What is sweet itch?

Question

My vet was out looking at my horse and i asked about these flakes of skin and the hair was coming off. He said that my horse was allergic to bugs. I thought it was rain rot but he said in couldn't be because of the location of it.It's on the back of his legs, on the inside of his legs, near his tail, and on his face. Is this sweet itch?

Answer 1

I have a mare that has allergies to the "noseeums".  She had no hair on her belly and she was always on the ground trying to scratch her belly. She had rubbed all of her mane. I have been bit the the little buggers and they hurt and I would get welts! The only thing I have found that has helped and believe me I have tried everything - from salves on her belly, to fly sprays, and fly sheets. My vet said she was allergic to the substance the flies inject when they bite. I was told that her immune system was probably not as strong as it could be and so I started using an immune builder.  I get my product from Blueridge Botanicals.  I also pulled her off Purina Equine Senior because I read the label and the by-products, etc. in it. The immune builder I am using is 100% natural and she loves it.  She has no problems from the flies this year.  I can't believe the difference.  We suffered from the the little "noseeums" for about 4 years!

Answer 2

Sweet itch is an allergic reaction to biting midges, which are so tiny you can't see them...but they can bite people as well, and the bites hurt.  The dermatitis they cause is very itchy and drives the horse nuts.  What your horse has could be that or something else, like lice.  There is a blood test to determine if it's midges...and hypersensitivity to the bites is familial (runs in families).  The treatment is mostly aimed at relieving the symptoms, and I think they are working on a vaccine, but I haven't read anything about it lately.  I'd ask the vet to do the blood test to be sure of what you're dealing with.

Answer 3

what kind of fly spray do you use? chemical? it will burn the hair

Answer 4

no its small little tick .

Answer 5

They also call it "sarcoptic mange", "Spanish Itch" etc.

Well if you're willing to try anything, here's a decades old remedy for it... Motor oil (New or used). Simply paint your horse/pony with it and it will kill the fungus/bugs. Leave it on at least a month and within 2 weeks of painting it on, you'll see new hair growing in hairless spots. What happens is, that it coats their little bug bodies and because bugs breathe through their skin, suffocates them...

I should state that you SHOULD either WASH your horse/pony with dawn or something else that will take the oil off IF you HAVE to ride before you put any tack on it.  IF you don't you WILL stain your tack and boots (I actually heard somebody did ride with it on their horse and it stained all their tack and their black boots turned brown)...  Thought that would be a no brainer.

Answer 6

**edit**  Sweet Itch will have a 'scurfy' look in the mane and tail region.  Almost like severe dandruff.  This is not rain rot.  Use a comb and loosen this stuff up and give a few baths to help get this out.  Daily combing and massaging to get it out and help his itch.  SWAT on his underbelly will help the midline itch and also around his sheath area.  Don't forget his inner legs.*****

My gelding had/has sweet itch.  I say has/had because if I don't take steps to prevent it he will have the itchies again.

The 'no-see-um' bugs (midges) dig in to the skin, biting and feasting.  The horse has an allergic reaction which causes severe itching that drives him crazy.  He will actually scratch the hair off his tail and his mane and at times his head and chest.  His belly is also targeted.

For him to rub his belly you will see him drop to the ground then raise up on his front legs, rubbing his belly back and forth on the ground (like dogs do at times).

These horses should never be turned out at dawn and then at dusk.  This is when the No-see-ums are active.

Keep your horse under a fan if possible during this time frame.  It's when the sun isn't so hot is when they come out but there is still some daylight.

Fly spray coverage DAILY is a must.  You should also rub this into his mane and tail.  (I use so much I can't afford the $ stuff so make my own).

A betadine/medicated/oatmeal bath will help his skin overcome the present damage.

For severe cases (I had severe) cortisone injections to help the itch for a month, til I got it under control.

He was so bad he rubbed the top 6 inches of his tail completely raw and half of his mane (I had to roach it in the end)

For a long time I had to keep a fly sheet on him til he got over it.  He also must keep a fly mask on.

If you want more info let me know.

I swear all three of my horses have come up with everything in the vet book to throw at me!

They are plotting against me I tell ya!

Answer 7

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=Swe...

There are a few sites on this search that talk about it

Answer 8

It could be rain scald (aka rain rot) but it doesn't sound like it. However, it doesn't sound much like sweet itch either. If you send me your email address I can email you my ebooklet, which is proving quite popular on here, that has a section on sweet itch. Also, if you describe your horse's symptoms further we may be able to offer more advice. The best thing to do would be to ring your vet and ask him to clarify what is wrong. -)

Answer 9

It's an allergic reaction to midge saliva. Makes them itch like crazy and makes a real mess of the skin and coat if you don't treat it.

Unfortunately those animals that are allergic also seem to be the ones that attract the blasted things.

I've never seen it on legs but I wouldn't be surprised  - ours gets it on his face, neck, shoulders, along his back and the top of his tail. They will scratch on anything available and literally tear the skin to try to get rid of the irritation and because of this it's also prone to infection. Not pleasant to look at and must be hellish for the poor horse.

Did your vet make any recommendations for it ?

Edit> http://www.snuggyhoods.com/uk/sweet-itch...

There are a number of treatments you can use - unfortunately many of them tend to involve either keeping the horse in at  the worst times ( which is not always possible) or using lotions that make him look even worse. you can buy rugs and fly sheets, feed additives or even talk to your vet about the feasibility of anti-histamine injections. It seems that there is no sure-fire way to deal with it - what works for one horse will not necessarily work for another.

If your horse does have this then I am sorry because it's something that's with him for life and will need constant monitoring.

Good Luck

Edit> scrub the broken skin areas with a good antiseptic/antibacterial (chlorhexidine etc) to avoid infection

Answer 10

My friend's horse has sweet itch...

Here is a link to a site with more info.

http://www.equisearch.com/horses_care/he...

Answer 11

I just want to add about the motor oil. It clearly states on the bottle NOT to have contact with skin. To rinse immediately!! Why on earth would you pour all over your horses!!!!!?????!!!!! BAD idea!!!! Listerine will work wonders!