Sweet itch.. excuse my ignorance if this is a stupid question...

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Br00dMare

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I am kind of vaguely looking around at buying a mare but probably wont be ready to start a real search until late autumn or early next year (long story but had riding accident in May and broke back so am unlikely to be capable of even ground work until then at the earliest). This may therefore seem premature but looking around is helping to keep my spirits up.
In the usual sods law sort of way, before I am ready, my dream horse has come up at a price I could afford but she has sweet itch. This is not the right time for me so will not be getting that one but its got me thinking, although I have owned and loaned various different breeds before I have never had one that has suffered from this and so would appreciate some advise from those that have.

Once a horse has this is it usually a problem for life or can you get on top of it with proper management?
Do some breeds suffer more often than others?
Is it mostly a cosmetic issue so would matter less if I don't show/compete (due to my injury I am only ever likely to be a happy hacker)
How much less % wise would you expect to spend on a horse that ticks all the other boxes but has bare patches on main/tail from rubbing?
is there anything else you think I should be aware of if thinking of buying something that already has this issue? Or any other issues that may not be obvious if buying in winter?
Can it ever be a precursor to other more serious issues?

Sorry - if this is already covered somewhere else do please direct me there I only joined this forum this morning and have not found my way around it all yet. I know I can find a lot of this info from a google search but would prefer some advise from people who deal with it regularly as it were.

Thanks in advance
 
Personally having had a pony who suffered from sweet itch I would avoid buying one with it. It can be a pain to manage and the horse can be miserable with it. On the other hand sometimes just a change of area can mean the the animal suffers less (less midges etc). It can get worse with age. Rugs and diet do make a difference but its a horrid thing to suffer with.

There are plenty of horses without it so personally I'd look for one without! Good luck with your search when you start.
 
Br00dMare said:
I am kind of vaguely looking around at buying a mare but probably wont be ready to start a real search until late autumn or early next year (long story but had riding accident in May and broke back so am unlikely to be capable of even ground work until then at the earliest). This may therefore seem premature but looking around is helping to keep my spirits up.
In the usual sods law sort of way, before I am ready, my dream horse has come up at a price I could afford but she has sweet itch. This is not the right time for me so will not be getting that one but its got me thinking, although I have owned and loaned various different breeds before I have never had one that has suffered from this and so would appreciate some advise from those that have.

Once a horse has this is it usually a problem for life or can you get on top of it with proper management?
Do some breeds suffer more often than others?
Is it mostly a cosmetic issue so would matter less if I don't show/compete (due to my injury I am only ever likely to be a happy hacker)
How much less % wise would you expect to spend on a horse that ticks all the other boxes but has bare patches on main/tail from rubbing?
is there anything else you think I should be aware of if thinking of buying something that already has this issue? Or any other issues that may not be obvious if buying in winter?
Can it ever be a precursor to other more serious issues?

Sorry - if this is already covered somewhere else do please direct me there I only joined this forum this morning and have not found my way around it all yet. I know I can find a lot of this info from a google search but would prefer some advise from people who deal with it regularly as it were.

Thanks in advance
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It is a problem they have for life as it's an allergic reaction to midge bites. With some of them you can manage it, depends how severe and how on the ball you are for management. Management wise it means they have to be rugged all the time from about march till about october.

I believe there is a breed pre-disposition but not sure which ones.

It can be cosmetic but if they rub they can rub themselves raw and cause nasty wounds that need cared for - for me it's not so much about the looks as about quality of life as if itchy they are miserable.

Price wise it would depend very much on how bad they are and how well managed.

Definately ask about it when buying, esp in the winter - also ask about head shaking as that often only shows up in the summer - make sure you get the answers in writing so you have evidence.

It doesn't tend to be a precursor, it's more about managing the itchiness and stopping them from damaging themselves.
 
Sweet itch can be absolutely awful so it's probably not something I would buy intentionally. One of ours developed it a few years after we bought him and it's been tough. He is rugged March to October and he cannot be let near anything that he can scratch on. He is bathed at least once a week and his rugs are changed and washed regularly. We regularly have to buy new rugs as he rips them so much. One thing that has helped hugely is feeding Vitamin B3 everyday. He has significantly improved although he still isn't great. There are far worse things to deal with I know, but it's heartbreaking to watch them suffer.
 
Most points are covered above but it can be a precursor or at least aggravate other skin problems, my show cob suffered from it, I micromanaged him so he was in good enough condition to show at top level despite being itchy his coat was always in very good condition.
However he was a grey and developed a few melanomas, the itching seemed to stimulate the melanomas that grew very rapidly on his neck and tail, 18 months after going to HOYS he was pts due to the melanomas being out of control and he was beginning to suffer, my vet could not believe the speed they went from being tiny and hardly noticeable to having to call it a day, probably a very unusual situation but something to consider, I love grey horses but would probably avoid buying another, if it also had sweet itch I would not even go and look.
 
Apercrumbie said:
Sweet itch can be absolutely awful so it's probably not something I would buy intentionally. One of ours developed it a few years after we bought him and it's been tough. He is rugged March to October and he cannot be let near anything that he can scratch on. He is bathed at least once a week and his rugs are changed and washed regularly. We regularly have to buy new rugs as he rips them so much. One thing that has helped hugely is feeding Vitamin B3 everyday. He has significantly improved although he still isn't great. There are far worse things to deal with I know, but it's heartbreaking to watch them suffer.
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could you tell me what happens with rugging when it rains? I have a small pony that I think is going to need a sweet itch hoody certainly next year. She lives out with a shelter. I would have to leave her rugged 24/7 so does it matter if it rains say fairly heavily? Sorry if this is a stupid question but I am trying to work out how to manage it. Also how do you feed vit B3, what is it in and what quantity?
thanks
 
Thank you all so much for taking the time to tell me about it, I think its a good job I asked as I was very tempted by the horse in question and totally naive about it how badly it could affected them.
One of the articles google brought up said that sometimes it gets so bad they cant even bare to be saddled up - poor things!
I think I will have to lower my sights and go with what I know, a good Heinz, rather than something more eye catching that is only in my price range due to health issues :)
I have previously purchased from Leominster RB&B spring sale and have had a couple of fantastic animals that suited me perfectly. Although some people are wary of buying from auction, I know plenty of people there that can cast their more knowledgeable eye over anything that I am interested in, so perhaps I should wait and do that again to avoid the pitfalls of buying something in winter that is not showing signs of issues when I obviously do not know enough to avoid the pitfalls.
Horses are expensive and time consuming enough without me saddling myself (and the rest of my family) with issues that are going to add more unnecessary demands.
 
paddy555 said:
could you tell me what happens with rugging when it rains? I have a small pony that I think is going to need a sweet itch hoody certainly next year. She lives out with a shelter. I would have to leave her rugged 24/7 so does it matter if it rains say fairly heavily? Sorry if this is a stupid question but I am trying to work out how to manage it. Also how do you feed vit B3, what is it in and what quantity?
thanks
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I leave the rugs on. He mostly wears dinky rugs fly rugs (they are really great if you want a recommendation) which are breathable so they dry very quickly on the horse. I've never had any problems with him catching a chill or feeling cold and miserable, even in this kind of weather. I'm sure many people will say that you shouldn't leave them on, but for me that would defeat the purpose of having the rug on in the first place. The moment the rain stops the midges are out in force and he would be bitten alive before I could get to him. The sad fact is that the rugs have to be on all the time as the moment they get bitten the painful reaction starts. Prevention is the best cure so you have to stop them being bitten in the first place as best you can. The key is to regularly change the rug - once or twice a week - so they don't get dirty as this aggravates the skin condition. Both pony and rug must be clean. I would think your little pony would be fine out in the rain as ponies are tough. It's not like having a huge winter turnout that is soaked through. Once the rain stops they dry off very quickly. Obviously if she shows signs of being cold you may have to rethink your strategy. I am lucky that mine is a tough little pony and doesn't mind at all.

Vitamin B3 is also known as Nicotinamide. You can buy tubs of it from online pharmacies and they are quite cheap. They're medium sized white pills (humans take them too) and I feed them with a treat. One of its main benefits is supporting the skin as a deficiency in B3 causes dermatitis. A friend suggested we start using it on ours as it had worked wonders with her sweet itch pony. We started feeding it in the winter (1 pill a day), the theory being that his skin would be better protected against the reaction and his itching. I have to say it has worked. He definitely still has sweet itch but I think the reaction is less severe and he looks much better than he did last year. This has been the only change to his management. In summer he gets two pills a day but only 1 in winter. They don't store this vitamin so the quantities aren't a worry. It's quite cheap and is definitely worth a try for sweet itch sufferers. You probably wouldn't notice a difference this summer if you started now but over time it has improved our horses' skin.
 
I also own one with severe SI. He is covered in a SI rug, fly mask, sheath cover and at his worst fly boots and steroids to break the itch/scratch cycle.
I am lucky to have my own land on a hill now and most of the time there is a breeze keeping the midge numbers down so I have gone from almost PTS 2 years ago to having just the odd rub on an area that has inadvertently been exposed.
Still covered up but no boots needed and the odd naked day when it's very windy :). It is a horrible condition that can be managed in most cases but is time consuming for the owner and can be horrible for the pony.
Had I known when I bought him with supposedly 'mild' SI that it would be like it has been I would not have gone there.
 
Apercrumbie said:
I leave the rugs on. He mostly wears dinky rugs fly rugs (they are really great if you want a recommendation) which are breathable so they dry very quickly on the horse. I've never had any problems with him catching a chill or feeling cold and miserable, even in this kind of weather. I'm sure many people will say that you shouldn't leave them on, but for me that would defeat the purpose of having the rug on in the first place. The moment the rain stops the midges are out in force and he would be bitten alive before I could get to him. The sad fact is that the rugs have to be on all the time as the moment they get bitten the painful reaction starts. Prevention is the best cure so you have to stop them being bitten in the first place as best you can. The key is to regularly change the rug - once or twice a week - so they don't get dirty as this aggravates the skin condition. Both pony and rug must be clean. I would think your little pony would be fine out in the rain as ponies are tough. It's not like having a huge winter turnout that is soaked through. Once the rain stops they dry off very quickly. Obviously if she shows signs of being cold you may have to rethink your strategy. I am lucky that mine is a tough little pony and doesn't mind at all.

Vitamin B3 is also known as Nicotinamide. You can buy tubs of it from online pharmacies and they are quite cheap. They're medium sized white pills (humans take them too) and I feed them with a treat. One of its main benefits is supporting the skin as a deficiency in B3 causes dermatitis. A friend suggested we start using it on ours as it had worked wonders with her sweet itch pony. We started feeding it in the winter (1 pill a day), the theory being that his skin would be better protected against the reaction and his itching. I have to say it has worked. He definitely still has sweet itch but I think the reaction is less severe and he looks much better than he did last year. This has been the only change to his management. In summer he gets two pills a day but only 1 in winter. They don't store this vitamin so the quantities aren't a worry. It's quite cheap and is definitely worth a try for sweet itch sufferers. You probably wouldn't notice a difference this summer if you started now but over time it has improved our horses' skin.
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thanks so much for all that info. Very much appreciated. Will have a look at the dinky rugs. She is only a tiny hill pony.
 
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