Piriton for sweetitch?

[MrsMozart]

Someone suggested using Piriton tablets to help manage sweetitch. She says she's had good results with it.

Don't remember hearing this before, but am interested as LL gets mild SI, which is currently controlled by a Rambo fly rug (works very well). It would be nice if we could control it even better though.

Anyone used? Any thoughts/comments?

*Pleanty of hot choccy (made up a new cauldron this morning), but will have to look in cupboard and see if there are any marshmallows left to hand out (it was that Martlin, trying to keep her out of her neds feed!).

*

 

[howengold]

I have heard this a few times so will be interested to hear what people say.

 

[samstar]

find this helpfull

Can I give my horse Piriton?

Occasionally horses get sudden and severe allergic reactions on the skin. They come up in “bumps” or raised flat areas from one to several centimetres across.

These may be all over, on both sides or localised. This is called Urticaria or Nettle Rash. This usually occurs for no obvious reason, but can occur when changing field or hay, after drug administration or a fly bite.

If ignored, or treated by cold hosing, the lumps may go down after a few days, but commonly burst to leave suppurative sores. Treatment by a vet with an injectable corticosteroid is a very effective treatment. Antihistamines are useful at preventing allergic reactions, at least in humans, but are not so useful once the reaction has occurred. When first exposed to an allergen, e.g. a fly bite, histamine is released at the start of the reaction.

This histamine attracts the body’s inflammatory chemicals, causes the itching and sets everything off. Once this process has started it is too late for antihistamines, only corticosteroids will do. The drowsiness effects of antihistamines are very powerful in the horse. The dose of Piriton is 20 tablets for an average 500kg horse, but this normally makes them very sleepy. Other antihistamines, such as Atarax, are less sedative, but generally antihistamines are rarely used in horses.

 

[MrsMozart]

Ta SS. It will be interesting to see if anyone has used it with success. I believe that the person who suggested it started it last year, over the season the SI reaction was less, and so far this year the ned is out without a rug and doing fine. I don't know how many she gives every day though, or whether it is fed all year round or if it's just before the season starts and then throughout.

 

[howengold]

Will be interesting to see what people use dosage wise, I have been told 4 a day till the reaction settles but nothing more than that so haven't tried it as I wanted to know more myself...

 

[Honeypots]

I await with interest although as the owner of a sweet itch sufferer I can't believe it can be that simple...would be nice though

 

[Ashgrove]

I have a 10h Shetland X spotty (avatar) who has very mild sweet itch, he has more of a reaction to fly/midge sprays than the midges them selves, he also can't wear a rug with a neck as it rubs his mane off.

So 2 years ago I tried Piriton and cheaper own brand alternatives, I tried to calculate his body weight and mine to work out the dosage (my maths isn't great). He ended up with 10 tablets before he went out in the morning, but, he lay in the field all morning sweating profusely and asleep, I halved the dosage, but I don't think this kept the midges off, (not sure whether the 10 tablets worked either).

I've also tried Brewers Yeast, that didn't do the job either.

Any ideas?

 

[Shilasdair]

QR
I asked this same question a little while ago - here's the thread.

http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/forums/showthreaded.php/Cat/0/Number/4364690/page/0/vc/1

S

 

[MrsMozart]

Ta S

. Will go read.

 

[ForeverBroke_]

A little shetland on my yard used to have it, it worked OKish, not fab and would definitly not be enough as a stand alone product etc. But deff worth a go in my opinion

Every little helps i suppose

 

[Tiggy1]

I just got some fab stuff from the vet called "triclosan 100".
Takes the urge to itch away and my shetland who has had chronic sweet itch is a changed pony.
It worked for mine but it may not work for yours