If you’re a horse owner who has dealt with sweet itch, then you’ll know that there’s nothing sweet about it! Sweet itch, technically known as seasonal recurrent dermatitis, is an allergic reaction to the Culicoides biting midge or “no-see-um” gnats. It causes intense itching, often along the mane, midline (under the belly), and tail, which can result in hair loss and scabbing. This pesky problem occurs throughout bug season and can sometimes worsen over time. Unfortunately, in the past couple of years my horse Luna has developed this condition, and this year managing it has been especially challenging. Below is a photo of Luna’s belly at its worst point this year, to give you a sense of what it can look like.
Luna and I have been working closely with her veterinarian to manage this problem, and I recommend that anyone facing the challenge of sweet itch do the same. No two horses are exactly alike, and they may respond to treatments differently, so it’s important to create a customized treatment program with your vet that works for your horse.
First, we tried antihistamines, which worked fairly well when the weather wasn’t as warm and the bugs weren’t as bad. These were also great because they were small enough pills to hide in the Pill Camo Treats, which she will happily eat out of my hand or with her grain. These things are a godsend for picky eaters!
Once the weather got warmer and the bugs got worse, unfortunately the antihistamines weren’t enough, and after consulting with my vet again, we added steroids to help get the itchiness under control. We also added additional topical treatments, including fly spray, a fly sheet, and a cream on her itchiest spots.
For fly spray, I’ve had good luck with EcoVet Fly Repellent. You can watch my video all about this product here.
Another thing that has really helped is keeping Luna in a fly sheet 24/7, especially one with a belly band. My personal favorite is the Weatherbeeta ComFiTec Airflow Detach-A-Neck Fly Sheet. This sheet is cool, lightweight, and has both a belly band and a neck cover for full coverage, which is especially important for horses with sweet itch.
Lastly, I have been applying Leovet’s Bio-Skin Oil to her raw spots daily, which helps to reduce itching and encourage hair regrowth. As you can see below, her skin is healing and her coat is starting to fill back in where it had been completely rubbed out. I also apply SWAT Ointment to these areas daily to prevent further irritation by bugs.
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This may seem like a lot of work (and it is at times!) but I’m happy to report that with this routine, Luna has become much more comfortable and has almost completely stopped rubbing. Sweet itch can be challenging to manage, but with the right program and the help of your vet, it’s definitely possible to minimize or eliminate the discomfort and itching associated with this condition. What are some of your favorite tips or tricks for managing sweet itch? Feel free to share them in the comments below!
My Betsy has sweet itch and it a awful thing for a horse to go through my vet gave me meds and I’m telling you Destin that you use on babies has been the best the bugs can’t get her I rub it all over her belly legs and now it’s gone well till next heat wave
I found that to be true for my horse also. Desitin is working better than everything else I tried
My husband and I have been using Boett sweet itch blankets on our 4 Icelandic Horses for 15 years. The blankets are a bit high maintenance as they need to be sewn when the horses tear them. The horses don’t sweat any more than they would without the blanket. The blanket comes in 3 pieces: body, belly, and hood. They even have an udder attachment to sew on for mares. These blankets WORK. They are not cheap, but with sewing maintenance they last 3 years. We have tried different types of leggings: mesh, colloidal silver sox, and shoo fly leggings. Nothing works well on the legs. The Shoo Fly got torn up in one season. They still bite at their legs because the midge flies can still get to them. We use Swat on the parts that they chew that are uncovered. We have tried Snuggy Hood blankets. They are cheaper but not as well designed. My advice is try the Boett blanket. There is a fairly large Icelandic Horse farm about 60 miles from our farm. They keep the horses in stalls during the day with automatic fly repellent being sprayed throughout the day. After dusk when the flies are not active they turn the horses out. I don’t want my horses to stand in a stall all day. This tactic works, but it is not natural for the horse to be stalled all day. I hope this helps someone.
There is nothing better for this problem on the belly and top than Belly Balm. It has worked wonders.
I have found that Gold Bond Medicated Powder (or the generic version) is helpful with reducing the itchiness as well as seeming to keep the no seeums away. I apply it twice daily.
We adopted an elderly Arab gelding a couple of years ago. He has always been itchy but last fall and this spring it really erupted. It’s all along his midline. Vet diagnosed it as sweet itch. But then a friend reminded me about neck threadworms. I immediately changed the way I was treating it and it is disappearing. I strongly recommend the articles on this topic on an Australian site called “The Horse’s Back.” I am using Durvet apple-flavored Ivermectin (my horses LOVE being wormed now!) and a Sulphur cream called “KrudZapper” – those two products saved our poor old guy FINALLY. Apparently sweet itch is more common than neck threadworm “issues” and symptoms are similar. The clue is “midline only.” Sweet itch can be all over the horse’s body; neck threadworms usually manifest themselves at the midline.
Super helpful reply thank you!
When I got my mustang he really suffered from this. He is from NV and I guess they don’t have those midges there…I used to buy a huge container of generic Vaseline from the $1 store and add some drops of Rosemary or Eucalyptus…and plaster his midline belly with it every day. Didn’t cost much at all. I also started worming more often in summer with Ivermectin. Along with a sheet 24/7, better nutrition, feeding garlic chips,and a fine holed fly mask (I use the Cashel Riding Mask with ears)I am happy to say he is much, much better…Will see how it goes this summer. I am in hot, sticky SC.