sweet itch , any advise ?

Injections? What type are you thinking of? Steroids will stop the itch but as others have said there is a small risk of causing laminitis, however there is vaccine which was trialled a few years ago and is now openly available. This has proven to be very successful in many cases - if you need more details I can get them for you very easily.

Also, you need to make sure you are feeding correctly so that they can heal the affected skin. Essential fatty acids and vitamins are a must, so if your horses are on limited feed but not being fed a balancer they may be deficient in these areas. Linseed is very good at aiding skin (and digestion) problems.
 
I would reccomend double dosing with Ivermectin, then repeating in a couple of months. I'll try to find the article but I read a paper on the link between neck threadworm and sweet-itch and the effectiveness of an Ivermectin double dose against them. Considering that the damaging/side effect causing dose of Ivermectin is 8 or so times the threaputic dose a double dose will do no harm and could well help a lot. Might be worth thinking about.
 
I have a pony with severe sweet itch (no hair from ears to tail when got her) and with a lot of careful mangement you wouldn't know she suffers and she has shown succesfully at county level. She is rugged up from March time in a rambo sweetitch hoody (really reccomend) with a fly mask and also a snuggy hood under so there is no gap at all (would just go with the hoody and mask if not showing).
She is fed garlic for the midges and seaweed to improve skin condition (both really cheap). She is washed frequently in the summer to help prevent her getting itchy.
Tried vaccination as part of trial but it made her worse, I don't know if she was just a one off or not.
Hope this helps
Good Luck!
 
I too have a mare who suffers, about 3 weeks ago she had rubbed a patch of mane out in the space of a couple of hours. So I started using sweet relief ointment which i used late part of last year and she has not rubbed any more. It s a nice light ointment. I have been putting it on her morning and night, I have also just starting to use the lotion as a prevention on the rest of her mane and tail. Seeing as it is a lot less expensive than other brands I have seen, I don't see a problem with being pro active. So far so go, well worth a try. I am also using a hood under her rug which has also prevented a lot of itching.
 
I think the garlic and linseed is a good idea. I also add brewers yeast to the mix. They are good additives that help keep the skin in good condition whether or not they help with sweet itch. I wouldn't use a hood myself - they cause sweating and that makes the horse even itchier. I agree with you Jazzer - the "Biteback sweet relief" spray is the best I've found for keeping the biting right down.
 
I read yesterday in the Scotsman that this year's midge invasion is set to be 800 times worse in Scotland than normal following the heavy winter snowfalls.
Apparently the snow has acted like a blanket to the midge lavae and many more have survived than usual. I wonder whether snow falls in other parts of the country will replicate in some measure the Scottish conditions because if they do we could be in for a bad Sweet Itch year, especially if we get a wet Spring.
Are the midges busy yet where you are? Did the snow hang around too?
 
my friend uses a new american spray called tri tec 14 that you can get here now - it lasts for two weeks and KILLs any midges that comes into contact with it so the allergic reacton stopps. She sprays the stable to and doesn't use any rugs anymore and the pony has stopped rubing completey! dont know where you get it - google it!
 
easypeasy said:
my friend uses a new american spray called tri tec 14 that you can get here now - it lasts for two weeks and KILLs any midges that comes into contact with it so the allergic reacton stopps. She sprays the stable to and doesn't use any rugs anymore and the pony has stopped rubing completey! dont know where you get it - google it!
Click to expand...

Tri tec contains permethrins which are in most fly and flea sprays and spot-ons. Trouble is they are extremely toxic to cats and fish so you have to be really careful where and how much you spray. I looked up on Wiki and it says the following

Permethrin is classified by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as a likely human carcinogen, based on reproducible studies in which mice fed permethrin developed liver and lung tumors.[8] Carcinogenic action in nasal mucosal cells due to inhalation exposure is suspected, due to observed genotoxicity in human tissue samples, and in rat livers the evidence of increased pre-neoplastic lesions raises concern over oral exposure.[9][10]

I don't think I'll be in a hurry to spray it on my horse!
 
Hi there. After 11 years experience with dreaded Sweet Itch - my advice would be to invest in a Snuggy Hood outfit - they are superb and in my opinion the best. Regarding any balms/sprays etc - the Nettex products are good as is the Super Plus Fly Repellant by Barrier Biotech Ltd. However, I do find that different products work better in different locations. Best of luck :-0
 
We had our least itchy summer yet last year - I used Feedmark's Equidermis plus supplement and got the rugs on really early, about February time. The key is to make sure they are covered up before the midges really start so they never get bitten. I use a Rambo hoody and fly mask in the summer and the rest of the year she wears a sweet itch neck piece and belly cover under her turnout rug or stable rug. There is a lady on ebay who makes the neck and belly pieces to order, they are really good value and so useful. Sweet itch is a pain but it is dealwithable
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top