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Member
Posts: 46
| Ok, all, I need your help.
I have a mare that I've owned for 8+ years that is overcome with sweet itch. Three years ago, I moved her from North MS towards the coast (4 hours south) and now she's miserable through the summer. The first year was minimal, second year was a little worse but still partially controlled by fly sprays and her fly sheet. Well now she's showing signs of severe allergy attacks and she's due to foal in April, so steroids are out of the question. She's already rubbed hair off of her tail and has scabs along her belly where she's been scrubbing herself on the ground. Already rubbed mane out and scabs are popping up across her back and withers. She literally scrubs herself until she bleeds.
Local vets have nothing to offer, and we've had the mildest recorded winter in decades. We've had less than 10 freezing days (sporadically spaced out), so we're expecting mosquitoes and gnats to be awful! Please tell me what works for you and your itchy horse!
So far I've tried:
every fly spray known to mankind
fly sheet (she's in one now, but won't be able to stand it long, south MS gets HOTTTT)
fan in stall (she prefers to be out and it's always a battle to get her to settle in the stall)
listerine/skin so soft/ over the counter deterrents
medicated baths
Any thing else I can try to keep her comfortable until she foals? This will be her first foal, so I'm already nervous for her... I don't want her allergy to impact her foaling experience and make her that much more uncomfortable.
I should add that the other mares have absolutely NO issues whatsoever.
Thanks for any advice!
Edited by Mhlett8029 2017-02-28 11:14 AM
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Gettin Jiggy Wit It
Posts: 2734
  
| I know this isn't a quick fix but can you try Allergen Immunotherapy? They do have skin allergy testing for horses which is more accurate then the blood serum test. The only thing is the horse may have to stay over at the clinic to be watched for any responses. The blood serum test may work to though. I've read and been told that allergy shots don't work very well for respiratory allergies but they are 70% effective for skin allergies. It might be worth looking into. I assune you will have to try a different vet then who you are using now since they may not do it? Only other option is dexamethasone but obviously thats not really an option since shes in foal. I feel for you. I had a mustang cross mare that had sweet itch. She would literally suffer during the summer. It was very hard to watch. I eventually got rid of her and gave her to a family that didn't live near woods and a river like I did. |
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  Sock eating dog owner
Posts: 4553
Location: Where the pavement ends and the West begins Utah | apple cider vinegar and or vitamin e /liquid inside and out, add pineapple juice to her grain and or papaya. Increase her vitamin c intake. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 762
Location: NC | WetSaddleBlankets - 2017-02-27 8:41 PM
I know this isn't a quick fix but can you try Allergen Immunotherapy? They do have skin allergy testing for horses which is more accurate then the blood serum test. The only thing is the horse may have to stay over at the clinic to be watched for any responses. The blood serum test may work to though. I've read and been told that allergy shots don't work very well for respiratory allergies but they are 70% effective for skin allergies. It might be worth looking into. I assune you will have to try a different vet then who you are using now since they may not do it? Only other option is dexamethasone but obviously thats not really an option since shes in foal. I feel for you. I had a mustang cross mare that had sweet itch. She would literally suffer during the summer. It was very hard to watch. I eventually got rid of her and gave her to a family that didn't live near woods and a river like I did. n
Ill second the allergen testing. I have a friend who thought for years her horse had sweet itch and tried everything. He lived in his bug sheet and fans. Was miserable as well. Finally had his allergy tested and found out what he was allergic too (different grasses and a few other things, NOT bugs) She started him on allergy shots and this is the first years hes been able to be without his sheet and keep his mane/tail |
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 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 599
| I put my horse on Omega Horseshine (along with a spray from the vet). The Horseshine wasn't a QUICK fix, but definitely was a fix for him. |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 639
Location: God's country...aka TEXAS | Mega oil by oxygen. Its only $35 for a month supply. |
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 A Somebody to Everybody
Posts: 41354
 
Location: Under The Big Sky Of Texas | dRowe - 2017-02-27 9:46 PM I put my horse on Omega Horseshine (along with a spray from the vet). The Horseshine wasn't a QUICK fix, but definitely was a fix for him.
This^^^ I would be trying a good supplement.. |
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 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 425
Location: California | I've heard a ton of great things about "that blue stuff". I haven't had the chance to try it personally though |
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Go Get Em!
Posts: 13503
Location: OH. IO | I've also hear skin so soft by Avon...Spray on.and feeding lots of garlic will help. |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 1035
Location: TN | ccarpe18 - 2017-02-28 10:04 AM
I've heard a ton of great things about "that blue stuff". I haven't had the chance to try it personally though
One of my horses has sensitive skin and is especially bothered by insects in the spring and summer so I've wondered about trying that blue stuff also. |
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 Veteran
Posts: 129
Location: South | I had one last year. It was absolutely terrible! I ended up having to put her on Prednisone tablets for about 20days. That was my last resort, I kept vetting her and he finally told me to do that and it worked. She hasn't done it since, I figure it was something in the air that particular year. I was able to use MTG on her spots to help relief her some. My Vet also recommend I deworm her too thinking it was parasite based, but that was a fail. |
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Member
Posts: 46
| Thanks, everyone! I'll definitely get her allergy tested and do some more work on finding her a topical treatment that will give her some relief. I appreciate the help! |
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 Money Eating Baggage Owner
Posts: 9586
Location: Phoenix | Southtxponygirl - 2017-02-28 7:37 AM dRowe - 2017-02-27 9:46 PM I put my horse on Omega Horseshine (along with a spray from the vet). The Horseshine wasn't a QUICK fix, but definitely was a fix for him. This^^^ I would be trying a good supplement..
Mine rubbed a hole in his neck one summer. I put him on platinum performance for a year and the next summer was definitely better. Still rubbed but it wasn't as bad. I quit feeding it as I felt he was getting enough nutrition. We'll see how he does. I bought some omega horseshine but seemed to go thru it really fast!! |
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| All kidding aside ...race horses picked up something
after traveling to race tracks for training races or for
real races and came home with something we named
... race track itches ..
No methods from vets or trainers all over Oklahoma
could identify the source or had a clue how to kill it
after many tries using anything and everything you
can name ... NOTHING ..
Then some unknown idiot decided to give a couple of
horses 5 straight days of full tubes of ivermectin and
at the same time smearing ivermectin on and around
the itchy spots. The horses got some relief and over
the 5 days almost stopped trying to rub the stalls down.
Idiot continued to smear Ivermectin on the spots that
were decreasing in size and less itching ... in about 15- 20 days
horses were no longer itching and spots were no
longer irritated ...
Meanwhile they were busy washing blankets, saddle pads
and all equipment with soap and water and spraying stall
walls down with 20% bleach and water and letting it dry
before horses were allowed back in.
They also sprayed/misted all pads, blankets, girths with a
20% mixture of Listerine and water for the killing affect of
the aseptic qualities of the mouth wash and let it dry ... and
then rinsed and let dry in the sun ..
And all poop piles and barn alleyways were sprayed with
permectrin ll which is a good horse fly spray to kill any
unseen gnats. At various times we all have seen a million
gnats on a fresh pile of poop or around your manure piles
from stall cleaning ... this was done to take these items
off the list ..
The itches was rampant one year ... cleared up for a year
and a half and returned after having horses on the tracks
and the same techniques were used above and the itches
have not returned the past two years ....
This brought up the subject of horses coming from far
south Tx, NM and AZ to Okla tracks were bringing in something
and sharing it with local horses .. nothing was ever proved but
common sense said it was happening ..
As you know sweet itch and scratches is the same thing caused
by some type of gnat /widget /no see'm biting a horse and any
mild scrape they have or rubbing because they can't get to where
they actually itch creates a case of sweet itch in those spots.
This information was shared among race horse trainers by word
of mouth and it worked and got their horses back on the tracks .
.. vets were amazed and the general consensus was .. it was
either gnat bites with maybe eggs equals skin larvae or a
weird case of immune hair worms creating the itches ... due
to the ivermectin being effective all felt like whatever the
cause .. it was alive and sucking blood that got rid of it and
it took time for the irritations to heal and hair growth to happen.
The sterilization of stalls and equipment kept it from lying in
a dormant stage and re infecting the horses immediately ...
The doubters that took short cuts finally did the full routine
and finally got rid of the itches on their horses ...
Check with your vets on this information that worked when
no one had an answer ... on what to do ...
Edited by BARRELHORSE USA 2017-03-02 5:10 AM
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 Horsey Gene Carrier
Posts: 1888
Location: LaBelle, Florida | I agree with the worming just mentioned. I also have a mare with sensitive skin.
She is stalled during the day (SW Fla) with fans and bug 2 bug misters in her 10 x 20 stall, bug misters through out the barn area. I did try the cortisone shot last year, won't do that again. She ended up with a deep abscess after never having a reaction to an injection before. I also, try to hose her off every couple days during itch season.
She seams to have a reaction to the no seeums here.
I also feed garlic (which did seam to help). |
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Veteran
Posts: 286
| OHS was the only thing that helped my horse too. He completely stopped itching. I wish it hadn't take me years, and a new vet, to help me find relief for him. |
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