[mustang mad]

Help Rusty has extremly bad sweet ithch and hes never had it before he has to have antibiotics every day and can not go out in the field he has huge lumps which over night burst and loads of this ***** stuff comes out the vet confirmed its sweet itch but hes doin all he can any tips for helpin it go away

[cassidy]

there are ointments you can get an also they say if its in the mane hogging them can also help

an a rug can also help them to!

[mustang mad]

well hes alredy got ointments and powder supplements in his food and at the mom hes wearin a full body rug
and he gets fed a bit of garlic powder in his food as welll do u no any thin else thx 4 the advice though

[cassidy]

what rug is he wearing as heat can make them real itchy!

[SammyDoodle]

If it is really really bad the vet can give him corticosteroids -this is a bit of a last resort tho and dont use them if your horse has any history of laminitis

You can get special rugs for sweet itch so that your horse can have turnout - Rambo makes a good one

I have tried lots of ointments on Sam for his tail. The only thing I have found to work well is to apply vaseline daily - it is very messy however and I need to wash his tail at least once a week to get all the old gunk out

[mustang mad]

the rug he has is a maxi flow combo its a full body rug and is extermly cool and light

[harli36]

This is a reply of mine to an old thread that I made but it is still relevant so I'm just cutting and pasting....

. It is caused when a horse has an allergic reaction to the saliva of a culicoid midge...basically a type of fly that looks like this...

Just like in people when a horse gets an allergic reaction their skin gets itchy. The horse will then rub his skin and fur off trying to satisfy the itch. This is a very debilitating disease and needs to be dealt with BEFORE the horse goes bald. The best ways to deal with the disease is pest management. If the midges can still get at your horse than your horse is still going to have the allergic reaction. Some ways to manage the problem are...

Remove standing water, flys can't live or breed without water. Make sure the horse is stabled at dawn and dusk when the midges are most active. Keep a fan on your horse as much as possible, the flies can't fly through strong wind currents. Keeping oil/grease on the horses affected areas will prevent the fly's from landing on the bothered areas. All of these things will help keep the problem under control but the single best way to managing the problem is with fly blankets(with neck attachments) and fly masks(with ear coverage). The more area of the horse you can cover up the more comfortable he will be....


Since the problem is also an immune system problem(any time there is an allergy to something the immune system is working too hard) a vet can prescribe medicines that will depress the immune system.

Here is an EXCELLENT website describing the symptoms, causes and management of sweet itch. I strongly suggest you check it out. The pic's I provided came from there and they kind of push the fly blanket they sell but regular fly blankets helped our horse immensely without the extra $.

http://www.sweet-itch.co.uk/index.html

A rug they are too heavy and will only make the area itch more. You really should invest in a fly blanket. Best of luck!

[SammyDoodle]

Here is the Rambo one I was talking about and some "blurb" from the website:



A new rug specifically designed to alleviate the problem of Sweet Itch.
• Can help reduce the effects of sweet itch in 85% of cases
• Offers complete coverage from head to tail
• Features Horseware’s revolutionary Rambo Leg Arches™ and third surcingle
• Super tough, 1000 denier Polyester
• Offers excellent UV protection

With summer just around the corner, for many the battle with Sweetitch is a dreaded consequence of finer weather. But now Horseware is here to help!

The Rambo Sweetitch is made from tough 1000 Denier Polyester, making it extremely durable yet fully breathable throughout the summer months. It incorporates a silky mane & shoulder liner and Horseware’s revolutionary Rambo Leg Arches™ and third surcingle - this allows the rug to wrap around for added coverage. With a Fully integrated neck cover and Super Size Tail Flap the Rambo Sweetitch Hoody offers complete head to tail protection from biting insects.

WE RECOMMEND THAT YOU USE THE RAMBO FLYMASK OR A FIELD SAFE HEADCOLLAR TO SECURE THE HEAD PIECE TO PREVENT SLIPPAGE.

[mustang mad]

thz alot every one

[spyro1]

Excellent advice guys!!!!

When I bought Moose in Dec, I was told that he had it too. His hair was thin in a few spots, half of his mane, the dock of his tail and the front of his chest.
I know I sound like a broken record, but here it is again: http://www.calmcoat.com
There is also another product very similar that does work as well called Derma-Calm. I bathed Moose with Nutragena T-Gel once per week, and applied the calm coat on his irritated areas. This stuff is wonderful becuase it also repels the nasty critters that get all this itching started in the first place. I fly spray at least twice per day, when I feed am and pm. I use Wipe and add Skin so Soft to it. I keep a fly sheet on him, as well as a fly mask. Fan is on too. I do agree with harli, once you get it under control, it is WAY easier to keep on top of it. I got Moose cleared up while it was cool out, and so far, knock on wood, he is doing great with my preventitive maintance. I also feed him garlic and ground flax seed.