Shannon's Itichy Horse

[Joane Pappas White <Lyoness@Castlenet.com>]

Hi Shannon,

First remember that I am not a vet. I was hoping some of our Ridecamp
vets would have jumped it by now. I have been doing a lot of research on
our herbal remedies and when I read your post, I remembered several
articles I have read recently on skin disorders in horses.  

Here in Utah, our lack of humidity probably saves us from some of the
problems that those of you in hot, humid and more insect prone area see
in your horses. 

I remembered an article on Sweet Itch which sounded a lot like your
description.  It was on the following website under Sweet Itch but the
site contains ton of information on various equine skin disorders which
will interest (and probably scare you to death).

 (http://horses.about.com/pets/horses/cs/equineskineye)



Here is the clip on Sweet Itch:

Sweet Itch
Summer Eczema or Summer Seasonal Recurrent Dermatitis, known
commonly as Sweet Itch, is believed to be caused by an allergic
reaction to the saliva of Culicoides, a biting insect of which there
are more than 50 different species, known as midges, gnats or "no
see'ums". In Australia, it is called Queensland Itch. 

Culicoides are active in the morning and early evening hours
throughout the months of March through October, although in mild
winter years their activity, and the consequent misery they cause to
affected animals, can go on all year. 

Thousands of horses throughout the world suffer from this allergy, which
is caused by the bite of the female Culicoides, usually along
the crest, the dock and belly. The affected areas are covered with
small pustules with serum oozing from them, which dries to a crust.
The intense itching they create causes the affected horse to scratch,
often to the point of bleeding. As the horse continues to rub, the hair
is lost and scabs form and the skin takes on a scaly appearance.
Continued scratching can allow infection to set in. 

Although any horse can be affected with this allergy, ponies, cobs
and Icelandic horses seem to be particularly prone. There are a
number of treatments available, such as Sweet Itch Lotion, by Day
Son & Hewitt, which can alleviate the itching, and fly sprays which
repel the insects will help too. Keeping the horse in a stable during
the early morning and dusk hours may give them some relief from
the insects. 

Boett AB, a Swedish company, has been marketing the Sweet Itch
Rug since 1989. This rug protects horses from both the biting
insects and the sun. 

ItchBase 

ItchBase is an excellent Web site maintained by Christoph
Bouthillier, who is based in the Netherlands. It includes facts and
information about Sweet Itch (in English, German and Dutch) as
well as a searchable database, which at time of writing contained 82
separate records. You are invited to add your own record by
completing a questionaire and assist in building a comprehensive
database about Sweet Itch, the types of horses it affects, treatments
that work, etc. The site also includes photographs of horses affected
by Sweet Itch and the Boett "Pyjama" in action. 

Once a horse has developed an allergy to the saliva of the female
Culicoides, the allergy will remain with them the rest of their lives,
making treatment a long term commitment for owners. This is the
reason that ItchBase is such a useful site as it provides owners with
a source of information and consolation. 



Shannon,  Particularly look at the ItchBase site mentioned at the end as
it allows you share direct information with other affected horse owners.

I tried to capture the hypertext on ItchBase for you but don't know if
this is right:
http://horses.about.com/pets/horses/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http://www.tekstotaal.com/itchinfo.html

If not, email me privately and I'll try and reconstruct my websearch
with you as I'm sure this is more than most people ever want to know
about itchy horses.

Joane and the Herd
Lyoness@Castlenet.com