Sweet itch help

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savochsally

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I just recently purchased a 2 yo connemara from ireland, and before purchase she has no signs of sweetitch. I have just had her for over a week and already she seems very itchy!! Biting at her stomach and sides, scratching tail and head. As we are about to go into winter I would have thought it will settle. but not sure how to manage - never had a horse with SI before!

Should I contact the person I bought her from to ask about it. Is there any come back?

Any comments welcome - thanks!
 
Are you sure it is SI rather than lice for example? Or an allergy to something other than the saliva of the culicoides midge? If you are then I'm afraid you have an uphill struggle - there are as many remedies as there are sufferers. Barrier rugs, fly repellants, soothing topical treatments, anti histamine medication, management to reduce sugars in the diet, removal of any solid surface or electric fencing them off. It should die back as the colder weather and flies reduce but I saw a load of midges here yesterday. There is a group of SI owners in FB which is a good forum for different experiences. https://www.facebook.com/groups/210003972362738/ - do your research and maybe ask your vet what they know about it, there are new treatments on the horizon
I doubt you have any comeback from the seller unless you specifically asked if she has any skin conditions etc - they aren't required to reveal bu answer questions truthfully.
 
If she arrived with a full, un-rubbed mane and tail I'd doubt she had SI, but then again there may have been no midges where she came from. What are you feeding her?
 
Cortez said:
If she arrived with a full, un-rubbed mane and tail I'd doubt she had SI, but then again there may have been no midges where she came from. What are you feeding her?
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She did arrive with full mane and tail, but we do have a lot of flies here! I thought initially she had lice, so phoned vet and they gave me some switch to pour on her. I have down that twice now, and she is still itchy.
She is outside and just getting the off handful of pony nuts when I take her in.
 
Have you bathed her as well as used the switch? If she had a full mane and tail when she arrived it may not be SI. Sometimes a change of environment causes them to itch a bit for example if they suddenly move to a much warmer climate. I once sent a mare away for schooling and she came back with a rubbed mane - 3 years down the line she's never shown a sign of it again and had no previous history. You may find it settles down in time but a full bath would be a start with an insecticidal shampoo.
 
Sweet Itch is very much affected by the surroundings so its totally possible for a horse to show symptoms in a new place, when they t previously showed none.
If you've checked the usual ie lice, mites etc and it's not feed related, or coat change, then t could be sweet itch. 2 yrs old is a common age for symptoms to appear and Autumn can be the worse time of year for it.
So...I would start with a sweet itch rug. Premier Equine do a great one, as do Rambo. Use a barrier Fly Repellent such as Net Tex Itch Stop along the belly, sheath and between the back legs and try to fence off scratching places to help preserve the rug and stop the horse from rubbing to try and stop the itch, scratch cycle. It may take a coup!e of weeks to calm the Itch.
Hopefully soon the weather will turn and he should stop (if it's sweet itch) but be sure to get the rug on early next year, well before the season starts.
 
I have an SI boy and he is still very bothered if he is unrugged. I have probably another 5 weeks before midges are dead here.

You might have a better environment for midges than where she came from. The FB group suggested is good, but like everything else, there isn't anything that works 100% for each horse and some are much more severe than others.

I have been through most of the creams, lotions and potions and generally they might give short term relief topically but don't solve it. It takes 3 weeks to break the cycle for my boy.

My experience, if it is sweetitch, is that proper rugging is the best thing you can do. They are expensive but you can usually find secondhand ones around. Don't take them off until the midges are dead (based on temperatures, not time of year).

In terms of rugs, I use Snuggy rugs and they work brilliantly for me. I would like a deMeulenkamp, but they are very pricey.

I have as little sugar in his diet as possible and no garlic. I feed brewer's yeast and micronised linseed. Both have made a dramatic improvement in his coat and reducing his itching. He has a full mane, belly and most of his tail this year. Last year he looked awful and was very sore.

I hope it's not. It's a bl**dy miserable condition.
 
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Are you wet ground, or near a river/lake/pond? SI can often depend on the environment. I would stop the pony nuts, in case the itching is a reaction ot something in them. Can you give ahandful of grass chaff instead or good quality grassnuts?
 
What's your grass like? My cob gets very itchy on lush grass (even more on standard haylage), the solution for him is poorer grazing, or restricted grazing / muzzling and some time off the grass eating poor quality hay / straw. Feeding magnesium and salt also seems to help.
 
Thanks all of the replies! Very helpful stuff.
We live on a farm, with a lot of cattle about, so always have a lot of flies! Which makes me think it could be SI. We do live by the coast though so it’s normally pretty windy. She’s on old grass, which isn’t productive but there are trees around half the field. I could move fields if I had to away from trees. Getting away from water isn’t going to be easy as we live next to a nature reserve! Starting to think if it is SI this is the worst possible place for it, but I can’t send her back!!
Will Call vet out to completely rule out lice etc, and hope for a harsh cold winter!
 
My mare is also terrible on grass. The grazing is very lush here and I can only use a fraction of my field as she struggles badly. She self harms by literally biting holes in her skin and rubbing until she bleeds. I've recently tried her again with piriton (I stopped when I backed her a few years ago). That with restricted grazing has been enough to keep her guts and skin happy!! Is her behaviour affected at all? My mare becomes very spooky and shows hindgut symptoms if the grass is too much for her.
 
If the vet says it is sweet itch then you'll need a good rug - Premier Equine, Shires, Snuggy. Cheap ones are no god as the midges can get through them. You'll probably need to try a few lotions and potions before you find one that works for you. I use BiteBack products- mainly the gel and the tail spray. If he's rubbed then I use their silver cream. They're not expensive and do last. I also use No Rub along the main as it doesn't make the mane sticky. I would use the tail spray even if he didn't have sweet itch.

The field you're grazing in is a big factor. The more open and breezy they are the better as the midges can't fly above a certain wind speed. Electric fencing is best and the field should have as few rubbing opportunities eg trees, in it as possible. Best of luck. It is manageable if you're prepared to keep on top of it. My pony was rubbing his face raw when I started riding him but now you wouldn't know he had the condition.
 
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