OR you can buy special Neem Oil products on-line which are already made up (but more expensive that way!).
 
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