Sweetitch vaccine trial update

[conniegirl]

Several people asked me to keep them updated on how my pony was doing on the trial. I cant remember who they are so i'll pop it on here instead.

My pony (stan) is in the 3rd year of participating in the trial and has horrendous sweetitch normaly (left without his boett he is normaly raw and bleeding by the end of march). We had an improvement with every year.

So far stan had his 3 injections in january and february and is on i think his 5th or 6th tablet. With the hot weather reacently i have seen lots of midges and have been paranoid about his mane and tail and his boette is all mended and ready just incase.
Up untill the weeked we have had no problems, no signs of scratching at all. I took him to a show on sunday with full mane and tail.
Unfortunately he decided that the best way to balance in a box was to sit on his tail so he scratched a load off it (his tail bandage had slipped down). since that show he has scratched his tail a bit but hasnt touched his mane at all and hasnt touched his other normal scratching areas like his withers and back.
So Far so good, touch wood

 

[juliebrewer]

I had a welsh D with sweetitch but sold her last year. she was a lovely show cob. I would of liked to try the vaccine. She had sweetich very mild, never wore her boet last year (bourght prevouse year) because she had a foal. She was fine, did itch a bit in august but you wouldnt know she had sweet itch. sold her with her boet cheap. (told new owner). Really nice to here how yours is doing in the trial. .. good luck,

 

[flyingfeet]

Did you have an swelling of his sheath prior to the trial?

If so what's it like now?

(Thanks for the update!

)

 

[Honeypots]

oo..thanks for the update..it really does seem to be making a differance doesn't it?.Good for you for joining the trial. If I hadn't have moved I'd have joined it myself but since moving near the sea my very severe sweetitch cob is 'almost' itch free..

 

[ticobay831]

hi there
Glad to hear stan is doing so well.
Im pleased with joshy, however he is wearing his boet, im reluctant to take it off just in case, he isnt having to wear his hood and up to now he hasnt rubbed his ears or under his chin, so thats an improvement

Hes had a bit of a nibble of his sheath over the past few days so ive plastered him in sudocrem and its not too bad now.
He has normally rubbed his tummy quite badly by now, but thats all fine

As he has it so bad and this is his first year on the trial i was advised to leave the boet on, so i will continue to do so.
If the vaccine gives him some relief i will be more than happy.
But so far so good

 

[MagicMelon]

So depending on the results of this trial, when will the vaccine be available?

 

[ticobay831]

I think anyone can get the vaccine from the sweet itch society, they have been trialing it for a few years now.
As where it was a free trial a couple of years ago you now have to pay for the it. Think its just over £200. The vet has to administer the injections then you have to give a capsule every two weeks untill August i think it is. They have increased the capsules this year.
If you go on to the sweet itch web site it will explain everything there for you

Debs x

 

[conniegirl]

cotswolds nope no swelling to talk of.

I may put his boett on for a week, just to break the itch scratch cycle but not sure whether it is bad enough to warrent it yet.

 

[conniegirl]

I was told that if this trail is successful it should be made available to everyone within the next 2 years

 

[Lill]

Holly isn't doing so well on it i don't think. She was late starting it because one of the vets was ill. Which didn't help. We've put a fly/sweetitch rug on her with a belly flap, she's broken the belly flap through scratching and so now is without the belly flap and she has grazes on her belly from where its been irritating her and shes scratched it on the ground, she's also still kicking at her belly. SO not much improvement SO FAR!

 

[conniegirl]

Lils bare in mind that some people have been given a placebo as well (drugs trails rules) you may have gotten a placebo as i think we might have gotten one last year.

 

[Lill]

Bloody waste of money if thats the case.

I don't know will wait and see i suppose though she doesn't seem to be hugely different at the moment!

 

[flyingfeet]

That is why I didn't do it - I am competing mine and wouldn't dare leave the rugs off in case of receiving a placebo.

Its a trial so they need blind 'norms' to assess the trial

 

[conniegirl]

cotswold, stan my pony is competeing as well and being an M&M doing M&M classes then he needs his mane.