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Post by magicofhorses on Jan 9, 2012 23:12:07 GMT 1
Hello everyone. Just looking for some thoughts and experciences. I have a clients horse who was believed to suffer from sweet itch during the summer but is still incredibly itchy even now. The horse is out unrugged and has a White flaky appearance to the skin - she is very itchy on the neck and understandably this adds to her occasional bolshy behaviour in an attempt to itch herself on you!
The owner wondered whther her horse might be suffering from mites (she has tried pig oil and sulpher to not much effect) but as I don't have much experience with mites I thought I'd ask you lovely lot!
Any ideas anyone?
Thanks
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big e
Grand Prix Poster
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Post by big e on Jan 9, 2012 23:27:17 GMT 1
Could be lice or just getting sweaty in this mild weather or midges. I have 2 with sweet itch both have big white flakes at the tops of their tails and base of their manes  but are not rubbing much  |
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Post by kizi on Jan 10, 2012 0:38:20 GMT 1
I have a SI pony that scratches all year pretty much! There are several midges that can cause it. The common one is culicodis (sp?) which usually affects mane/tail area but my pony is not allergic to those he is allergic to other ones which I forget name of that affect his face/rump/legs and sheath. He has a full beautiful mane! It took several allergy tests to determine that
BUT, those tests also highlighted several other allergies, the ones I can remember were oats, barley, ash trees and rye! When all those are illuminated he does not even need a fly rug......I dunno but it works!
I do also have a hairy pony who I have only 4 months who is also as you describe, I have tried every treatment for everything, anti fungal baths, immune boosters, sweet itch feed additives all to no avail. I put him on grass and chaff diet and he has improved 90% in the past 6 weeks as well as living out 24/7
He was also VERY wet and dirty in his stable when in over night and I decided an allergy was a possibility. Also had the bargy behaviour to scratch and loves nothing more that a hard groom by 2 people with curry combs for hours literally, all that has improved.
So maybe diet??? Detox??? Global herbs do a product called scratch or I think also skin something, that helped a little before I went on the detox route....
Good luck with it, it's distressing when they are uncomfortable in their body.....
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Post by kizi on Jan 10, 2012 0:39:25 GMT 1
I have a SI pony that scratches all year pretty much! There are several midges that can cause it. The common one is culicodis (sp?) which usually affects mane/tail area but my pony is not allergic to those he is allergic to other ones which I forget name of that affect his face/rump/legs and sheath. He has a full beautiful mane! It took several allergy tests to determine that
BUT, those tests also highlighted several other allergies, the ones I can remember were oats, barley, ash trees and rye! When all those are illuminated he does not even need a fly rug......I dunno but it works!
I do also have a hairy pony who I have only 4 months who is also as you describe, I have tried every treatment for everything, anti fungal baths, immune boosters, sweet itch feed additives all to no avail. I put him on grass and chaff diet and he has improved 90% in the past 6 weeks as well as living out 24/7
He was also VERY wet and dirty in his stable when in over night and I decided an allergy was a possibility. Also had the bargy behaviour to scratch and loves nothing more that a hard groom by 2 people with curry combs for hours literally, all that has improved.
So maybe diet??? Detox??? Global herbs do a product called scratch or I think also skin something, that helped a little before I went on the detox route....
Good luck with it, it's distressing when they are uncomfortable in their body.....
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Post by kizi on Jan 10, 2012 0:40:03 GMT 1
Sorry for double post, it said it failed!!! Cannot delete on mobile!
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mel16
Intermediate Poster
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Post by mel16 on Jan 10, 2012 0:50:19 GMT 1
There was astudy on the beneficial effects of feeding whole linseed for sweet itch www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC227015/ the oil doesn't have such an effect. I have been feeding linseed to my boy for the last year and his coat and skin is in fabulous condition, before this he suffered with horrid scurfy, dandruffy condition, not sweet itch but itchy all the same. I get mine from charnwood milling and during the summer he gets a mug a day and thru the winter 2 mugs |
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Post by jill on Jan 10, 2012 8:56:25 GMT 1
Have you wormed with Ivermectin recently? That gets rid of some skin parasites as well as internal ones, or alternatively has your (their)vet taken a skin scraping and checked for parasites under the skin? Unlikely to be flying insects at this time of year, although not impossible with the mild weather we have had. Did she itch as much last year in the very cold weather we had?
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Post by nich on Jan 10, 2012 9:14:09 GMT 1
er, my horse srtarted sweet itch symptoms after Christmas, temperatures went up to 12 degrees, and no night frosts for weeks. I have put a snuggy hood under her T/O to limit bites, but she rubbed a rug rack off the outside of her stable, and 2 bald spots on her face. I have also seen the midges, so my evidence says yes you can get SI at this time of year. Brio was completely clear of it for months during the great freeze last winter.
thanks for the reseach on milled vs oil linseed, I will switch back to the milled straightaway, I've been using just the oil for months as it's easier to store (not attractive to rats!) and less bulky to feed.
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Post by penny70 on Jan 10, 2012 11:59:33 GMT 1
Mine has never suffered from sweetitch, and recently started itching madly on his forehead and along his crest. Realised that this coincided with very mild weather and very hairy winter coat...think he just gets sweaty under his mane and forelock, then gets itchy...are you sure it's not just sweaty pony? Mouse has stopped the itching since it got wetter, and therefore cooler...
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Post by antares on Jan 10, 2012 14:02:33 GMT 1
I have been applying fly spray all week to my boys - we do live in a boggy/wet area and the midges are about on a daily basis!
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Post by mjcssjw2 on Jan 10, 2012 20:14:20 GMT 1
my horse has some allergies, that usually start feb to march is with the tree pollen I thought, however with the mild winter I have been watching him for the last few days, rubbing his nose and shaking his head! don't know if the trees are starting to bud but I have certainly seen the spring flowers popping there heads up even in very hilly areas! was thinking its time for the antihistamines. I have never tried the linseed, didn't know it helped. so there is something else to try.
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Post by Spirit of Wales on Jan 10, 2012 20:34:56 GMT 1
I have used a product called 'Ruggle-it' which is an oil and shampoo pack and have found it to be very good on mites including feather mites, lices, scabs/scaly skin, itchy skin, etc. It certainly worked on my heavily feathered cob. Can be purchased from: www.karenruggles.co.uk |
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Post by anastasia55555 on Jan 11, 2012 2:54:16 GMT 1
Noticed Tiny our Exmoor has been rubbing his tail this week :-( he suffers with SI. Blinking midges :-(
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calekio
Grand Prix Poster
Posts: 1,235
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Post by calekio on Jan 11, 2012 8:34:04 GMT 1
The midges are back out... i've seen them already.. so far my 2 severe sweet itch ponies aren't itching which is good as i find if i put there boett's on with the thick shetland coat it make the coat go funny and rubs (i have to clip them in the spring anyway) but i do think at the moment the thick coat is helping to keep the midges away from the skin.
I'll also add that high sugar level in feed makes my guys worse.. like mollichaff... low starch but high sugar and sends them nuts.
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Post by marsayy on Jan 11, 2012 10:45:11 GMT 1
Sudacrem really soothes the itch an helps heal any scabs  |
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but are not rubbing much 
