Very itchy horse please help!

[MANDM]

I had a similiar problem with my TB who was very itchy,his skin & coat looked dreadfull. He had the usual cortisone injections which dont really help & I feel only mask the problem. I am very much in agreement with the adage that what goes on inside shows on the outside, (Having previously had one of my other horses with a bad skin condition lumps then sores and hair loss which turned out to be a liver problem with a virus sorted out by the use of Indian Equine herbs). My boy although pure TB has been in thin rugs as ge gets so hot in himself and if he couldnt get at his skin to bite & scratch he was frantic. I have since completely changed his diet to a non sugar feed i.e no mollasses as sugar heats the system. He has speedi beet ,Spillers happy hoof(although he is not laminitic) and baileys Alfalfa blend. He is also on herbs from Indian equine Herbs in Wiltshire(marvellously helpfull) which detox his system . He has a lovely shiny coat with no more bald patches . He does still enjoy a good scratch when I can give him one but he is not desperate any more plus he looks great
I know how desperate I was to help my boy so thought I would add my 2 penneth worth . Dont know if you have already tried any of these things already. Best of luck

 

[vonno]

I have a mare who suddenly started itching about a year after we bought her. No mane or top of tail left and was rubbing sores onto her flanks and withers. We were already putting garlic in her feed and then we also added a sulphur supplement, and she has hardly rubbed at all. No sores and we still have a mane! (She is out 24/7)

 

[ColouredFan]

I appriciate your 2 penith especially if it helps! So far I have tried NAF detox and he just wont eat it currenly he is having the echinecha and liquid Aloe Vera but its too soon to see if they are working yet. Can you tell me more about these herbs? they sound interesting?

Thanks

 

[ColouredFan]

Someone else had mentioned putting Rock sulpher in his water to cool his blood, what supplement is it that you use?

 

[ColouredFan]

Hi

I bought some Aloe vera juice at the weekend, the big bottles were reduced from £8.99 to £3.99 so I bought 2, he has eaten his feed with it in no problem so I am going to go and get some more while its on offer!

I also bought the gel to put on his skin, did a test patch and no reaction so started using it last night. Fingers crossed it works!

 

[cefyl]

You mention flies really bother him. I assume you use a fly repellant on him? What make / type? - valid reason for asking this!

 

[ColouredFan]

Hi Have Pm'd you back

 

[vonno]

Hi,
The sulphur I use is MSM concentrated powder which I get on ebay from a company in Ireland. I've given it to my other horses and they all seem to like the taste.
It's promoted as being good for tissue, joints etc, though the human type is promoted for healthy hair and skin.
We tried it as the mare is imported and the soil where she is from is rich in Sulphur. However a neighbour has since started using it on her arab and he is itching far less than he was.

 

[ColouredFan]

Great I will give it a try, what is it called?

 

[vonno]

There are quite a few MSM sulphur supplements available for horses now, though this is the product I use:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/MSM-For-Your-Horse...VQQcmdZViewItem

Good luck!

 

[henryhorn]

It may help if he is clipped through the summer months as well and wears a cotton rug.
I would give him lots of aloe vera, most horses don't notice it in their feed or you can squirt it in his mouth with a larg syringe without a needle.
I know from my own experience of being allergic to things that aloe has a magical effect, even more so if you put neat juice or gel on his itchy places.
Those reactions he got from irritants would have reduced before your eyes had you put gel on them for a time, you need to keep doing it until the skin won't absorb any more for best results.
You can also get a homeopath to make up some drops which you put on his tongue like you do Bach flower remedies that counteract the allergies, my son had this and ended up totally cured.
What they do is inject with a minute needle the substance the ame as your vet did, then measure the reaction.
Then they dilute the substance with 10 parts of water and repeat, when they reach a no reaction point, they make up the solution which equalises the allergen.
It sounds so bizarre but I swear it worked for us, my son was admitted to hospital and on steroids aged 3 until we found this method.
Management is going to be vital so I would first supect his bedding, if it's rubber and has latex in it that may even be the cause..
I hope you find the key, but please if you try anything try the aloe, I don't sell the stuff I buy mine from Hollannd and Barret!

 

[ColouredFan]

Thank you!