Hi Dolly; We have a TB gelding here that does just as you
explained...laying on the ground to itch his poor belly. The Noseeums have
plagued us for a couple years. I have one mare that gets very affected in her
ears, and another mare who gets terribly itchy on her belly, tail, and crest.
Last year she rubbed off a footlong mane in one day, and then rubbed her neck so
hard that she sloughed skin for about a square foot patch. She did it when
I was at work and I came home and found her bald . Acccch! I am
figuring that that could just put any notion of distance riding with her to a
dead halt, since it is so disabling. This is a all consuming daily problem for
me at times.
We went on-line and found a remedy from Dr. Matthew Mckay smith for sweet
itch. It is a oily solution with Avon skin so soft, baby oil,
hydrocortisone cream, benadryl cream,...I think that's it. Its online. The
problem with that is , it is so oily that it makes a major mess with their fur
and mane. Gross. Its pretty good on the belly, sheath and udder though.
BUT.....! I think I have a better solution, which may be difficult for
anyone to duplicate. I have been spraying the horses with fly spray daily
on their trouble area. I have got fly sheets...a blanket and neck cover.
The part that will be hard to duplicate is this. SILVASORB
GEL. I get it at the hospital. It is similar to Silvadene cream
which is used for the treatment of burns. It is antibacterial, and soothing, it
contains Silver, so it is expensive. I think it is $50 for a tube. Believe it or
not, people throw it away when they go home, or if they don't want it anymore. I
go "dumpster diving", and yeah, I have permission. I don't think it is
prescription, the nurses just get it to treat wounds. I put it onto my
mares dock of her tail, and it forms a barrier. When it dried it is like rubber
cement or something...it is rubbery and thick and grey. I just leave it there
for a while. No bugs can get through it. It doesn't hurt when you put it on. It
is nice. I also give her Benadryl when she gets to acting itchy.
When I see the tail and mane fluffing up, I give her 150 mg of Benadryl in
applesauce. Now her mane is grown back about 4 inches so we are making
progress. But I think that once they are sensitive to those bugs, they just need
a bug or two to bite them, and they are itching again. The scratching is the
damaging part.
