Sweet itch update... dreadful

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Lill

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Don't know if anyone remembers but Holly has been on the sweetitch injection and tablets this 'summer' and i can conclude that it has had absolutely NO effect on her at all and was a complete waste of money.

She is now wearing the Rambo sweetitch rug (destroyed her previous rug can't remember which make) in a size too big so it covers her belly. Her belly which is covered in grazes and scabs where she rubs it on the ground and kicks at herself.

She has about 2 inches of mane where its been rubbed out by her rubbing through the rug, and no forelock left and where her forelock was is 2 small open wounds where she's rubbed it raw. Winter is definitely her best time of year!

I have never seen a horse/pony suffer as bad as her
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When will they find a cure?

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my 2 yr old has it for the first time this year, started about a month ago. Neem oil has really helped... on her face, her belly, her mane and tail. she hasn't rubbed since i started smothering her with it. it stops the itching and keeps the bugs off. got to be worth a try.
mine doesn't have a rug on, cos she's never had one on, and i think she'd destroy any rug! the Neem does the trick. i got mine online from theneemteam.co.uk iirc. the cheaper, lower quality oil is what i've used.
 
I'm sorry, I haven't read your previous posting, so I could be repeating what people have already put
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But, have you tried Camrosa? My horse used to have terrible sweetitch and it used to drive me mad, Camrosa had just come on the market so I purchased some and within a week the difference was AMAZING
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So much so, that it didn't need to be constantly on him, once the skin had healed and become less itchy, I used to spray his mane and tail with a diluted solution of Benzyl Benzoate.

Keep on top of it and the urge to scratch lessens by at least 50%

If you do shows with your horse, you will need to purchase the ointment remover, as it is a real bu**er to get out and buy the shampoo too.

Hope this helps
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We've tried a few sprays last year and the benzo (?) stuff this year but its difficult to put stuff on her belly without getting kicked in the head unfortunately... she hates it cos it most probably stings her. She kicked me only a month ago, she was aiming for her belly but i was stood next to her so she got me instead.
 
No, haven't tried Camrosa... will have to look into that one. What is it? Like a cream or gel?
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Have tried the Benzyl (thats what it is!) stuff but no success really. Tried all types of insect repellant and midge repellant stuff too.
 
You may well have tried this .... but my mare started on her tail and this is the only thing that seemed to stop it.

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I can report a big improvement in mine since feeding instant linseed and brewers yeast. Took them off brewers yeast and they have started rubbing again, now back on and the rubbing is easing up.

Sudocream with tea tree oil and sulphur is great for repelling and soothing. I use 1 tablespoon sudocream, a teaspoon of sulphur and 5 drops of tea tree oil mixed up. Put this on Chancer's sheath area and round his belly button where he rubs the most. Can get a bit messy but it does work.
 
Lis it could be that you got one of the placebos. When it comes on the market as a proper vaccine instead of a vaccine trial it may be worth trying again.

Weve also been on the vaccine trials and although my pony has had his boett on most of the year we have had a major improvement as he has been turned out all year and we still have most of his mane! (we used to loose the mane within 2 days at around march and he would have to be stabled after that as he scratched untill he bled and then scratched some more and that was with the boett)

I also know of one pony who did the first year of the vaccine trials and was completely cured, his owner was at the point of if this didnt work the pony was going to be PTS as he used to get it so bad that even stabled all summer with a boett on he would scratch himself raw on the stable walls and then take chunks out of his legs with his teeth.
 
my friend tried the injection & tablet trial this summer and says its made a real difference for her mare. Normally she has to spend all summer in a fly rug but she's not had to wear it as much and only has a few patches where she has rubbed. So I guess it works for some and not for others - sorry it didn't work for you though
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Camrosa is like a vaseline type of ointment, it doesn't sting and not only heals sweetitch but I use it on all skin irritations, cuts, sores, sarcoids etc. I used to make up a solution of Benzyl, it doesn't work on it's own but if you use it with the camrosa it may help.

Get a waterspray, pour about an inch of benzyl into it and fill up with water, shake it before applying to mane and tail. My horse never had it anywhere else.
 
I really feel for you and have been there too.
Here comes a big post...
When i first had Mr D it took a few days for us to work out he had SI as the seller never told us. He was incredibly distressed by it and would spend ALL his time itching. Needless to say I tried everything I could as quickly as I could and the only thing that worked was a Boett rug.
I tried Benz benz which made his sores weep and was way too strong for him. I tried all the lotions, aloe vera, NAF D-itch, Dodson and Horrell itchy feed supplement, another herbal feed supplement... Avon skin so soft, neem oil, deet the list goes on.

These are the thing that worked for us.
Itch Stop Salve Complete, marmite in his feed, deet based anti midge repellents, homeopathic drops, the boett 24/7 even to ride in sometimes, but the biggest help of all was moving him.
I moved him somewhere with a breeze, no standing water or running streams, away from the muck heap, and electric fenced off trees and gateposts etc. (He once broke a tree itching on it!)
He still had marmite, homeopathic drops and was fly rugged all summer but had as good as NO signs of the sweet itch.

It is really soul destroying watching something you love being tormented by something you can't fix for them. ((hugs))
Let's hope you find something that works soon.
 
my 17 hand warmblood has severe sweetitch - as you can imagine when he starts sitting on fences/gates/stable doors/walls to itch his bottom he does structural damage!

The only thing I have ever found that works is good management. he's had anti-histamine injections, herbal supplements, all the lotions & potions on the market and none of them have worked. far better to swap straight to the anti-midge system before your horse starts itching (as soon as the winter rugs come off unfortunately) than to have a sore, bald horse.

I keep him in in during the day with a rambo dustbuster on. at night he goes out after the midges with a rambo sweetitch hoody on. i cover his mane & tail with baby oil it soothe the skin & prevent any persistant midges chomping on him (really this should be done all over but you end up with a very greasey horse). he eats garlic cloves every day in his feed and I ride when the midges aren't around & he is practically drowned in fly spray (I tend to work through about 6 differenct varieties each year!). Doing this, I just about have enough mane left to sew false plaits in (made with hair taken from my cleveland bay mare) so we can go to competitions and not look awful.
 
Why have they made placebos though? What is the point of that? Surely that is just wasting peoples money and destroying their hope?
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(Sorry not mad at you!)

May try it again, but we're a little put off the whole thing now to be honest.

Holly is just as bad she scratches on anything and if there is nothing she lays down and scratches her belly on the ground or kicks it.
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Yeh making a spray would be good, less likely to get hurt that way! We generally put savlon, sudacream or purple spray one her. Seem to heal but the she rubs and it all comes off!

Her tail is the only part that hasn't been affected probably because it has always been under the tail flap of a rug, it gets all knotty at the top where she rubs but luckily doesn't rub out.

Her belly is the worst place. By far, and between her front legs and her back legs its all scabby and nasty too.
 
Lol she had a boett but killed it after one summer and so now we've gone for cheaper but tougher rugs like the Rambo one! Wondering maybe whether a fly rug styled like a boett would work...?

Heard of trying marmite in feed, but where can you buy it in bulk?

Haven't really got an option to move her, she is on privately owned land so paying for her to be moved elsewhere for the summer would be pretty silly in our situation! She is however in the front field, away from the pond and we don't have a muck heap...
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Can imagine! Holly is only 14hh so less destructive when scratching luckily!

There is never a time all year round when she doesn't have a rug on and inbetween winter and spring/summer if she is still wearing a turnout she wears a sweet itch rug underneath it.

Not too fussed about her looking great for shows (she only really competes winter and shes usually looking better by then) only thing is she is a Welsh D so can't really hog her mane, we tried once and it looked awful
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lis its because its a trial they have to have placebos by law to provide proof that its working and its not just a good year for the sweetitch ponies or owners just thinking its better. the vaccine is experimental and has not yet been given a liscence for full sale so they have to do it useing the prescribed rules about experimental drugs which includes placebos and testing criteria.

When it is granted its liscence then no placebos will be used.

The only thing ive found that worked (aside from the vaccine) is the boett, all the other rugs are just a waste of money IMO. Ive tried most of them and non worked.

oh and id be very very wary of benzyl benzoate. Its carcinogenic so i personaly wont have it anywhere near me or my horses.
 
my sweet itch lad also destroyed a boett. so i bought a new one and put a cheap fly rug over the top. He can attempt to destroy the cheap one all the wants, it only cost me £30 and he hasnt manged it yet!
 
Mine has a Boett which has really helped... but he can still get to his tail cos another horse bit the tail flap off...
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So I've been using this stuff called Itch Stop Salve Complete - which is made by NETTEX and is really great as is an insect replellant and a soother and really seems to work - especially if they have already scratched a bit - Benzyl Benzoate really stings on open sores... so this is nicer..

Would recommend it - but is not that cheap... Although the pots last a while - and I apply daily rather than weekly (which is what they suggest)...

Poor horsie tho - is so sad watching them scratch
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We use Itch Stop Salve Complete on my pony and found that works really well, we also feed garlic all year round and sometime marmite sandwiches!
And a good home made fly repallant helps to
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im struggling too and it is heartbreaking as someone said, my boy had the most amazing mane and tail, commented on constantly by everyone but alas he is losing it fast. im doing the marmite thing too, and the skin so soft, and the benz stuff, and the sudocream, everything but final answer is im moving him on sunday as he is by the streams and i want somewhere less problematic. good luck everyone, great tips, im now looking into the camrose and neem thanks! it costs a bomb to find the right one.
 
Totally sypmathise...

I'm afraid its more about location and management with sweet itch than lotions and potions.
THE only way to prevent it is to stop the horse being bitten. If he gets bitten, he will itch.
I was on the verge of having my boy PTS several years ago. Despite everything he was beside himself. Even the vet was shocked to see him when she came to give him his jabs.
We moved 4 yrs ago. His field is high up a valley overlooking the sea. There is a constant breeze (midges are poor fliers), no water sources such as streams etc, very few trees and I have electric fenced off anything that he could itch on. He lives out 24/7 with no rug..nothing but the occasion bit of Net TexSweet Itch Salve aroung his face and sheath.
If you want to preserve the mane and tail then I'm afraid you have to fence of everything that he could scratch on. He can still relieve the itch by rolling or mutual grooming. My boy still always has a bog brush tail because he knows exactly where to groom daughters pony so that she grooms his tail.
 
fwiw, the Neem oil doesn't sting at all. my very sharp youngster lets me put it all over her tummy and insides of back legs without a murmur, and without even a headcollar on. when i went to do it the first time, i was pretty convinced i'd be dodging flying hooves, but it's obviously soothing.
 
really im posting on behalf of a friend who has a 5yr old welsh D, she's had him a year now and she's surrounded by sycamore trees and in a valley, her OH bought him from somebody last year, (he's ridden him 6 times!!) basically he suffers awful with sweetitch but wasnt too bad before they bought him. his face and ears are raw and bold, so's his chest, belly, sheath inside and out, bum cheeks, legs and the list goes on and his mane and tail. basically she has tried every cream and tablet on the market, and 4 weeks ago had blood taken to find out what he's allergic to as the vets can put him on a de-sensitising dose of injections that he'l trial for 9 months, my friend rang to see what he's allergic to and he told her several over the phone- barley, alpha alpha, mollasis, SYCAMORE TREES!, olive trees?,every type of fly you can think of and the little plantation weeds you get in the field (her field has plenty of them), thats just a few. the vet sends away for you to have a license to give the horse the injections, he's allergic to soooo much that he's going to have to have 2 made up for each time!!

oh she gives him galic powder, tried making garlic spray, makes homemade fly spray, puts citronella candles at the entrance to the stable block, cleans off crappy cream every few days and starts over again, he wheres 2 masks and a rambo sweetitch rug, she's tried bringing him in at different times but makes no difference.
AND NONE OF IT WORKS, i feel so sorry for her because she feels so cruel and would love to be able to sell him to someone up high and out the way of trees but her OH says he isn't going anywhere co its his horse!

he's a lovely boy and has started jumping and had practice at XC.

do you think she's at a lost end trying the injections? i think he's done for until he's moved.

thanks for reading this xxxx
 
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