Sweet Itch is an allergy to midge bites. When horses are bitten a lot by
midges and are prone to allergies in general they may develop an allergy to the
saliva of culicoides midges.
When horses have an allergy to midges it means that their skin reacts more
than is normal to midge bites. (The vet at Global Herbs also gets very itchy
when bitten by midges and knows how terrible it is when walking in Scotland)
A severe allergy to midge bites means that horses scratch and rub themselves
more than normal - getting rid of hair and causing skin damage.
The best way of treating Sweet Itch is by moving the horse away from midges.
It may be enough to keep the horse stabled with midge screens in the morning and
evening when midges are around most. Alternatively you may have to move your
grazing away from marshy, midgy land.
Other forms of treatment are fly repellents – sprays or feed supplements.
In severe cases vets may decide to use steroids to soothe itchy skin. In very
severe cases rugs are needed that almost completely stop midges biting your
horse. Such approaches can be combined with commonly available food supplements
which promote normal skin condition. There is some talk of vaccines for sweet
itch but the horse’s immune system like ours is fragile and such medicines may
do more harm than good as with flu vaccines.
Homeopathy is one approach to Sweet Itch that can be very successful. A real
response needs direct supervision from a homeopath rather than ad hoc use of
Culicoides type formulae.
Free veterinary advice helpline: 01243 773363 (UK)
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