Sweetitch and low sugar diet

[Muddy Mare]

I have a lovely new horse that suffers from Sweetitch. I use a snuggyhood fly sheet and sprays etc, plus Ive just started her on Skratch, which seems effective....anything that smells that strong must be good....anyway the itching is under control so thats good

My question is this - I have read that a high sugar diet can make the symptoms worse and wondered if anyone out there had experience of putting there horse on hay, restricting grass and other high sugar feeds etc and whether that had had any effect? I'm wondering whether to go down this path, but its further bother, getting hay at this time of year etc.

 

[cptrayes]

Yes, i had horse who had to be rugged even in the stable. He had to come off grass for his health and his sweet itch completely disappeared. I posted about it three years ago and several other people had seen the same thing.

 

[Justturnedfifty]

Interestingly enough, I have the mis-fortunate experience of currently dealing with a Dartmoor pony that has laminitis, so is on soaked hay and literally a handful of low sugar feed designed for laminitis to put his laminitis supplement in twice a day. He too suffers from mild sweet itch, and usually lives in a Masta sweet itch rug and hood from spring to end of summer/autumn BUT since having a drastically reduced feed and diet, off haylage and onto soaked hay, guess what? No sweet itch symptoms what so ever! Only remarked to others on the yard how itch free he is, so presume sugar must antagonise and trigger itching.

 

[Greylegs]

Maybe they don't call it Sweet Itch for nothing!

But seriously, my highland gets a bitof SI and I've taken everything out of his diet that has a sniff of molasses in it. He's on restricted grazing, sprayed with Tritek and Avon SSS, has NAF D-itch supplement and so far, so good. No itching and not wearing a rug although I have one ready just in case!

He has also moved to a different field this year. The old one was near a pond and trees which tended to attract midges, but the new one is more open which may also be helping.

Good luck and let us know how you get on.

 

[Zara3x7]

My mare had horrible sweet itch last year and she was on quite a lush paddock. We moved to a new yard and this year she seems much better. I struggle to find rugs for her as she destroys them over night. Her snuggy hood lasted about 2 days and is now beyond repair!

I've cut the sugar out her diet, restricted her grazing, started soaking her hay and removed garlic from her feed and she has improved, she is also in for most of the day. Some people have suggested anti-histamines to help reduce the symptoms so will be trying them soon

 

[Muddy Mare]

Ah, well that is all very useful, thank you!
Does hay definitely have to be soaked? That would be tricky for me as there is no tap down in the field.

 

[CBFan]

Yes, reducing dietary sugars definitely helps. You could also try feeding brewers yeast - I feed a double dose daily..

 

[Lancelot]

I'm the odd one out I think!

My boy suffers terribly from SI. He is in a sweet itch rug and always has spray on when we ride. He's also very grass sensitive and so is restricted at this time of year.

He's out during the day on no grass with 9 hour soaked hay and comes in overnight to 8 hour soaked hay. He has 2 low sugar/starch bucket feeds of speedibeet, linseed & copra with a forage plus balancer, Magox, brewers yeast, salt & bicarbonate.

He still itches pretty badly, bad enough that I wouldn't dare to try him without a rug. The bits that aren't covered (under forelock, sheath) continue to be rubbed.