You’ve got to find out what they’re allergic to first. OP do you know? Specific insects? Then you can target them with specific types of repellant.
I went ahead and started allergy shots after my horse ripped some of his eyelid off while rubbing his neck. I’ve had good results, and starting in the peak of itchy season (bug allergies are the worst for him), didn’t seem to have any detrimental effects.
Well she’s definitely allergic to the gnats although every bug out there just likes her more. She’ll have a little swarm around her when the others have a couple. I don’t know why.
I use lemon eucalyptus for the gnats but don’t find it to be the panacea you do. I also use permethrin/pyrethrin, neem, ecovet at various points. Nothing works very well for very long. I tried poulticing her legs and belly earlier this year, which also didn’t help much (because it didn’t stay on very long.) I’ve had her in a fly sheet, but it’s been just so damned hot and humid. When she wore it, she seemed to itch more.
Oh yeah–thanks very much for the reminder. I have a shampoo from the vet that’s anti itch with…uh… what’s in it? Pramoxine & Colloidal Oatmeal. I don’t think it helps any more than the vetrolin, but still use it from time to time. I do have some microtek, I can give that a try.
Thank you for saying this! I’m intrigued with Apoquel but was kind of agog when I tried to figure out how much it COST. And then if it doesn’t work? Ugh. I’m not necessarily opposed to trying, but would definitely like to work through all our other options first.
Oh, wow, really? The vet said we had to wait. How long did it take for the allergy shots to start taking the edge off of his response?
Is she already on night time turn out, to minimize the bug exposure? Or is that not an option?
If daily lemon eucalyptus repellent doesn’t work, a repellant containing 20% Picaridin or 30% DEET would be my next step. Plus keeping a sweet itch sheet on and dosing with cetirazine to break the itch cycle.
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I’ve actually found Flysect - a citronella based spray - to be the most effective this year. Better than EcoVet, which has been my go to for years.
I am riding a friend’s horse who is insanely itchy. She rubs her face and bites her legs raw. Friend has tried everything including Apoquel. With that it worked for a few days but then the itching got ten times worse so she had to discontinue it. The mare has to live in bandages or wraps.
We are wondering whether it’s an autoimmune issue rather than bugs and grasses. However, friend and vet is currently at a loss for the next step. I believe she did do the allergy testing but it was awhile ago and I don’t recall what the results were.
It is swamp ass hot here this year. I have a gelding who is super sensitive, and will rub his mane and tail out, and lay down and get his belly. This year, I jacked up his Zyrtec to 20 pills twice daily. He has a mane and a tail, and I have seen him get down for a belly rub once so far this Summer. He is a big horse- about16.2- but this is working well to hold him. He is not currently wearing his “dress”, just boots and his mask.
You titrate up the doses for the initial series for a long time…283 days. I can’t recall if his sweet itch in the mane cleared up before the end of season or not, but he didn’t do any more major damage to himself. Hair grew back well. And much improved the next year and onward. His asthma is also easier to manage with this under control.
At one barn I worked someone with an itchy horse had Dexmethasone in a spray bottle that she sprayed him with, it mightve been mixed with the flyspray too? Would that do anything, spraying them topically with it?
Topical anti itch cream, the 2% benadryl cream, is it of any use? Maybe on already bald but not open areas?
Would a cooling brace/liniment/menthol wash help any? I’ve seen a wintergreen alcohol mixture that I’m wondering if sponging them with would offer any relief. We have a boarder who is SUPER itchy even after steroid shots and pills, and she’s getting to the property damage stage so wanting to see if there’s any easy suggestions for the owner
Ugh, she was so miserable this morning. Rubbed most of the hair off a shoulder overnight. Her tail bone is raw & I’m not even sure wtf that is–bugs? Fungus? 
Steroids it is. We’ll pull blood for the allergy test in a couple weeks when the vet is here anyway. Oh I guess I should ask if the steroids will mess with the results…
I’m not comfortable doing night time turnout on account of the bears 
Oh I always forget about picaridin, thank you for that reminder. Entirely too hot and sticky for a sweet itch rug. @ASB_Stars is dead on with “swamp ass hot.” I like the heat and usually the humidity but this year has just been something else.
We’re already maxed on zyrtec but man I am intrigued with the xyzal and might try that. Hooray your big guy is doing better this year!
Huh, I haven’t heard of that one and will check it out. Pyranha is a regular in my rotation, though, and has citronella so not sure if another citronella spray will be magic here.
Injections every day? In hindsight I sure wish I’d started the allergy shot thing last year. I was really hoping this would get better over time but noooooo it’s just getting worse.
I do find this to help, and use the vetrolin wash:
https://www.chewy.com/dp/291409
Not like it’s solving my problem, but it seems to provide a little relief for a little while.
I tried hydrocortisone on her raw tail last night, and that just pissed her off. I can’t imagine it stings but she sure didn’t like it.
Any chance you could make a paddock that has electric run on the outside at bear-nose height? I thought bears pretty well left herds of horses alone anyways, but I’ve not dealt with that personally (thankfully) so can’t say with certainty.
Or maybe she needs some sort of shaded small paddock with a gigantic drum fan running for her.
I don’t know that I would even attempt to put her out where the bugs can get her until some of the irritation cools down. She, and you!, sound miserable.
No, not every day. The lower concentration series is frequent, but by the time you get to the end, it’s 30 days.
Definitely pull blood for the test before giving steroids. NSAIDs and steroids are a no-go for at least 2 weeks prior to testing.
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I’m not really worried about a bear going after the horses–it’s more the horses freaking out about a bear and going through the fence. Out during the day also has her in at dawn and dusk, which is when the gnats are apparently the worst.
She’s kind of a weird one, though, and doesn’t seem to really like her fan. I don’t know if it’s because the blowing air on her itchy spots doesn’t feel good or what. But she’s very often out in her run when I’d expect her to want to be inside with air moving. Horses, man. You try your best and they make unexpected choices.
We are both pretty miserable though 
I felt like I had a good handle on her…right up until this latest hot spell. Now it’s all gone to shit. I hope the steroids do the trick.
I also picked up some thiamine for her since that often gets tossed around as a “make them less attractive to bugs!” thing. Who knows but can’t hurt, right? It’s so weird how much they love her.
And thank you for the schedule on the allergy shots, @IPEsq! I’ll ping the vet about timing on the blood draw. Good to know about the steroid (and she’s been on Equioxx for a few days, siiiiiiiiiigh) so we might have to … idk, get her through the end of summer, and then test?
Shayney was super yummy to bugs as well. I totally understand what you’re saying about a cloud being around her and only a few on the other horses.
I’m not sure I’d give her an option for a week or so, to let her skin cool down and recover - I’d stall her and have multiple fans to try and break the cycle. It’s scheduled to be absolutely miserable this weekend anyways.
I put new footing in my indoor jogging track – horses have access to it when turned out…and they have churned up the new footing down to the base; destroyed it by rubbing themselves along the wall, digging in with their feet and then turning to rub their butts/tails on the walls. I give up.
The Belly Dickie does work. I had one years ago for a horse that legitimately had sweet itch. It has a screen-like material ‘pouch’ for udder/sheath area that’s removable for cleaning. My guy wore it 24/7 except when in his stall of course. Made huge difference.
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If nothing else, talk about a desensitizing tool. Crupper AND a flank rope. 
I have a new-to-me gelding with bug allergy/sweet itch. It’s the first time I’ve managed the bug allergy horse. His owner (he’s an indefinite free lease) sent him with all his potions, and I’ve learned a lot quickly (trial by fire!).
She found that a line of products called Biteback works well for managing his itchiness ( https://bitebackproducts.co.uk/collections/sweet-relief-horse ). Since I’ve had him, I’ve rotated the Biteback and extra-strength diaper rash ointment to raw spots (the Biteback silver cream applied pm, diaper rash ointment applied am). The diaper rash ointment has really helped those raw spots heal. I apply the Biteback sweet relief midge barrier twice a day, and I suspect it helps quite a bit.
He, too, is on 15 Zyrtec 2x/day and gets spirulina and Smart itch-ease. I bathe him with Coat Defense shampoo, which seems to soothe better than the Eqyss sensitive skin shampoo. I also use 40% deet spray on the hottest/buggiest days with no breeze. It’s the only thing that keeps flies at bay on the worst days.
He pretty much lives in his Shires sweet itch sheets and has access to his stall with a fan at all times. He chooses to go in his stall quite frequently throughout the day.
I’m interested in the allergy shots and will be asking my vet about them.
Anyway, all of that just to offer a recommendation for the Biteback products…lol.
