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Callisto
Platinum Member
6905 Posts |
 Posted - 11 Feb 2010 : 07:49:40 AM
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| The one experience of sweet itch that I have had was my Arab x New Forest mare when I was a teenager. The only treatment we had then was Benzyl Benzoate which kept it under control as long as you applied it daily - pretty unpleasant stuff. We bred one foal from her (sire was TB) and he was clear, so I don't think it's necessarily genetic |
  Zahkira (GR Amaretto x Taffetta)
Linda
East Sussex |
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fidodido
Gold Member
England
797 Posts |
Posted - 11 Feb 2010 : 1:51:40 PM
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Hi Paulac,
Apparently Flower of sulphur powder mixed with vaseline and rubbed into roots of mane and tail is supposed to encourage hair growth. The best thing you can do is buy a rug to put on her before the midges start so that she does not rub out the mane she already has. Any type of good fitting fly rug is better than nothing. Have a look at the National Sweetitch Centre website, it has a lot of good advice.
Callisto - It is thought to be hereditory to some extent, but like anything some offspring will get it and others won't. Enviroment and where they are brought up (ie:- where's there loads of midges) has a lot to do with it also. |
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Callisto
Platinum Member
6905 Posts |
Posted - 11 Feb 2010 : 2:40:29 PM
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| Hi Fididido, I didn't express myself very well, I meant that offspring don't automatically inherit it. They were both born and brought up within 6 miles of eachother, were both bright chestnut and we don't have a chronic midge problem here. I think that to some extent the rubbing had become a bit of a habit with my mare, and of course the more she scratched the more she itched...this was before fly rugs etc., I'm sure one of those could have made all the difference. |
Zahkira (GR Amaretto x Taffetta)
Linda
East Sussex |
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highridarabians
Bronze Member
England
128 Posts |
Posted - 20 Feb 2010 : 1:31:10 PM
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I bought my mare who had sweet itch so basically the top of her tail was tufty and her mane consisted of short & long bits !
I tried the old wives tale of Maramite so off I went to Costco & bought 5 big tubs to see me through the summer months and after a spoon full each day she is now cleared & last summer I didnt give her any & ...'NO itching' and she now has a full mane & tail !!!
So she was cured after only 2 summers of Marmite...plus she loved it which helped !! Se used to lick it off the spoon lol
try it
Vikki |
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fidodido
Gold Member
England
797 Posts |
Posted - 20 Feb 2010 : 1:34:35 PM
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| Marmite is a yeast extract, that's why it works as it contains the same vitamins that help stop sweetitch. |
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suyents
Platinum Member
United Kingdom
1651 Posts |
Posted - 22 Feb 2010 : 2:31:48 PM
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| and then my filly seems to reacte badly to anything oil based, which narrows the field somewhat! Intend to use marmite this year with the deosect and see how we do. She started showing some signs as a two year old, after a particularly nasty summer of flies, but fortunately has not needed full rugging during summer yet, so i have time to save up for a boet if it gets worse!! small mercies..... |
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Topic |
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Sweet itch
