What do you use on your SWEET ITCH sufferer?

jinxy

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Following on from the post by Pooh_Bear "Would you buy a horse with SWEET ITCH?" What do all you owners with a horse who has sweet itch use apart from a rugs/masks to prevent them itching and attempting to keep the flys away?

I currently use Avon Skin So Soft and Benzyl Benzoate (Killitch- Carr Day and Martin)
 

My_Eeyore

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We also use a rug and mask. We went down all the lotions and potions route when we first got Jake but didn't find any of them particularly effective.
We have found global herbs superskratch to be good. It took a while to get him to eat it and we have to feed it from around march until November.
 

blackcob

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My horse doesn't have what I'd call full blown sweet itch but she sometimes gets an itchy dock in summer, which can leave it looking a bit bogbrush when she's had a good scratching session. I douse her with benzyl benzoate (an unbranded one I buy from a veterinary supplies website) and it stops her itching totally.
 

silversox

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My friend has a grey Shire mare who has completely wrecked 2 very expensive Boet Rugs. They were working OK, covering everypart of her, including her tummy. Took ages to get the rug on her - we had to stand on bales!! Needless to say she found some barbed wire and a couple of nice large gate-posts and ripped both the first, original rug and then the replacement to shreds.

The midges soon found the juiciest bits and started to make a meal of her - it looked horrendous. After going through all our veterinary potions and creams, we scrubbed the areas with Hebe scrub and sprayed all parts with purple spray. It looked awful but it was a last resort. No, it wasn't actually the last resort, we decided to risk using SPOT-ON which is designed specifically for cattle and hasn't been tested on horses, but we were desperate to save the poor thing from any more agony. We poured it from her poll, down her back and along her rump to her tail. That was on 13th July and she hasn't has a midge near her since. It's recommended to use SPOT-ON every six weeks so she'll be due another dose at the end of this month. In the meantime, we spray the originally affected areas with purple-spray and she seems quite happy.

There are so many different recommendations on here, but it's trial and error, I'm afraid. If you can get hold of a midge/fly rug you'll be half-way there; just be sure the animal can't get to anything to rip it on. It may be possible to buy SPOT-ON from an agricultural/large animal vet or agricultural supplier. This is a link which may be of help. It's rather expensive but then most vet. products are these days and I can assure you, it was money well spent on my friend's mare!

http://www.molevalleyfarmers.com/pd5_A-HUSB_FLY%5Ba%5DPARA_CATTLE-FC_2042B_SPOT-ON-250ML@.htm

PS Don't get SPOT-ON wormer/de-fleaer for dogs - it's totally different!!
 

beatrice

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Friend has found that Net Tex Itch stop salve is brilliant, can not recommend it highly enough!!!
Also Global Herbs Itch Stop (makes your horse stink!!) and a fly rug.
 

Honeypots

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Theres alot you can do for your sweet itch sufferer..

Boett rug or similar..be sure to use electric fencing and check for anything they can snag the rug on.
Ensure they are well away from the muck heap, water sources such as streams, ponds etc, and trees
Keep them in fields that are as exposed as possible so they are exposed to winds..midges can't fly very well

Lotions and potions I like:
Net Tex Stop Itch...brilliant but messy..I use iton the face and sheath if necessary
Avon Skin so Soft Fly spray type recipie (in Stable Yard)..I use this on the tail, mane and belly if he hasn't got his rug on or just his tail and belly if he has...

My cob has gone from being unrideable and almost being PTS because of sweet itch to being ridden and without his rug frequently because of the above.. He has had severe sweet itch for 9 yrs..
 

conniegirl

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a full neck rug and the aromesse spray means my pony with severe sweetitch keeps his mane and tail all year round.
 

Natch

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A boett or similar rug, but there is no alternative but to have elec fencing EVERYWHERE because if they get bitten when you have rug off for grooming/riding they WILL itch and destroy the rug. Playful boys will be boys can also wreck a rug! Don't use an ordinary fly rug, midges get through the holes and crawl under them.

The boett people used to (still do?) do a produce called liquid gold which was very good, like thick vaseline and that would prob do the trick, that smeared on sheaths and udders prevents the blighters from biting there. Anything oily/greasy makes a barrier between the skin and the midge, who don't like to land on oil. We made a homemade concoction of vegetable oil and lavender & tea tree, and rubbed that on the skin of his mane and tail. Messy, and I wouldn't do it on a very sunny day, but helped to both heal and soothe.
Sudocrem was also brilliant for healing.
 

teapot

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Sudocream
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Has benzyl in it without the sting so better all round. Then facemask and fly rug.
 

rocketdog69

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Hi there

My Andalusian has sweet ich. I've tried everything on him but he is a sod for finding something to scratch on. He goes through at least one rug a month until I purchased the horseware one for £100. I cant keep a mask on at all, I find them under his chin, hung on trees, in the water bucket, just not on his head! The more "stuff" I put on him the worse he is, although benzyl benzoate, if put on often enough works.

What I also discovered through blood tests is that he is allergic to loads of stuff which only rears its ugly head during sweet itch season so you may find its not just sweet itch thats the problem, hence not being able to find anything that works.

Unfortunately for me, my horse didnt react well to the allergy treatment although I believe he was in the minority, its worked for loads of others, might be an idea to speak to your vet if your horse is insured???

I've tried something called "Switch" too which works but is £25 per bottle and only lasts bout a month! Switch has the same chemicals as Spot on that you may use for your dogs!

Although my boy has sweet itch he is truly awesome and I would buy him again and again even if I knew he was a sufferer. For the right horse, sweet itch is a minor annoyance.

Good luck.
 

xnaughtybutnicex

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Actually dont use a rug as my ponys isnt that bad n only on her tail just wash it once a week in neutragena t-gel or some kind of tea tree shampoo and it seems to work.
 

kellyeaton

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i find with my horse wearing a rug made him worse i used nettex stop itch salve and used my own made up fly spray touch wood that worked!
 
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