Where can I find

[Marsha Cassada]

A while back someone suggested a support group for owners of horses with itchy skin. I'd like to join the group, please.

My boy's problem just popped up suddenly a couple of weeks ago. I'm trying all the usual things. As expected, they are not working. I need (( )) and positive thoughts from fellow sympathetic owners.

So far I've tried:

keeping him out of the sun (I thought it might be sunburn)

bathing frequently in iodine shampoo

lime/sulphur wash

fly spray

sun screen

antihistimines

I've roached his mane so I can treat that area better. His poor appaloosa mane wasn't looking so good now anyway. It was rather a relief to just get rid of it.

Going to call the vet today to get the 5 day panacur wormer, as I've read "somewhere" that a parasite could cause it.

 

[cretahillsgal]

Don't know a relief group, but if you find one I'll join too. A couple of my horses have it bad here. Only thing that I have found that helped is a shot of Dex, frequent bathing with an antibacterial shampoo, desitin over bad spots, and then daily app of fly spray with lanolin in it.

Not so hard to do all that on one or 2 horses. But try doing that to 10 of them every day! Worn out!

 

[Lori W]

When we "rescued" two new mares, they came to us with lice (among other things!). After deworming and treating them for these nasty bugs, they continued to be really itchy, with large scaling patches of skin. Poor girls! I used a product from Shapley's called M-T-G. Tractor Supply and other farm stores usually carry it.

It's really smelly and I recommend using latex gloves (or similar) to apply it, but it worked wonders. Calmed the itchies and healed the skin. You may have seen my mare, Dancer, in the "rescue" category of the online horse show. I applied M-T-G twice a day for about two months (pretty much all over), then only on the resistant itchy spots.

Before:

After:

 

[Marsha Cassada]

I haven't tried mtg on this horse, but used it in the past on a different hrose and it didn't fix the itch. I'll ask about Dex--not sure what that is so I'll ask.

Lori, your before and after are mind boggling.

If this was something as concrete as lice I think I could deal with it better. Do you think it could be some sort of autoimmune thing going on? I am hoping winter will solve it, for a while at least.

So far it is only on his mane and across the top of his back. That is what made me wonder if it is sunburn. His shoulders are fine and tail/rump are only the usual, normal summer itchy. Nothing on the legs at all (so far! crossed fingers!).

His ears look better since he's wearing the fly mask with ears. I'm keeping them clean and using neosporin on the raw areas. But he's also in the shade during the day now, so I don't know if it is the covered ears or not.

 

[cretahillsgal]

My vet says she is almost certain that it is an overabundance of these little gnats that we have here. She told me that she was seeing lots of horses and cattle with the same problem. The Dex is a steroid (i think) and must be used cautiously as it can cause founder if you give too much.

 

[funnyfarmnorth]

Could be "sweet itch" caused by gnat/midges. There are many different types and some like to bite different areas. Some like mane,back and tail and others like face chest and under belly. Check it out on Web. There are lots of sites with good information about symptoms and care. Basically the horse gets sensitized to the little beggers bites and develops n allergenic reaction that is very itchy. Good luck.

 

[Maple Hollow Farm]

I want to join this group now too, we leave in 2 wks for Nationals and one of my horses going just rubbed a spot on her shoulder!!! She rubbed it on the side of the hay bunk in her stall that is exactly the right height for itching apparently! I am panicked about what to do with it, I am going to bathe her in Iodine shampoos and hoping to stop somewhere tomorrow and look for MTG, have heard it works great for growing back hair! She has been treated for bugs too, we like to keep all of our horses well treated for lice and other bugs since they get out of hand so quickly!

 

[LittleRibbie]

Sign me up too. For anyone that watched Peanut on MS you can tell we have been dealing w/the itchy stuff here too. PN scratching constantly on anything that would support her portly figure and she just started again after foaling and now the dang baby is doing it and i too, have a couple raw spots on a couple of the other horses.

Lori you've done a remarkable job w/Dancer. I also use MTG but I think Im not very consistant...at least not 2x daily all over! But did you have to rinse off the old before reapplying each time or did you just put it right over the old stuff. how did you deal w/the dirt and crap that sticks to it. Thats whats driving me bonkers and i feel it is making them more itchy....any advice? I heard it wasnt as bad up north...colder weather maybe?

 

[Lori W]

Lori you've done a remarkable job w/Dancer. I also use MTG but I think Im not very consistant...at least not 2x daily all over! But did you have to rinse off the old before reapplying each time or did you just put it right over the old stuff. how did you deal w/the dirt and crap that sticks to it. Thats whats driving me bonkers and i feel it is making them more itchy....any advice? I heard it wasnt as bad up north...colder weather maybe?

Thank you! It was quite a labor of love to see these two mares blossom!

I didn't wash or wipe off the old when reapplying the new. We started using it in early March, and since it's cold in Michigan until May, we blanketed them almost 24/7. I put a bed sheet cut to size under the blanket to soak up any excess (I had several and washed them in between). The girls really stayed pretty clean. Since it's warm now, I'd probably brush them then wipe them off with an old towel before reapplying, to make sure it gets to their skin and doesn't grind any dirt into them.

 

[Lindi-loo]

I have really bad midges/gnat problems here I live on the forest edge and they are everywhere last thing at night and early morning..they ponies and the pigs hate tthem so do we..I use citronella oil lamps outside the stables during the summer months and insect zapper lamps inside the stables the blue light attracts them and the get zapped..i also plaster my boy (as he loves nothing more than a good scratch on the stable door) in Vaseline petrolium jelly doesnt looks very nice but midges dont like it they cant get through the grease

keeps the mane n tail looking good too

it washes out easily..it also keeps the skin from getting dry and more itchy..and its cheaper than all the specialised pony products

 

[Marsha Cassada]

I went to the vet to pick up the panacur power pack and asked him about the Dex. He wouldn't let me have it as he said it has too great a risk for laminitis. He gave me Depomedrol, the injection. He said it should be good for 3 weeks--maybe till the end of the gnat season. I should know in about 8-10 hours if it is giving him relief. If it works, and there are still gnats in 3 weeks, he can have another dose.

He said if it were fungal, the bathing regimen I'm doing would have handled it. So he suspects a reaction to the gnats. He said he has seen more eye trouble, coughing, and assorted skin trouble this year, due to the dryness.

Fingers crossed, here!