Sweet itch........ What is it and what can we do to help stop it?

Sweet Itch--- The most common skin allergy in horses.

So what is Sweet itch exactly?

Sweet itch is an allergic reaction which is caused by the protein in the saliva of  insects which bites them. This then causes the immune system to attack its own cells which then leads to an extreme reaction within the body. 

Sweet itch can affect all horses, ponies and donkeys and can be genetic. This means some horses are at an increased risk of developing the condition because it is in their history. So it is always best to ask breeders if there is a history of sweet itch as you then know you need to keep an eye on the horse and take more precautions.

But you can look out for the signs if you do not know the history. Horses, ponies and donkeys are most affected between March and November as this is when the biting insects are most active.
I tend to find them more active in March and April. 

The Signs you need to look out for -
So you can generally tell if your horse has sweet itch. They show lots of signs but the main one is continuous scratching to the base of the mane and tail. They also sometimes really itch their face. These are the main areas the horses bite so they get affected more.

But if they are bitten more on the belly and back and rump they will also rub this continuously as well. These are less common but are also a possibility. They tend to itch until they bleed and go down to the skin. They quite often have no hair left and it looks very sore and often crusty. You must try and treat it before it gets to this stage as it will get infected.

You also may need vet help as well, they can prescribe the best route to take in tackling your horses sweet itch. 

Sweet itch other issues - 

Sweet itch can also cause thickness to the skin. This can also then develop folds and dandruff areas. This can be very hard to keep clean. I used to find a good medicated shampoo wash every week in summer and every few weeks in winter helped.I was lucky in the fact that this went away quite quickly for me as i managed to get it under control very quickly. I would also sometimes use sudocrem applied thickly on the tail to keep away any flies from the area and help fight any infection that may be forming in the folds. This for me was the most problem area.

But always seek medical advice. I just knew this from years of experience. 

Also- 
Keep an eye on any changes of behaviour. Horses can sometimes get lethargic or agitated.

It can also affect your riding as they can become impatient and lack concentration. But i can empathise with this, have you ever been able to concentrate while you have a huge itch?? I know I cannot. 

It can also cause them to continuously head shake as they can hear flies around them. They know that the flies are causing the issue so they tend to try and get them away before they actually land. This in turn can make them react to the flies in a very quick and bold manner. You may think it them miss behaving but often it because they have linked the flies to pain so they want to get away from them as quickly as  they can. 

Prevention--Unfortunately, sweet itch has no amazing cure. You can only do small steps to help keep it calmer or try to prevent a huge flare up. 

• You can buy a good sweet itch or thicker fly rug. Buy the more well known brands. I brought a few cheap ones that tore very easily and did not stop flies at all. I very quickly regretted my options for this. So do your research into the better thicker ones. You can get very reasonably priced rugs that do a very good job. 
• Invest in good shampoos and creams. You can get some very good barrier creams and if needed you can buy steroid creams from your vet. I actually found child's farm shampoos very good for my horse. He reacted better to these ingredients.  But i also used and loved barrier anti-itch soothing shampoo and Lincoln itch horse neem shampoo. 
• I actually really liked the Lincoln neem shampoo it is a more plant based shampoo so i found it very kind to his skin. Lincoln Utilising the powerful properties of  natural ingredients so it is kind to the skin. It gently removes dirt, dust & grease which for me worked so so well as he was a very greasy horse. 
• If possible bring them in when it is dusk and dawn. This is when midget flies are most active. I always found it very useful to bring my horse in over night so he missed these times being out. It made controlling his sweet itch very easy. I never had a big break out and a loss of hair.
  
  Happy learning,
  Emma