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Original poster

Sweet Itch :(

31 replies

MANATEEequineOHARA · 03/06/2009 21:25

My Dartmoor pony's sweet itch has got so bad I am giving her away as I cannot sell her. But in the meantime my attempts to treat it are making me crazy.

She won't eat feed with supplements and won't keep a rug on, the cream that was being used on loan (she has just been returned to me only 6 weeks into the loan) obviously has not been working, so today I bought some spray with tea tree that is for sweet itch. I also picked up a sample of the global herbs stuff for sweet itch, but as usual she would not touch her feed with it in, I am in despair. It is really bad and getting worse. She gets so wound up if she is stabled for long, but maybe that is what will have to happen.

Any suggestions???

OP posts:
majca1 · 04/06/2009 02:35

Hi
Nettex Itch stop works for our Cob. This is a fly repellent, will help stop the Itching and also sooth and heal any sores. We also feed her Brewers Yeast Powder. She has had it all winter to help get it into her system. This helps deter the biting flies. So far her Sweet Itch is non-existent. If you have ever heard of feeding Marmite for sweet itch - brewers yeast is the main ingredient. Good luck

Original poster
MANATEEequineOHARA · 04/06/2009 20:07

Thank you! Will try these!

OP posts:
Nekabu · 05/06/2009 06:18

Have you tried a Boett rug? They are expensive but sweetitch owners have given them very good reviews.

Original poster
MANATEEequineOHARA · 05/06/2009 18:34

She wont keep a rug on! She has had about 5 bought for her, including turnout rugs before she ever had sweetitch (this has only started this year) and all trashed within a day, found in bits in the field VERY sigh.

majca1 what does of brewers yeast are you using? I bought some today but it is for humans so I am giving her 5x the dose, but have no idea really if this will be right!

She is also stabled now for the time being, her scratches are no longer scratches but awful grazes being itched and irratated continually, it is awful, so at least in a stable she is away from most midges, and scratching trees Hopefully I can get it under control, she is such a fun little pony and I just need to find her a good home where they can see that she is worth the effort.

OP posts:
Original poster
MANATEEequineOHARA · 05/06/2009 18:35

Dose not does!!!

OP posts:
majca1 · 06/06/2009 15:18

Hi
The dose is about 25g for every 450k of bodyweight. It works best if fed throughout the year but particularly if you have been feeding it all winter prior to the Sweet itch season. The vets are talking about a new product called Cavalesse this is a vitamin B based product. Brewers yeast is a natural source of vitamin B.

kormachameleon · 06/06/2009 15:28

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

majca1 · 06/06/2009 15:46

The Cream is Avon Skin So Soft.
It contains Benzyl benzoate I think thats the spelling. The army use it as a fly repellent.

Original poster
MANATEEequineOHARA · 06/06/2009 19:55

Ah yes, I did come accross this Avon stuff! I have bought some brewers yeast, but Diva (the pony!) is a bit of a stubborn moo, and as she won't eat feeds with ANYTHING added I am giving her brewers yeast tablets, and the dose therefore works out at at least 30 per day!!! I have just done that, not quite as bad as worming but a bit of a carry on for a daily thing! She dosen't seem to dislike them, just does not seem keen either!

I have also just ordered some 'pure gold' from the boett suppliers, apparantly midges don't bite through it, but maybe the avon stuff would have been cheaper! Well, either way I need to get it under control or no-one will have her! I am giving her away free to a (very) good home btw, if anyone is interested!

OP posts:
kormachameleon · 06/06/2009 21:54

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Pixel · 06/06/2009 21:59

Oh I wish I could afford to keep another one! I'd love a dartmoor for ds, they have always been among my favourites, and we don't have much of a sweet-itch problem round here. Seems a shame you have to give her away though .

If you are able to stable her I've read that it is very helpful if you can use a fan as the breeze stops the midges from being able to land. Not sure how you can manage this safely, I suppose it depends on your stable.

Also, when I used to have to give any powders or tablets to my old pony I used to make a thick treacle sandwich (slice of bread folded over) and put it in there, as he would always know if I put it in his feed. The sweetness made him wolf it down but it was also sticky enough that all the drugs didn't fall out as soon as he bit it. Don't know if that would be any help for your pony?

Original poster
MANATEEequineOHARA · 06/06/2009 22:18

She is a Dartmoor, 12.2hh, 8 years old. Dark brown in colour (really, not bay!) She is fab to handle and really fun to ride, but too stubborn for novice riders unless she is in company, in which case she is a perfect pony!

It is such a shame I am having to give her away, I would keep her if money were no object now she has sweet itch, and if she did not have it I would be selling her! I am rather pissed off, she was on loan and went with a perfect coat and came back with half a coat

I will try the treacle sandwich, I used to have to feed my gypsy cob with sandwiches when I first got her, she had been starved and had lived mostly on bread so I had to wean her off it as she would not eat normal feeds!

OP posts:
Original poster
MANATEEequineOHARA · 06/06/2009 22:20

Oh, and definitely no way I could safely use a fan in the stable, we don't have electricity there and even if we did I still can't imagine!

OP posts:
Pixel · 06/06/2009 23:09

No I thought that, it's just that old converted buildings (barns etc) sometimes have very high ledges or windowsills that would probably be safe enough if the fan was fixed down. A more modern-style stable would obviously be no good. No electricity is even more of a drawback .

majca1 · 07/06/2009 01:55

Hi MANATEE
google Nettex Brewers Yeast I'll send you some yeast

Original poster
MANATEEequineOHARA · 07/06/2009 13:29

Thanks, have ordered my sample

OP posts:
lubblyjubblies · 13/06/2009 08:01

I personally wouldn't stable a pony already manically itching. She will now have four solid walls with which to damage herself.
Whats your turnout like? As long as you are not in midgy, boggy area, cordon off a paddock with electric fencing . She cannot rub then, and the itch/scratch cycle will be broken, as long as you try minimise insect bites. I had a mare with terrible sweetitch and used sudocrem or a thick barrier cream on rubbed areas. A thick layer soothes and they dont get bitten through it either. I tried all the supplement type stuff, never worked. Forewarned and all that, the only thing which helped was to battle through the season, the go straight from turnout to 24/7 boett or similar. It can be minimised but once they are this bad its more a case of getting through to autumn and starting again.

alicecrail · 15/06/2009 09:33

We use a insect repellent called Switch that you put on every 7-10 days that was made (i believe) for sweetitch - it is amazing stuff. Quite expensive, but does work. You wouldn't want to put it on any sore patches though. It is very potent and it gets into the bloodstream (again, from what i believe, but would definitely google it)

LittleB · 15/06/2009 13:13

I used to have a new forest pony with sweet itch. We used the following which all helped although none ever cured it. She had benzly benzoate cream on the affected areas, garlic powder in her feed (found she'd eat it fine if I used a feed with mollasses in it), and epsom salts in her water. I also used fly repellant on her, and bathed her fairly often in fly repllent shampoo - had to do this as she would get really greasy from the treatments too. This was over 15yrs ago though so their might be better remedies now though. Its a depressing disease though.

Neddie · 15/06/2009 20:48

Equidermis is very good as a supplement and makes the coat very glossy and helps itching.
You say she didn't have it before which suggests the area she was taken to was very midgy- once they start itching it's hard to stop. We use a combo of fly rug and Nettex Itch Stop insect repellent.

Atiqa · 18/06/2009 10:49

we tried everything and nothing worked we are now using camarosa and it is having great results

Tiamat80 · 18/06/2009 16:36

Hi,
Whereabouts are you? I am looking for a pony for my girls, they are 11 and 7. I have worked with horses since I was 11(now 29) and owned before. would be a permanent home, have access to grazing already.

safaricaz · 24/05/2010 16:39

hi majca1

was reading your post on nettex brewers yeast, do you think this would work for a cob with itchy feathers? he doesnt have sweetitch just itchy legs which i have had loads of treatment on including skin scrapes, nothing showed up i have shaved his feathers of in the past and that made no difference.

Fluffyone · 24/05/2010 22:52

Re the itchy feathers, are you 100% sure it's not mites? Have you tried Frontline spray, or a Dectomax jab from your vet?
Re the sweetitch, I have a pony that can't be rugged. This year, I will report this with caution... he's doing well on Global Herbs Fly Free and home-made fly repellant. If he gets a rub I put Net-tex cream on it.
The home-made fly spray:
Normal size spray bottle
1/2 bottle Dettol
Fill with water, add a couple of drops of Tea Tree and spray away.
I have tried other things, including Switch, but this is the best so far. I have a feeling that Sweet Itch is different in different areas or on different ponies though. What seems to work for one sometimes doesn't work on another.

frostyfingers · 25/05/2010 09:16

I'll second the use of molasses as a way of getting meds down. My TB is having bute as pain relief for sarcoid treatment and is hugely suspicious of everything that's put in front of him.

I put a small blob at the bottom of the bowl, then his mix, bit of water and the bute - carefully mix it together without getting the molasses all over it, then mix again with grated carrot. It means that when he gets to the bottom any bute that has slipped through is in the molasses and he licks that up. It's a real performance, but has worked.

The vet suggested icing sugar (didn't work), powdered custart (didn't try it), and sugar beet (didn't work) as other ways of getting it down.