Sweet Itch rug suggestions

[Bright_Spark]

It looks like Blossom has sweet itch. She's always been the kind to enjoy you giving her a good scratch, but over the past couple of weeks, I noticed a couple of bald patches appear.

Had the vet up yesterday for jabs and asked her to have a look, she is pretty sure that it is sweet itch and to treat it as such. No signs of lice or mites.

So I would like some suggestions on a good rug please. The vet said boetts are the best, but I can't quite afford one of those just yet My plan is to get her a cheaper one for now, then save up for a boett.

Actually I have a couple of (possibly stupid) questions too, if anyone wouldn't mind answering?

Do they suffer with sweet itch in winter, or is it just the summer?
Would clipping help (she gets a winter coat to rival a yak)?

Thank you so much

 

[littlemisslauren]

I really rate the snuggy hoods SI rug. We currently have 5 (!) with SI - 2 are in Snuggy hood rugs, 2 in boett type rugs and one is still in a useless flysheet.

I find the snuggy rugs the most effective against a serious itcher. The rugs need to go on in march (at the latest) and stay on untill at least october for the best results. For our extreme itchers we have a paddock that is all electic fence so they cannot rub themselves raw on fenceposts etc.

Dawn and dusk are the worst times for midges so stabling at those times can help.

You will notice a difference this year once the rug is on but you will see the full benefits of rugging next summer.

We completely clipped out one of ours (inc. legs and mane) so that we could treat sore spots. We now keep him clipped as the heat tends to make him more itchy.

 

[Bright_Spark]

Thank you so much for your reply. I've never dealt with sweet itch before, so it's all rather new to me!

I'll have a look at the snuggy hoods rug. As I said, it's only been in the past couple of weeks that she's given herself bald patches and TBH, I just thought one of the others had bitten her So I'm hoping it's not too bad, but obviously will have to wait until next spring to see how she's going to be.

She's in a field with electric fencing and wooden posts, so not too much for her to rub herself on. Mind you, she did make the most of a good rub when tied up by a wall yesterday (including pinning me against it to have an itch).

Is it likely that she's always had SI (she's 3 1/2), or that it's just developed this year?

 

[Suelin]

Try this one

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SWEET-ITC...t=UK_Horse_Wear_Equipment&hash=item3a51d0c126

Just the same as the Boett and much cheaper. We have used this for our sweet itch pony with great results.

I believe they can develop it at any age. Our pony is 21 and has always had it we think.

 

[MiJodsR2BlinkinTite]

re. sweet itch rugs. I've got a Rambo Hoody for mine; easy to put on and covers up what's necessary. Not cheap, but they last. Also good (if you can get one, like hen's teeth) is the Pessoa Hoody.

Avoid like the plague anything that's cheap & cheerful, coz it won't last. Full stop. I've used a Premier Equine hoody on mine, but they don't have a tummy insert so if the midges are really bad, I use the Rambo. But they do a nice selection of light rugs for just standing in the stable (yes, you'll need a rug on if they're stabled too as midges can and do get in....... sorry!).

I feed Brewers Yeast, Clivers (sticky stuff in hedges); Linseed, and occasionally seaweed. Avoid any feeds containing sugar or mollasses (think "Sweet" itch). Check labels as compound feeds are full of the stuff. Personally I've been there done it with supplements/stuff that's supposed to work for sweet itch.

Yes, stable between dawn and dusk if you can. Best turn-out places are high areas away from standing water and/or trees, or common land.

Have not tried the Snuggy Hoods; but did buy a Pagony rug a few years ago which is supposed to be a cheap copy of the Boett. Don't bother!!! The blimmin thing is very badly made and I always had to be repairing it, plus it just doesn't stay put - mine got very badly hung up in it, somehow got his foot through one of the straps and won't let me near him in it now. It goes on over the head, which again is a disadvantage. I'd say if you're going to go for the Boett type rug, then go for the Boett - don't bother with "cheap" alternatives.

Topical lotions and potions? I've always found Killitch (benzyl benzoate) helpful - you can get benzyl benzoate pure, on-line, Killitch is just the brand name. Also I use Pig Oil into which I drop a few drops of Neem Oil, and put that on any bits the rug misses and/or when we're riding out.

For hacking, I use a ride-on fly sheet. Horseware do a nice one, also Premier Equine have a very nice one in super-light material.

Once you get your head around it, Sweet Itch IS manageable - its just you have to think about TOTAL management rather than just one "fix".

Sweet itch is caused by the cullicoides midge; and these can be around at ANY time of the year; tho' generally in my head the "sweet itch season" is more-or less from mid-Feb to October (school half term hols). So I would start feeding supplements in plenty of time, around the beginning of February to get the horse protected before the midges do arrive! And that means rugging up with hoody's or whatever (you can always put a SI rug/hoody on underneath a normal rug).

Then in the autumn, its keeping a watching brief till more or less end of October time - when you can relax just a little, tho' last Xmas I was out poncing around on Xmas day with a SI rug (P!ssed as a f@rt) coz the midges were around!!. My boy was away at livery last autumn, they turned him out without a SI rug when we had a really hot spell and within a few days he'd rubbed himself raw. I was heartbroken, but it just shows you have to be vigilant.

My boy now has a lovely full mane & tail - you'd never ever guess he was a sweet itch. So it IS possible.

Try the National Sweet Itch Centre website too: they've got a lot of useful stuff. It MAY also be worth your while to get the vet to take some bloods from yours; then you'd know the severity of the problem. But the more accurate test CAN pre-dispose a horse to laminitis (sorry don't know the science) - so you might like to discuss this with your vet. You can have a test which is less-accurate (but will give you a very good idea) which doesn't do this.

Oh and avoid garlic, as it stimulates the immune system which is not what you want, SI being an immuno-suppressant conditon.

 

[Bright_Spark]

Suelin- Thank you, looks like a good rug too. I better measure Blossom tomorrow, she's a chunky little thing!

MiJodsR2BlinkinTite - Brilliant advice thank you I don't have stables, so that might be the only issue, but I will certainly try the kill itch.

I'm hoping that fast fibre will be a suitable feed for her, just a little bit so I can try the supplements and see if any of them help.

Thank you all again for your advice, it's been really helpful

 

[WelshD]

I recently bought the Masta sweet itch hood/rug which has stayed put very impressively so far

I have just bought a snuggy hoods rug and hood though as it was a returned one and a bargain on eBay and I have to say I am impressed with the quality and as it's a snug fit I am hoping it will give the pony a bit more freedom

I will hang on to the masta one though as it doesn't hurt to have two for when one is inthe wash

 

[kaluki]

.

Oh and avoid garlic, as it stimulates the immune system which is not what you want, SI being an immuno-suppressant conditon.[/QUOTE]

sorry to hi-jack post .......
but would this be making mine itch, thought it was her losing her coat, but after reading this ahe started itching, on walls, in stable on fence, where ever she can.....and it started just after i started giving her garlic to help keep the flys away!

 

[OLDGREYMARE]

Do the over ear styles such as Rambo SI hoody and Weatherbeeta version actually stay over ears or do they need a headcollar on to make them stay in place? This is where my mare gets bitten because most fly rugs don't cover top neck when the horse is grazing and neck cover rides up?Fancy the rambo one but its quite expensive,the Weather beeta one is much cheaper,has anyone tried one?Thanks

 

[HoneyB24]

I have the rambo sweet itch hoody but am not impressed. The first one I got in Feb this year and by June the straps had broken, eventually horseware replaced it. Her new one, the lining in the neck cover has come unstitched, and the strap under the tail has broken. Now I wouldn't mind, but my horse is turned out on her own, with nothing to rub on and isn't a rug wrecker.the second one will have to be repaired, but I wldnt buy another one! They do stay over the ears, unless the horse rubs, I have a fly mask on my horse which helps.

 

[HoneyB24]

Sorry for grammar etc.I'm on my phone.

 

[Laura-Maybe-IV]

Hi there!
We have used various sweet itch "treatments" for our two ponies who suffer with it quiet badly.
We had a Horseware sweet itch hoody which was good until the little toad ripped it, but it did help with some of the itching.
A previous pony that I had came with a sweet itch rug that he had made for him which was similar to a boett but cost much less!
However the other thing we tried my 10.2hh welsh suffers the worse was to fed him garlic and marmite.. It sounds bizarre I know but I have read that there is something in marmite which midges hate and it seems to work...
As well as the marmite we make sure he has CD&M Killitch applied twice a day, a normal fly rug with tail flap as well as fly repellent and a marmite sandwich once a day and this makes this miserable condition manageable for todd.
I hope this is of some help!