Our pony has not been too bad all summer with his sweetitch (i think it is Sweetitich), controlled always with a fly rug, but now it is suddenly very bad, huge waxy flakes of dandruff in mane which is a very thick mane, baldness on face and around ears, breaking out in little open sores along crest under mane, he is rubbing like crazy, have been rubbing in sudacrem til now, washed it all today mane, neck and face with medicated shampoo, combed through with a kids headlice comb, got out all the flaky skin, his head is sore and a few weepy patches, any other suggestions please? When does sweetitich ease off, we are down in a valley and a lake and boggy area beside our fields, nothing we can do about it as it is out own land so cant move him. He comes in by day, flyrug on when out. is it normal to have so much flaky dandruff in mane? He has a fab tail but top is getting rubbed bald now, hoping it will all ease soon for him. we only purchased him in may, his previous owner said he could be itchy but he def did not have sweetitch,but they were right by moor with a breeze, so better conditions - i think it is sweetitch, opinions please. Vet is coming on friday to my TB, i shall be asking him to have a look at him, see what he thinks too. What month does sweetitch tend to ease?
Sweetitch now so bad
- Thread starter crabbypatty
- Start date
I am sorry to hear your horse is doing so badly.
Sweet itch tends to get better after a couple of hard frosts, so earliest is October, however some places can stay midgey all year.
Is he in a sweet itch type rug 24/7, possibly even including ridden? That should ease the symptoms on the covered parts. The flaky dandruff is how sweet itch looks. Could you consider steroid injections and keeping in 24/7 until the season ends? I am sorry to say it sounds like your fields are not very good for a sweet itch horse.
ETA: Sweet itch can be quite location dependent for two reasons; midge species and local conditions. I'd recommend keeping him in a sweet itch rug 24/7 and never leaving out at dusk and dawn. My Sweet itch horse is OK as long as I rug her and keep her in overnight, she is out no more than 8am to 6pm even in the height of summer.
Sweet itch tends to get better after a couple of hard frosts, so earliest is October, however some places can stay midgey all year.
Is he in a sweet itch type rug 24/7, possibly even including ridden? That should ease the symptoms on the covered parts. The flaky dandruff is how sweet itch looks. Could you consider steroid injections and keeping in 24/7 until the season ends? I am sorry to say it sounds like your fields are not very good for a sweet itch horse.
ETA: Sweet itch can be quite location dependent for two reasons; midge species and local conditions. I'd recommend keeping him in a sweet itch rug 24/7 and never leaving out at dusk and dawn. My Sweet itch horse is OK as long as I rug her and keep her in overnight, she is out no more than 8am to 6pm even in the height of summer.
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you will need several nights of frost for it to ease off i'm afraid. this time of year (end of summer) tends to be the worst as it rains more which flies and midges love. for next year, get the rug on early (end of feb!) and use a proper Sweet itch rug with a proper fly mask. a normal flyrug won't cover enough of the horse (necks tend to be too short and ride up when they graze, bellies are left exposed and some are not designed to stop tiny midges. masks with no ears are not all that useful either, really!). remember that the itching is a full blown allergic reaction to a bite, irrespective of where the bite is. the rug is not to stop them from scratching, it's to stop them from getting bitten in the first place. if eg their face is exposed and they get a bite on the face, they might scratch their tail instead because it's also itchy and they can reach it.
i'd get some fuciderm cream from the vet for existing open sores, as it will take the itch right out (i found sudocream and the likes do not).
try to make surev he has nowhere to scratch in the field (eg electric only if possible) and i'd keep stabling to a minimum because you are effectively giving him four walls to scratch on.
if you must stable him, leave the rug on him!! for he is basically trapped indoors with a load of insects and you may find that is why he is scratching like mad
good luck and think to yourself that next year might be better if you start proper management early on
i have two with SI, one of them was so severe her mane was a bleeding pulpy mess of open sores (and that was WITH proper management, vet and electric only fencing), one year she lost all her tail ... it really is a horrible thing to be suffering from.
julia
x
ps: careful with steroid injections btw! mine never had lami but once she had a few steroid injctions she started getting that as well! they dont always help either!
i'd get some fuciderm cream from the vet for existing open sores, as it will take the itch right out (i found sudocream and the likes do not).
try to make surev he has nowhere to scratch in the field (eg electric only if possible) and i'd keep stabling to a minimum because you are effectively giving him four walls to scratch on.
if you must stable him, leave the rug on him!! for he is basically trapped indoors with a load of insects and you may find that is why he is scratching like mad
good luck and think to yourself that next year might be better if you start proper management early on
i have two with SI, one of them was so severe her mane was a bleeding pulpy mess of open sores (and that was WITH proper management, vet and electric only fencing), one year she lost all her tail ... it really is a horrible thing to be suffering from.
julia
x
ps: careful with steroid injections btw! mine never had lami but once she had a few steroid injctions she started getting that as well! they dont always help either!
My two sweet itch suffering cobs are wearing their rugs and will continue to do until probably the end of November. The last few days have been very midgy here. I prefer not to stable as they rub while indoors so they are covered in midge repellant on the exposed bits form about 5.00pm.
One of our has a much more flaky mane than the other
ps I would avoid the steroid injection route too after losing a horse to laminitis
One of our has a much more flaky mane than the other
ps I would avoid the steroid injection route too after losing a horse to laminitis
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Hi,
My mare has terrible sweetitch too. Get a boet rug if you don't already have one. Avoid the steroid injections if you possibly can.
My vet is going to take a blood sample from my mare and send it off to the USA where they can make a vaccine specially for your horse. I haven't used this before and its not 100% guarenteed to work, but its worth a try. You start the injections as soon as the sweetich season starts in early spring. The cost is around £500. It might be worth asking your vet about this too.
My mare has terrible sweetitch too. Get a boet rug if you don't already have one. Avoid the steroid injections if you possibly can.
My vet is going to take a blood sample from my mare and send it off to the USA where they can make a vaccine specially for your horse. I haven't used this before and its not 100% guarenteed to work, but its worth a try. You start the injections as soon as the sweetich season starts in early spring. The cost is around £500. It might be worth asking your vet about this too.
I cannot advise you strongly enough to get a Boet. This is the ONLY way to go in my opinion. Avoid steroid injections, as they can cause laminitis in ponies prone to it.
Make sure there's nothing he can scratch on. Tape him off a section of the field with electric tape if you can.
It will clear up on it's own but only after you take these 2 preventative measures.
You will need to put the Boet on from March to October at least dependent on where you live.
Good luck.
Make sure there's nothing he can scratch on. Tape him off a section of the field with electric tape if you can.
It will clear up on it's own but only after you take these 2 preventative measures.
You will need to put the Boet on from March to October at least dependent on where you live.
Good luck.
Thank you all for your replies, it obviously def is sweetitch then Have been bringing him in during day and taking off rug, obviously i should leave it on, was thinking of the air getting to the sores etc. Washed the mane in medicated shampoo and combed in thru with a kids lice comb got out all the flakes and the tail, he looks better today and more comfortable had not been itching overnight, i never know how he will be in the morning, it all happens nightitmes it seems before i shut him in at 8am! Will get a boet, the neck, head and ears are the worst are's, no belly or anywhere else, tail too is quite bad. So obviosuly need a rug that come right up over the ears and leaves no gap. Its mild down here in deepest devon so there will no frost for a long while, sometimes december.
Have been bringing him in during day and taking off rug, obviously i should leave it on, was thinking of the air getting to the sores etc. Washed the mane in medicated shampoo and combed in thru with a kids lice comb got out all the flakes and the tail, he looks better today and more comfortable had not been itching overnight, i never know how he will be in the morning, it all happens nightitmes it seems before i shut him in at 8am! Will get a boet, the neck, head and ears are the worst are's, no belly or anywhere else, tail too is quite bad. So obviosuly need a rug that come right up over the ears and leaves no gap. Its mild down here in deepest devon so there will no frost for a long while, sometimes december.
JustJas
New Member
This year I have avoided any mane washing and too much brushing and just turned her out in her sweetitch hoodie. Up to know that has helped but my mare is suffering more now than she has all summer-I am hoping for frosts too.
The flies are chronic and the bot flies are out en masse.
The flies are chronic and the bot flies are out en masse.
Just to clarify my position about steroids as a few people have commented they wouldn't use them due to the laminitis risk. I agree there is a risk and because of that if I ever used steroids for mine I would not put them on grass after, I'd keep them stabled. Of course if the horse was still itchy after steroids being stabled might just give them more to scratch on.
I'd recommend getting your vet's advice. I think they can do a blood test to see what the allergen is. Then talk to them about steroids or antihistamines if they deem it appropriate.
I'd recommend getting your vet's advice. I think they can do a blood test to see what the allergen is. Then talk to them about steroids or antihistamines if they deem it appropriate.
Have kept him in for 48 hrs and plastered scabby area's with Wondergel as my RI suggested, huge improvement 2day and no scratching or itching at all which is miracle!! Shall pray for frost.
If he isnt coming in until 8, I would leave him in over night and out in the day - sunrise and sunset are the worst times to be out for midggies.
I have found that the flakeyness it what makes her most itchy - I have been washing every other day with tesco anti-dandruff with menthol shampoo - and then combing through like you. Having now got the build up out, its just maintaining it - but she is definitley much less itchy - she is now going nights without any evidence of itching her bum.
I have her rugged in a rambow sweet itch hoody whenever she is out, and I have a lighter weight one (unbranded, but specifically designed for midges - the holes in the rug must be less than 1mm to prevent midges landinon horse skin) I really just have the indoor one as a bit of a breather for her skin, the rambow ones are very hardy and almost canvas like after wearing for a bit. Cant rate them enough though - they survive itchy pony on barbed wire remarkabley well.
I also use copious amounts of fly spray (dettol, with washing up liquid and water), but tbh I think the mnethol shampoo seems to deter them enough - I dont know if it is too slippy for them to stick or the smell it leaves, but she is currently bite free and has been for.... three weeks perhaps? Since whenever I started the shampoo - really impressed!! Although I see a difference in her itchyness if I dont wash it often enough, and also if I rug her when she is damp and stable her - when she is warm and damp she is really itchy -so towel her down.
I have found that the flakeyness it what makes her most itchy - I have been washing every other day with tesco anti-dandruff with menthol shampoo - and then combing through like you. Having now got the build up out, its just maintaining it - but she is definitley much less itchy - she is now going nights without any evidence of itching her bum
.I have her rugged in a rambow sweet itch hoody whenever she is out, and I have a lighter weight one (unbranded, but specifically designed for midges - the holes in the rug must be less than 1mm to prevent midges landinon horse skin) I really just have the indoor one as a bit of a breather for her skin, the rambow ones are very hardy and almost canvas like after wearing for a bit. Cant rate them enough though - they survive itchy pony on barbed wire remarkabley well
. I also use copious amounts of fly spray (dettol, with washing up liquid and water), but tbh I think the mnethol shampoo seems to deter them enough - I dont know if it is too slippy for them to stick or the smell it leaves, but she is currently bite free and has been for.... three weeks perhaps? Since whenever I started the shampoo - really impressed!! Although I see a difference in her itchyness if I dont wash it often enough, and also if I rug her when she is damp and stable her - when she is warm and damp she is really itchy -so towel her down.
Our sec a suffers very badly with sweet itch. I have managed to control it now though with the use of either a boett or rambo sweet itch hoody. I personally dont wash her mane / tail I just pop the rug on march time right through until november ( take off to give her a good brush but straight back on ).
Camrosa is very good for sores from rubbing, expensive I think but very good
Camrosa is very good for sores from rubbing, expensive I think but very good
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