What to use to stop itching?

[PipsqueakXy22]

My horse is currently quite itchy all over. First thing he does when he comes in the stable is have a good scratch all over his body. Not sure if he has mild sweet itch, we do have a lot of midges here, but he has rubbed a some bald patches at the bottom of his mane and top of his tail. Im looking for something to help, doesnt necessarily have to stop the itching, as perhaps its normal to be a bit itchy, but looking for something to soothe his skin? and/ or help his mane and tail regrow? Does anyone recommend anything?

 

[ponynutz]

If it's really bad you can have antihistamines prescribed for him by a vet.
As for hair regrowth and soothing the skin I've heard good things about EQyss Micro-Tek spray.

 

[PipsqueakXy22]

If it's really bad you can have antihistamines prescribed or him by a vet.
As for hair regrowth and soothing the skin I've heard good things about EQyss Micro-Tek spray.

thank you, its not bad, he will usually come in and rub himself all over for about 5 mins then hes fine, but hes just rubbed the base of his mane and top bit of his tail bald, so just wondeirng if theres something i can use on those parts to help soothe the area and maybe regrow the hair faster, especially since i plan on showing him next summer.

 

[Cortez]

My horse is currently quite itchy all over. First thing he does when he comes in the stable is have a good scratch all over his body. Not sure if he has mild sweet itch, we do have a lot of midges here, but he has rubbed a some bald patches at the bottom of his mane and top of his tail. Im looking for something to help, doesnt necessarily have to stop the itching, as perhaps its normal to be a bit itchy, but looking for something to soothe his skin? and/ or help his mane and tail regrow? Does anyone recommend anything?

It's not normal to be that itchy. If he has sweetitch he'll need a sweetitch (not fly) rug, and something to repel the midges that cause the allergic reaction. I've had multiple sweetitch horses over more than 20 years and the only thing I've found that halfway works is Biteback Neem Supreme. Antihistamines can work for some horses, not all.

 

[Barton Bounty]

Anti histimines for sure, and give him a bath with tea tree oil shampoo that should help ?my vet gave me an idea of the amount needed and told me to
Buy them as they would be a fortune from them

 

[ILuvCowparsely]

My horse is currently quite itchy all over. First thing he does when he comes in the stable is have a good scratch all over his body. Not sure if he has mild sweet itch, we do have a lot of midges here, but he has rubbed a some bald patches at the bottom of his mane and top of his tail. Im looking for something to help, doesnt necessarily have to stop the itching, as perhaps its normal to be a bit itchy, but looking for something to soothe his skin? and/ or help his mane and tail regrow? Does anyone recommend anything?

have you tried cutting out Alphapha, as some are allergic to it.

 

[pistolpete]

Wash in a mild shampoo and don’t use mane and tail products. They often cause itching. Almond oil rubbed in overnight not if out in hot sun. Oatmeal shampoo is good. Megatek has coconut oil in it to promote new growth.

 

[JumpTheMoon1]

Apple cider vinegar on the tail and other rubbed areas.Its also a good fly repellent and cheap.

 

[PipsqueakXy22]

It's not normal to be that itchy. If he has sweetitch he'll need a sweetitch (not fly) rug, and something to repel the midges that cause the allergic reaction. I've had multiple sweetitch horses over more than 20 years and the only thing I've found that halfway works is Biteback Neem Supreme. Antihistamines can work for some horses, not all.

oh I just figured it was normal because half the horses on both yards that I’m on (with my own horse and my loan horse) have also done the same thing. My own horse has also rubbed the base of his tail bald, he definitely doesn’t have sweet itch as I asked the vet when he got his vaccines. I’m asking for my loan horse though as he’s done his mane (just the bottom bit) and tail and I plan to show him next season. I don’t think it’s sweet itch, but I’m not sure. One lady on the yard has just resorted to putting a tail guard on at nights but I’d rather not as I know how annoying the feeling is when you’re itchy and can’t get the spot

 

[Snow Falcon]

Aloe vera gel is good for soothing itchy areas which helps break the cycle of scratching.

 

[Marigold4]

Anti histimines for sure, and give him a bath with tea tree oil shampoo that should help ?my vet gave me an idea of the amount needed and told me to
Buy them as they would be a fortune from them[/QUOTE

Just out of interest, how many antihistamine tablets did you give him?

 

[Squeak]

Just a thought but are the horses itching more this year than others or anything like that? I used to have this problem with my horses and found with one of them it was linked to him having too much sugar and even in winter if he had too much he'd start itching so cutting down the sugar and a good lami supplement to help him process and buffer the sugar helped too.

Someone on here posted a link to an article mentioning that there could be a link between the use of weedkiller/ spray used on fields and it impacting the way that horses digest sugars. It made me think twice where it was a number of the horses having the itching problem and when I moved them to a different yard they stopped, I unfortunately don't know if the new yard used many sprays but the old fields certainly had them used for at least the 10 years I was there.

 

[Barton Bounty]

Depending on the weight of the horse, and the mg of the tablet.
for 500-550kg horse 20 x 2 a day for 4 mg

20 a day for 10mg tablets ?

 

[rabatsa]

I have a mare that got itchy last year and again this year. I have kept her off grass for two weeks and there is no longer any itches. I have literally just posted this in the good morning thread.

My mare is 21 years old and last year was the first time that she got itchy and there could have been several causes. This time there is no doubt that grass is the cause.

 

[MiJodsR2BlinkinTite]

There is a "Sweet Itch Support Group" on FB which you may find helpful. Also it may help to treat as if it WERE sweet itch i.e. put on a "sweet itch hoody" rug (NOT an ordinary fly rug, this won't suffice) and if you see the itching improve you will know that it is sweet itch.

The Biteback products in particular have had some good reviews on people with sweet itch/itchy horses, I've noticed.....

 

[PipsqueakXy22]

Anti histimines for sure, and give him a bath with tea tree oil shampoo that should help ?my vet gave me an idea of the amount needed and told me to
Buy them as they would be a fortune from them

thanks I didn’t even think to try antihistamines do they have to be prescribed?

 

[Barton Bounty]

thanks I didn’t even think to try antihistamines do they have to be prescribed?

No, just buy them off the shelf!
go to savers if you have one near , you will get cetirizine for 79p for 30 tablets. Or asda do them for £2! These are 10mg tablets, or you can go for the galpharm option which is chlorphenamine/piriton. All are safe.
I buy 4mg piriton from chemist 4 u and get them delivered. 500 tablets for £25 I think. I am giving 25 a day, as I think 40 is too much and so far its been absolutely fine ? the tablets are tiny so a wee tint bit of hard feed hides them

 

[Michen]

Mine basially has mild sweet itch. He has been a changed horse living in a rambo optimo summer sheet this year with full neck, belly etc. I keep him fully clipped too. The rug isn't as thick as the traditional sweet itch type rugs.

He used to itch so violently when tied up he once actually went over sideway.

https://gsequestrian.co.uk/products...Sp3KUb1tjj3mv5lS3B0Fm5MrF3LJrdqxoChVMQAvD_BwE

 

[Chianti]

Sudacreme is good if they have really itched. Any neem products can help. I'm mixing that with Wondergel this year. If it is sweet itch then what works wonderfully for one horse won't help another so you have to trial products to see what helps.

 

[ElleSkywalkingintheair]

I've been using Switch which is available via vets, two itchy ponies that I've tried every product under the sun including sweet itch rugs are now out naked and their itched bits are growing back ?

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

One of my horses used to rub his mane quite badly in summer so I used a sweet itch hood but this year I tried a supplement from herdleader called oral itch solution and I have not had to use the the rug at all this year.

I do wash his mane every few weeks in a medicated shampoo and you need to start the supplement early before the itch cycle starts.

In your situation I would get the itching under control by bathing and applying something to stop the itching, a lot of sweet itch products contain benzyl benzoate be careful one of my horses is allergic to it and it makes all his hair fall out.

I use wonder gel everyday on the allergic horses tail and that does stop him rubbing it.

 

[Barton Bounty]

One of my horses used to rub his mane quite badly in summer so I used a sweet itch hood but this year I tried a supplement from herdleader called oral itch solution and I have not had to use the the rug at all this year.

I do wash his mane every few weeks in a medicated shampoo and you need to start the supplement early before the itch cycle starts.

In your situation I would get the itching under control by bathing and applying something to stop the itching, a lot of sweet itch products contain benzyl benzoate be careful one of my horses is allergic to it and it makes all his hair fall out.

That benzyl benzoate can be lethal! Im sure that was in my friends daughters acne lotion! It was absolutely humming and the fumes would make her eyes water ?

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

That benzyl benzoate can be lethal! Im sure that was in my friends daughters acne lotion! It was absolutely humming and the fumes would make her eyes water ?

Sudocreme has it in as well.

 

[Barton Bounty]

Sudocreme has it in as well.

Oh has it? I didnt know ?

 

[sport horse]

I have had great success with feeding Brewers Yeast

 

[Muddy unicorn]

No, just buy them off the shelf!
go to savers if you have one near , you will get cetirizine for 79p for 30 tablets. Or asda do them for £2! These are 10mg tablets, or you can go for the galpharm option which is chlorphenamine/piriton. All are safe.
I buy 4mg piriton from chemist 4 u and get them delivered. 500 tablets for £25 I think. I am giving 25 a day, as I think 40 is too much and so far its been absolutely fine ? the tablets are tiny so a wee tint bit of hard feed hides them

According to the specialist vet at Liphook who we saw for our boy’s allergies, anti-histamines for horses are a waste of money. She said horses don’t metabolise anti-histamines in the same way as humans so in order for them to have a therapeutic effect you’d have to be giving enormous amounts (way more than 25 a day..). From the research her team had done she concluded that positive reports of good effects from anti-histamines were purely placebo.

For our boy’s mild sweet itch we mostly manage it with rugging (the Rambo sweet itch rug works well for him and he doesn’t get too hot underneath, unlike the Snuggy hood we tried last year); washing his mane every two weeks with oatmeal shampoo; fortnightly deosect topped up with biteback supreme spray in between applications and we also had the Insol injections in February this year. It’s been much better so far than last summer - this is only our second season dealing with it - something triggered an allergic response the previous summer and he now has asthma and sweet itch which I’m pretty sure are connected.

 

[Barton Bounty]

According to the specialist vet at Liphook who we saw for our boy’s allergies, anti-histamines for horses are a waste of money. She said horses don’t metabolise anti-histamines in the same way as humans so in order for them to have a therapeutic effect you’d have to be giving enormous amounts (way more than 25 a day..). From the research her team had done she concluded that positive reports of good effects from anti-histamines were purely placebo.

For our boy’s mild sweet itch we mostly manage it with rugging (the Rambo sweet itch rug works well for him and he doesn’t get too hot underneath, unlike the Snuggy hood we tried last year); washing his mane every two weeks with oatmeal shampoo; fortnightly deosect topped up with biteback supreme spray in between applications and we also had the Insol injections in February this year. It’s been much better so far than last summer - this is only our second season dealing with it - something triggered an allergic response the previous summer and he now has asthma and sweet itch which I’m pretty sure are connected.

She suggested, 60 a day at 4mg, i chose to give 25/30 a day

 

[Muddy unicorn]

Well it’s probably not doing any harm but it won’t be doing any good!

 

[Barton Bounty]

Ill stick with my vets advice as she knows my horse but thank you tho, it was a sting not an allergy from something else ?

 

[Muddy unicorn]

Well you’re obviously not sticking with your vet’s advice as you halved the recommended dose … ?‍