Hi again have a mare who I've just brought has bad sweet itch! I've ordered some switch how have you all got on with this? How much did you use each time? Rug is not a option she trashes them in minutes
TIA
TIA
Sweet itch! How do you treat switch?
- Thread starter Horses1234
- Start date
Switch is meant to work well. Antihistimines 110% work!! Vet will prescribe them but you can buy the generic equivalent of piriton on amazon and just work out your dose. Elec fence round the field if it's not already and dilute deosect as fly spray. Topically I use nettex itch stop or neem oil but mine is rugged too. x
You will need rugs, and proper sweetitch ones not just fly rugs. The trick is to get them on before the midges appear & she starts getting itchy, if it's wet you can always put them on under a turnout. Try to keep her in a dry field with a good breeze across it, avoid ones that stay damp or are near woodland as they give a good breeding ground for midges.
One of my girls suffers with terrible sweet itch, but to be honest it has depended on the yard she's been at as to how bad it gets. Where we are now doesn't aggravate it half as much as some of the other places I've been!
She has a Snuggy Hoods hood and a basic fly rug, however her snuggy does rub her face something awful so last year I replaced it with a Rambo Vamoose fly mask and it was brilliant, although it only lasted one season! She's had full snuggy hoods rugs before but has just trashed them. There's no way I could managed it without any sort of rug!
I've started using Benzly Benzoate and rubbing it into her mane, dock and ears (only a little bit as it goes a long way!) and it seems to have prevented rubbing so far! It's a constant battle of different lotions with her, Dermoline sweet itch lotion had no effect on her at all!
She has a Snuggy Hoods hood and a basic fly rug, however her snuggy does rub her face something awful so last year I replaced it with a Rambo Vamoose fly mask and it was brilliant, although it only lasted one season! She's had full snuggy hoods rugs before but has just trashed them. There's no way I could managed it without any sort of rug!
I've started using Benzly Benzoate and rubbing it into her mane, dock and ears (only a little bit as it goes a long way!) and it seems to have prevented rubbing so far! It's a constant battle of different lotions with her, Dermoline sweet itch lotion had no effect on her at all!
Speak to the National Sweet Itch Centre, if you google them they have a phone number and will give you free advice. They are excellent (think its called Itchy Horse now?)
if she's trashing rugs you need to electric fence off anything she can rub on, get the rug on before the midges appear, and you are in for a very long hard battle.
We have 3 sweet itch fugitives, a friend has another that was on the verge of being PTS. Luckily where we live it's unknown so they have mad full recoveries
We have 3 sweet itch fugitives, a friend has another that was on the verge of being PTS. Luckily where we live it's unknown so they have mad full recoveries
Avon skin so soft ive used in the past too but TBH a really well fitted rug really helps a lot and if there's elec fence they struggle to rub on anything to trash it! Ours goes from lw turnout in winter straight into sweet itch rug ( boett or similar ours currently has a equi theme one that I'm very happy with) so is never unrugged, unless Its winter and she gets 20 mins rug free whilst I muck out as once the itch scratch cycle has began it's harder to get a grip of. Sadly I don't think there's any quick fix for sweetitch and so just manage the best I can. x ps think nettex itch stop may still be on offer for about £3.10 on vio vet, it's good stuff.
I used to have a pony with sweetitch and prevention really is the key. He lived in his Boett rug and hoody from March to November. I went away for a weekend and the person looking after him turned him out just for a few hours without it. I came back to a pony with awful bald patches all over his face. We never got back on top if it properly that season. But in the rug he was fine, generally.
I have a little mare with me for 17 years severe sweet itch pluss anything that stings or bites are really a problem to her and has induced colic on many occasion. Tried everything over the years that you could think of. She has the boett rugs I have tried others but they dont perform as well. She is on pirition all through the summer and sudacrem and washing with tea tree shampoo. Although these help the condition over the years has got worse. She constantly bites at her udder and will rub on anything she can find. Last resort was going to be steroids but neither I or my vet were keen to follow that path. 8 weeks ago I put her on calvelese at about 6 weeks there was a marked improvement 8 weeks in she is no longer biting her udder is much calmer and is not so bothered with flies etc. Her cheeks that were sore from rubbing have heeled and she is not constantly looking for something she can get to to scratch on. It may not work for you horses for courses as they say but def worth a try.
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