Sweet Itch
From as early as March through to October the Culicoides specie of Midge are breeding and this only means one thing for certain horses and that is Sweet Itch or Summer Seasonal Recurrent Dermatitis.
Sweet Itch is an allergic skin disease caused by a reaction to the saliva in a Cullicoides midge bite. The bite will cause an isolated irritation in the skin, the horse will then self inflict damage to him trying to rub the irritated areas.
Sweet Itch can affect any horse or pony, although normally symptoms start to show between the ages of 1 and 5 years of age.
Signs of the disease are, severe itching and rubbing against trees, fences etc which will cause hair loss; swishing of tail; frequently rolling; flaky dandruff; skin thickening; weeping sores or dried yellow crusts. Often the affected areas are the mane and top of tail, although in worse cases this can include the forelock, ears, neck, withers and even sides of the belly or legs.
Once a horse has Sweet Itch there is no cure and will occur every year so the welfare and comfort of a horse with Sweet Itch is down to the owner’s management of the condition.
There are several steps that can be taken to help minimise the effect on the horse they are:
Minimise midge attacks by
Avoiding marshy or boggy fields; Don’t put the horse in a field or stable near rotting vegetation such as a muck heap or old hay feeding areas; Don’t leave the horse in the field during peak feeding time for midges (1 hour before and after sunrise and sunset), at this time stable the horse closing all doors and windows or use fine mesh screens. (stabling horses is only advisable in mild/moderate cases as horses with more severe sweet itch can self damage on stable walls. Horses with severe sweet itch should not be stabled and other management methods used.); use commercially available sheets and hoods when horse is turned out; clean water troughs regularly to prevent flies breeding in this area.
Kill flies that attack the horse by using
Insect repellents such as DEET; Insecticides containing Benzyl benzoate can be used every day (Kill Itch by Carr Day & Martin) however insecticides containing pyrethrins or pyrethroids last longer but are only available from vets (Switch by Day, Son and Hewitt).
Anti-allergy treatment to minimise allergic reaction by
Using Corticosteroids or Anti-histamines, only available from your vet.
For more information or advise on Sweet Itch visit http://www.sweet-itch.co.uk/ or speak to your equine vet.
N.B Sweet Itch is classed by vets as a reportable condition and must be disclosed to a prospective purchaser before the sale.
Tags: equine, Horse Care, horse health, Horses
