sweet-itch Pledge

Cahill

Cahill

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During a thread the other day about homemade tail detanglers,some one mentioned that they use spray polish on their race horses tails.(coating the hair with silicone).
So while shopping yesterday I purchased some pledge multisurface (jasmine).I`m just reading the can now and I see that it contains benzyl benzoate and cintronella.well, I use sudocream(because of the benzle b ingrediant) to help with my pons sweetitch and was wondering if a spray of pledge would be beneficial too?
Any thoughts?or am I barking up the wrong end of the stick?
 
I dont know about polish but you can get Benzyl from the chemist much cheaper and dilute it a little if need be.

I used to get some really odd looks though buying it by the litre as later found out its used for scabies in humans!!!
 
how much a litre then?and how much do you dilute it?do then put it in a sprayer?
and how often do you apply it?(sorry lots of questions)
thanks
 
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you can get Benzyl from the chemist much cheaper and dilute it a little if need be.

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Ugghhhh - horrid stuff.

Why not invest in a good suppliment and a sweetich hoody instead? And manage it by having him in at the worst times of the day???
 
um,am thinking of all things that can help.have bought a boett but not put it on yet.i also have to put the electric fencing around the field so that it doesn`t get snagged.last year she wrecked amigo hood in an hour.
 
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Why not invest in a good suppliment and a sweetich hoody instead? And manage it by having him in at the worst times of the day???

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Just to point out - horses with true sweet itch can not be brought in at the worst times of day. My horse cannot be stabled during the summer as he would rub himself raw. In fact even when tieing him up to groom / tack up is a bit dodgy as he throws himself at anything to scratch.
Instead he lives out 24/7 in his boett.
 
my pon has itched for two summers,the first was not as bad but last year was worst.(she is 11 now).she pushed the front of the stable out(4ins blocks)OH had to re build and double up wall.although i would not call her case severe compared to some pictures i`ve seen.she is in a light weight turnout combo at the mo.have loads of wonky fencing and bowed gates to be sorted.electric fencing every where this year!
 
Cotswold, I think it depends on the horse thouhg, as my pony has severe sweetitch (currently on the vaccine trials as him living on steroids even with him boett on isnt something you can do long term) he used to go from full mane and tail to raw and bleeding in 1 day scratching when he was out, but put him in and he wouldnt scratch anywhere except his face. He used to be in 22 hours a day between Feb and october so that he didnt end up raw. now with the vaccine he is out 24/7 and showing no inclination to even think about scratching.
 
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Why not invest in a good suppliment and a sweetich hoody instead? And manage it by having him in at the worst times of the day???

[/ QUOTE ]
Just to point out - horses with true sweet itch can not be brought in at the worst times of day. My horse cannot be stabled during the summer as he would rub himself raw. In fact even when tieing him up to groom / tack up is a bit dodgy as he throws himself at anything to scratch.
Instead he lives out 24/7 in his boett.

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Echo this. Bringing them in doesn't work for all. Mine can't even have a field shelter
frown.gif

I can see your point about pledge and wonder if midges can bite through a layer of pledge! Worth a try I suppose although if it doesn't work you'll have started off the itching and will be back to square one. I'd just get the Boett on asap and prevent the itch from starting in the first place.
Good luck fellow sweet itcher's...its nearly upon us
crazy.gif
 
Yeah..TBH, for some it doesn't go away at all.. Where I used to be it was a year round problem for my horse. Now we're in a better location he actually has a good few months without suffering.
 
Will you keep the forum updated on the progress of the trial?

I did think about joining, but as mine is competing I wasn't sure what impact the drugs would have

Mine is a horror, he rubs everywhere when in and ends up a bleeding mess.

I haven't managed to preserve his mane even with a boett, and end up hogging him.
 
I had a mare with sweetitch and found she was sensitive to other products as well. The best thing that worked was a boet and she didnt have any potions and lotion, and had a lovely mane and tail and a very shiny coat...
 
have read people ride in boett.from what i read,once the itchin starts the pon has already been bit,so its too late.Prevention is better than cure.
my pon is not out 24/7 but lives in a yard area about 40 by 40 which has a field shelter.she has about 7 hrs turnout a day.think i will run electric around yard area and put a door on shelter and see how we go. shelter is south facing,as most stables are,wonder if a north facing one would help?
sorry ramble,i think while i type.
 
Cotswolds, if people want me to let them know then im more then willing to. This is the 3rd year weve been on the trials and we have had an improvement every year. The first year i went to the sweetitch centre to get the jabs and met a lovely lady who had come all the way from scotland with her horse who was about to be PTS because of sweetitch and this was a last ditch effort as the horse used to scratch itself raw then rip shreads out of its own legs with its teeth. poor horse was an absolute mess in february and she said he had to be locked in a stable with the top door shut most of summer and a boett on and he still shreaded himself. When i saw her at the end of the year in december when we went for the evaluations she was over the moon that for the first time in a good number of year the horse in question had been out during the day in summer and haddnt ripped shreads out of itself, granted it had no mane or tail but there was no broken skin. That year we managed the entire summer with full mane and tail and the boett didnt go on until june!

This year my pony had the 3 injections at home, and has had 2 tablets, ive seen midges, ive been eaten by midges, the pony just up the road has started scratching but my pony hasnt even looked the wrong way at the trees and his favorite scratching posts I watch him like a hawk as my field is seen from the lounge window!
 
Oh yes if you wouldn't mind I would love updates every so often!

If yours a mare or gelding? The one problem I have is my boys sheath, as even with a layer of nettex it can get quite raw with pin pricks of blood caused by the midges.
 
Hi
I too would be really interested in updates. I've had my sweet itch cob almost 9 years now. We've now relocated and his sweet itch is very easily managed now. Last year he didn't wear his Boett once for the first time ever..
grin.gif
 
Ok i'll put update up every so often. Mines a gelding, but he has never had a problem with his sheath, then again im one of these people that think if it isnt broke dont fix it, so i wont clean his sheath until he starts showing discomfort. Stans (my pony) face gets a bit pin pricky though and i use the midgeaway cream from flyaway and that realy does seem to help.

This is stan last year! (he had the boett on most of the time at that point, but this was august and we had managed to july without it)
llandudno2010.jpg

and this is may that year!
warrington06001.jpg

and this is august the prevoius year
Imagegreenj.jpg
 
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