Sweet itch is an allergic skin disease
affecting sensitive horses and ponies from the
bites of midges of the genus Culicoides. The
allergic reaction develops at the site of the bite,
and in the majority of cases skin lesions develop
on the mane and tail and middle of the back,
although sometime they are found under the belly,
ears and head.
You will find your horse or pony intensely
itching (called pruritus), which causes them to
rub on anything and creates sores, sometimes
with infection setting in. Control it can be a
problem, with your main efforts focused on
preventing the bites and treating the sores.
Research indicated that this problem my run
in families of horses showing the allergy.
Common Names for Sweet Itch (USA) are
Queensland Itch (Australia), Summer Eczema and
Seasonal Dermatitis. Culicoides flies,
which breed in wet land, rivers, lakes and
standing water are the cause of this irritation.
Symptoms include weeping blisters; crusting, scabs
and scaling; constant rubbing and biting; and
potentially hair loss and skin damage.
Left: Here you can see clearly the sores
caused by his scratching. There is little you
can do to stop it, we use fly
spray, treat the sore spots with a
hydrocortizone cream, and keep him out of the
pasture where this problem
first developed.
Right: You can see that the tail head is
missing some hair, and he has odd spots of missing
hair on his flanks, armpits, face and scattered
across his body.
Treatment
Your Vet may be able to use drugs (e.g.
corticosteroids) to control the problem, but good
insect control is your best defense.
 Stable
the horse from 4.00pm until 8.00 am.
Use
blankets, sheets, hoods to provide some
protection.
Apply
sponge on fly repellents often twice daily
application may be required.
Use
a very fine fly screen over the stable door.
Increase
airflow by using a fan in the stable.
Move
the horse away from wooded and wet areas.
|
