Supplements for itching?

teazle

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11 July 2010
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Hi

Which supplements have you had any luck with in regards to itchiness?

My mare has just had a flair up of....whatever it is she suffers with. It can't be sweetitch as she rubs her tail until at least November, but there is definitely something going on with her.

We're embarking on another experiment with lotions and potions but nothing seems to work. So far have tried:

Tea tree oil
Aloe Vera
Baby oil
Hibiscrub
Gallop medicated shampoo
Tea tree shampoo
Sensitive skin Shampoo
Avon skin so soft
Benzyl benzoate

We're now trying calamine lotion and gold label itchgone, but I'd like to try and fix it from the inside as well. But has anyone actually had any success with supplements for itchiness?
 

be positive

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I have used a detox for itching with good and very quick results, NAF or Global herbs do one, Hilton herbs now do a skin/ itch supplement and their products are usually very effective, I like the fact they are labelled clearly so you know what you are feeding.
 

Starry_eyes

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I've used Global Herbs Skratch before and it did work....only downside is it absolutely reeks! After your horse has been on it a couple of weeks the smell kind of seeps through their skin and is not too pleasant! And it stains anything it touches bright yellow!
 

MiJodsR2BlinkinTite

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Hi

It can't be sweetitch as she rubs her tail until at least November

Ehmmm, yes it COULD very well be "sweet itch" actually. Often you can get midges until this late in the year if its a mild autumn. Last year, my boy had a really bad flare-up very late in the year when we had exceptionally mild weather for a week and if he'd been home I'd have known to deal with it but because he was out on loan it wasn't dealt with and he rubbed himself raw.

Personally, I am a tad cynical about the claims made by various (high priced) supplements; mine has Sweet itch and has linseed and brewers yeast, occasionally also has Clivers (sticky stuff) in his haynet and sometimes some Seaweed and Cider Vinegar. All cheap cheerful remedies. I wouldn't personally bother with the expensive stuff, been there & dunnit. But others on here will no doubt disagree.

IF you want to know for sure whether your mare has sweet itch, there are tests the vet can do. These aren't 100% accurate but one of the things they'll test for is allergy to the cullicoides midge which is the one that causes SI.

The other thing you could do, is to bung a sweet itch rug on yours, i.e. one that covers the mane AND tail area - and see if she's any better after a week or two. Also (if SI is suspected), then reduce sugar from her diet. Mine has mollasses-free dengie - you need to watch hard feed coz a lot of proprietory brands have mollasses in.

Also (if SI is suspected) avoid garlic as it stimulates the immune system: not what you want with SI.

But I'd try the sweet itch rug first and see what happens: you don't necessarily need a hoody one at this stage: I'd recommend the Performance Equestrian website as they've got some nice one's which last well and aren't too pricey.

Then, if she's still itchy, I'd be inclined to ask your vet to take some bloods and see what's making her itch.
 

RoobyDoobs

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Hi Teazle. What are her itching habits? I tried all those lotions and potions and more last year for my boys 'itch'. It was so bad that he was bending gates and breaking fences. He was on a regular worming / worm count system, but I discovered that his problem was pinworm. After a five day treatment of panacur his itches were no more!!!
 

starryeyed

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Agree that it could be sweetitch as mine used to scratch until late in the year until I discovered the global herbs skratch supplement - amazing stuff! It really does work, he seems a lot happier on it and doesn't scrub his mane & tail out like he used to.

What is she being fed? If you're sure it's not sweeitch she could possibly be reacting to alfalfa in her feed (if she's having any), as this can make some horses very itchy.
 
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