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RE: [RC] Sweet itch - Susan E. GarlinghouseI'd put him onto some IV dex and a few weeks of oral prednisone to break the itching cycle and allow the lesions to heal, and give the fly repellents a chance to work. Adding some flax seed to his ration might also be helpful, it works for some, not for others. In either case, it sounds like he needs some meds to help keep him comfy while he heals up a bit. Susan Garlinghouse, DVM -----Original Message----- From: ridecamp-owner@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:ridecamp-owner@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of JL Thompson Sent: Thursday, August 12, 2004 9:28 AM To: ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: [RC] Sweet itch Saw the other post re: lost manes, possibly due to sweet itch, and it reminded me that I've been wanting to ask about this subject. My 10 year old gelding, Shahtahr, has been struck with the itchies this year. I've only had him two years, but he didn't have near the reaction to bugs last year as he is this year. Could be location, since I moved him from Santa Barbara to Sunland, CA. Also, he has been confined to a small pipe corral due to injury for the past 4 months, instead of being turned out 24/7. Don't know if this is adding to the problem or not. Anyway, I'm guessing by his symptoms that he has fly and/or midge allergies, AKA "sweet itch". I've tried two kinds of fly sprays (Flysect Super 7 and Tri-Tech) and DEET (as in "Off" for humans) with only marginal results. The poor guy is miserable. He gets down on the ground to scratch his belly raw, and the dock of his tail looks terrible. His sheath, thighs, and belly are going bald and flaking, with bumps and some open sores. Also a few between his forelegs and on his chest. He rubs and scratches on anything he can find. Does anybody know of something that works? The only luck I've had is liberal coating with SWAT ointment - like 1/2 jar each application!!, but it is terribly messy and expensive! Any suggestions? Thanks, Jennifer =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp Ride Long and Ride Safe!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp Ride Long and Ride Safe!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
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