Sweetitch

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Rose byrne

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Hi,I'm trying to stop my horses sweetitch this year, I'm giving her garlic and brewers yeast daily but I also was told to use a mix of tea tree oil and TCP diluted my question is what would people recommend I dilute it with and has anyone else ever used this mix
Thanks in advance for your help
Rose
 
Garlic is known to make the reaction worse so should not be given, the best thing to prevent it is to cover with a suitable rug before the midges come out and set off the itch scratch cycle.
 
It was on this forum last year that I read about the garlic as it's supposed to tast the blood which turns the midges off ?? Iv been giving it to her for a month now.....should I stop ?
Thanks
 
Rose byrne said:
It was on this forum last year that I read about the garlic as it's supposed to tast the blood which turns the midges off ?? Iv been giving it to her for a month now.....should I stop ?
Thanks
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I would stop, it boosts the immune system which means it makes the reaction to the bites worse for sweet itch sufferers so is counter productive at least and can really prove an issue for some, the brewers yeast is good so keep on with that.
 
you need a proper sweet itch rug such as Boett or the ones made by Shires or Rambo. not a fly rug. then any proper insect repellent for when you are riding and the rug is off. eg Phazer. Anything else is a waste of time and money and your horse will suffer unnecessarily.
 
Rose byrne said:
Ok ...thank you for that tip,the TCP and tea tree oil spray ...do you know if that works ??��
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Be very careful what you use with SI sufferers, they are often sensitive to other things. Ours is very allergic to Tea tree!
All are different but only thing that really works is keeping midges off them with well fitting SI rug. If skin gets inflamed we have found applying aloe vera and washing with Dead sea magic shampoo gives some soothing relief but, like I said, they are all different. Good luck with it - it's a horrible condition.
 
A friend has had amazing results with Biteback products. She uses the Summer Nights and the soothing one and her pony is itch free and even has a mane again.
 
Never had any real success with anything being fed. Spend the money on good rugs and electric fencing instead.
 
Gloi said:
Never had any real success with anything being fed. Spend the money on good rugs and electric fencing instead.
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this/\ and remember-once they start itching-they have already been bitten.got to get in with cover-up before symptons show.
 
I use decent sweet itch rugs, elec fencing and gallons of Kill Itch and Power Phaser. I don't put anything in the feed. Although years ago with a pony who was so horrendously affected that we nearly put her to sleep, I used to put Forever Living Aloe Vera Gel (the stuff in the yellow bottle) in her feed and the relief for her was almost instant ! Luckily with careful management I haven't needed to feed it (and I don't have that pony anymore) but I would feed it again if I needed to (it's jolly expensive though)
 
Put a rug before the midges start biting. My friends pony has to move from a turnout straight into a fly rug. She was a bit late one year and he started scratching, once the cycle has commenced it's too late.
 
My pony has been out in his sweet itch rug for the last two weeks!
I think getting in there early is really the only way. He has two rugs (both the premier equine fly buster with the hood/belly section) and I rotate and wash them regularly to make sure they're always comfortable. He also has a fly mask with ears as that's where he seems to be most sensitive.
I use biteback sweet relief on and around his ears too, and a non- soap based wash from Flint's Yard (either called scratching or itching - can't remember which is which!!)
 
It is well worth the money to buy a Boett hood and use it with a rug rather than just a fly mask to keep midges off the head.
 
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