Sweet Itch - Help!

jadelovescassie

jadelovescassie

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My mare has mild sweet itch, however, for a pony with sweet itch her coat has always been in very good condition, not noticed it to be dry, or dandruffy (sorry i know thats not a word lol), in fact I have always been complimented for her beautiful shiny coat! Only are I've ever had problems with is withers/bottom of mane and the top of her tail - again, mild, just rubbing, no sores etc. I've always kept on top of it with aloe vera to soothe and a stop itch cream. She goes out with a boet on in the spring/summer.

This year though her coat is terrible!!! It is so dry and dandruff pretty much all over. Her coat has no shine to it at all! Has started rubbing her mane and tail a bit more too, slightly earlier than usual.

Any advise/tips/product recommendations would be greatly appreciated!?! I want her lovely shiny coat back :(
 
Sounds like a diet change is in order. Are you feeding her differently to last year?

My mare was diagnosed ‘severe’ sweet itch, long before I got her, in June 2009. So bad it’s marked on her passport by the attending vet – presumably so nobody could sell her in winter and lie about it! Unmanaged, she gets open wounds and loses her mane and the top of her tail. The rubbing is painful to see (which I did in the first summer I brought her home – at the end of June). At the time, she was wearing a fly rug 24hrs.

I have all but eliminated Alfalfa and molasses from her diet, although I suspect it is more the alfalfa. She is fed Brewer’s Yeast, Linseed and I will be adding Turmeric (Curcumin) this year. I am unsure whether to stick with Hi-Fi Lite (like last year, but it has alfalfa in it), or continue with a smaller portion of Veteran Vitality, which is alfalfa and molasses free (and also contains linseed and yeast in it!), as fed over the winter this year.

I apply 20% Neem Oil/10% Benzyl benzoate (made up to 500ml with tap water) to her mane and tail dock, brand areas (her scars are particularly itchy) and face, every other day in the summer. I make up 500ml at a time and shake before every use, applying with a soft brush. She gets a rough grooming/massage with a rubber curry comb/spikey massage wotsit and sponged down with a dilute solution of Dermoline shampoo at the weekends, to remove the week’s accumulation of gunk!

Last year she was managed like this and kept a full mane and tail. She had a minor bit of rubbing when I ran out of Brewer’s Yeast in October and a little in early November when she was re-introduced to the winter field (with much more grass in it), but otherwise has been fabulous. She wore her fly rugs for a grand total of three weeks! As last year was my full year with her, this year is the real test, as we’ve had a mild end-of-winter. Fingers crossed!

I work in the Gastrointestinal Disease Area, so have a special interest in feeding for conditions affecting the skin/epithelium of the gut. I’ve found lots of scientific literature supporting the feeding of both S.boulardii and Curcumin to suppress inflammatory responses. Neither appear to be detrimental to the gut itself – the mechanisms of how they work is too complex to go into, here, but I think in Chloe’s case, the proof is in the pudding!! ;)
 
Fransurrey said:
Sounds like a diet change is in order. Are you feeding her differently to last year?

My mare was diagnosed ‘severe’ sweet itch, long before I got her, in June 2009. So bad it’s marked on her passport by the attending vet – presumably so nobody could sell her in winter and lie about it! Unmanaged, she gets open wounds and loses her mane and the top of her tail. The rubbing is painful to see (which I did in the first summer I brought her home – at the end of June). At the time, she was wearing a fly rug 24hrs.

I have all but eliminated Alfalfa and molasses from her diet, although I suspect it is more the alfalfa. She is fed Brewer’s Yeast, Linseed and I will be adding Turmeric (Curcumin) this year. I am unsure whether to stick with Hi-Fi Lite (like last year, but it has alfalfa in it), or continue with a smaller portion of Veteran Vitality, which is alfalfa and molasses free (and also contains linseed and yeast in it!), as fed over the winter this year.

I apply 20% Neem Oil/10% Benzyl benzoate (made up to 500ml with tap water) to her mane and tail dock, brand areas (her scars are particularly itchy) and face, every other day in the summer. I make up 500ml at a time and shake before every use, applying with a soft brush. She gets a rough grooming/massage with a rubber curry comb/spikey massage wotsit and sponged down with a dilute solution of Dermoline shampoo at the weekends, to remove the week’s accumulation of gunk!

Last year she was managed like this and kept a full mane and tail. She had a minor bit of rubbing when I ran out of Brewer’s Yeast in October and a little in early November when she was re-introduced to the winter field (with much more grass in it), but otherwise has been fabulous. She wore her fly rugs for a grand total of three weeks! As last year was my full year with her, this year is the real test, as we’ve had a mild end-of-winter. Fingers crossed!

I work in the Gastrointestinal Disease Area, so have a special interest in feeding for conditions affecting the skin/epithelium of the gut. I’ve found lots of scientific literature supporting the feeding of both S.boulardii and Curcumin to suppress inflammatory responses. Neither appear to be detrimental to the gut itself – the mechanisms of how they work is too complex to go into, here, but I think in Chloe’s case, the proof is in the pudding!! ;)
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Since I have had her she has always had Happy Hoof (Spillers) or Healthy Hoof (Dengie). About 2 weeks ago (her coat has been bad for about 6 weeks) I changed her feed to the Dengie Hi-Fi Lite, and she has that with a few scoops of Garlic granules and a swig of rapeseed oil. I changed her feed because she was a little porky and I wanted to see if she would lose a bit with a very minimal content feed. My mare has had laminitis in the past so I have to be careful with what I feed her (before anyone goes off on one about the oil and the calorie content in it, she's had this in her feed for the past 2 years and been fine, someone recommended it for the coat). Do you think this is fine to feed her? Or would you recommend something different?

I will try the Neem Oil/Benzyl benzoate and Dermoline shampoo, thanks.
 
I agree, get her off the garlic!

Mine itches more in brewers yeast as well - though he's fine on yeasacc. I agree about making sure their guts are as well protected and effective as possible. I a have also largely taken grass out of my guy's diet.

The things that have helped the most - to the point where he looked fantastic (he's nearly been pts because of it in the past) is linseed meal, cavalesse, and spirulina. The spirulina has been the real difference, though I don't want to risk stopping the other two. He gets 20g a day, its expensive but it works a treat - it helps his COPD as well. It works on the immune system in an interesting way, it balances rather than boosts. Its brilliant! Its also good as a mineral and vitamin supplement.

I also have his diet balanced for mins and vits.

He's also rugged.

Nx
 
Fizzbw said:
I agree, get her off the garlic!

Mine itches more in brewers yeast as well - though he's fine on yeasacc. I agree about making sure their guts are as well protected and effective as possible. I a have also largely taken grass out of my guy's diet.

The things that have helped the most - to the point where he looked fantastic (he's nearly been pts because of it in the past) is linseed meal, cavalesse, and spirulina. The spirulina has been the real difference, though I don't want to risk stopping the other two. He gets 20g a day, its expensive but it works a treat - it helps his COPD as well. It works on the immune system in an interesting way, it balances rather than boosts. Its brilliant! Its also good as a mineral and vitamin supplement.

I also have his diet balanced for mins and vits.

He's also rugged.

Nx
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Thanks, where can you get the spirulina? I have looked on the internet but so much stuff came up and so I'm not sure!
 
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