DESCRIPTION:

Sweet itch is a common condition that occurs worldwide and is known by a number of names depending on the Geographical location. Some others names are: Culicoides Hypersensitivity, Summer Dermatitis or Summer Eczema.

Sweet itch is an allergic reaction to the bite of the female Culicoides midge (Culicoides Pulcaris, in the uk)

The midges are avid blood suckers and will bite specific regions of the body, commonly the mane and tail areas (but may also affect other areas). When they bite they inject a small amount of saliva into the skin which causes a hypersensitivity reaction which causes itching, rubbing and irritation. The way each individual horse reacts varies, some horses can show intense irritation, rubbing on anything they can, and very often causing themselves and their surroundings considerable damage, whilst others seem to show few symptoms with only slight rubbing. The most severely affected will have lesions on the sides of their body, neck, legs and face. After a time the skin becomes thickened as a result of the continual rubbing.

MANAGEMENT:

Environment

If your horse/pony is showing signs of Sweet itch, it is very important to look at the environment he is kept in.

Culicoides midges thrive in areas close to water, in damp regions where there is decaying vegetation (ponds, lakes, rivers, forests, woods, marshland etc)

The midges are most active on humid/damp days and when the air is calm and they are most likely to appear at dawn and dusk.

The midges are most usually only present between April and October, but with climatic changes this period seems to be extending at either end of the season, so start looking for signs as early as February.

Try to avoid turning horses out at the midges most active times, keep affected horses away from ponds/woods etc where possible. Use a fly sheet to help prevent the midges from reaching the skin.

Control of symptoms by the use of topical or internal aromatic plant substances

It is interesting that Native ponies when living in the wild do not seem to suffer from Sweet itch – so why is this? Horses and ponies living in their natural wild state would roam for up to 16 hours a day grazing freely over a large area. This means that they have access to a large variety of natural plants which contain medicinal compounds, they therefore have the ability to treat themselves and self-medicate.

Today, by necessity,  horses are generally kept in a controlled environment where they no longer have access to the plants needed to self-medicate. Through our Animal Aromatics brand we have worked extensively with the use of plant compounds to treat the symptoms of sweet itch – effectively making available what horses and ponies would choose to self-medicate if they were still living in a natural habitat.

The Animal Aromatics Sweet itch lotion is based on a combination of plant extracts that we have found to be effective in the control of Sweet itch. The lotion is designed to work on the main aspects of sweet itch by:

• desensitising the itch

• repelling the midge

• reducing inflammation

• cooling the area

• anti-bacterial (if infection is present).

The lotion is 100% Natural so it can be used liberally and will not leave a sticky residue on the mane/tail.
This basic lotion will work in the majority of cases, but occasionally you will find an animal that the lotion does not clear up the problem. On these occasions it is possible to kineasiology test a sample of the mane/tail to find out if the horse/pony needs a slightly different formula or to take some remedies orally. A lotion can then be made up based your horse or pony’s specific needs! For more about Animal Aromatics and kineasiology testing click here.

Sweet itch is an allergic reaction and as such the condition cannot be “cured” so the treatment should be continued to control the symptoms.