ways to treat sweet itch in horses
loss, sores and thickened skin. However, as there is a wide range in severity between different individuals and because the same itching can also be caused by other things that aren’t biting midges; your vet might recommend further testing to try and narrow down the cause of your horse’s pruritus, before putting it down to sweet itch.
How can we treat sweet itch?
The condition can be frustrating to manage and requires a few different angles of attack.
- It’s key to prevent the bugs from biting, as much as is feasibly possible. It can help to limit turnout during the times that the midges are most active (dawn and dusk)
- Using fly repellents, full-coverage fly rugs and face masks can all help too.
- It’s also a good idea to make sure to avoid your horse being in areas of the paddock that may become waterlogged. Or where there are stationary pools of water like ponds and so on. As this is where the offending insects like to breed.
Controlling the itch is the next step.
- There are a variety of soothing creams and shampoos available. These can help to calm the inflamed and itchy areas of skin.
- For horses that are more severely affected, antihistamines or other medications like steroids can help to reduce the intense itching and make them more comfortable. Steroids are generally very effective but come with their risks, so it’s important to assess each horse or pony for whether they are really necessary.
- A newer substance called nicotinamide (a type of vitamin B) can also help to manage the itching in affected horses.
Whatever the plan of attack, it’s important to be consistent in trying to minimise access to the horse by midges and to start preventative measures before the midge season really begins, in order to try and minimise the negative impact of this bothersome condition on your horse. If you think your horse might be suffering from sweet itch, it’s a good idea to get in touch with your vet and see what they may recommend to help minimise the negative impact of this annoying condition.
