Backstory: 4 year old gelding, always been sensitive to bugs, lives out 24/7, we’ve ended up in a cycle that I don’t quite know how to break. The bugs attack him on his midline and especially his belly button. He is Raw to the point of bleeding. He itches, and when he is out in the field is routinely seen itching his midline like a dog. This is a reinforcing cycle: it itches, he rubs, it is raw, the bugs attack, it itches.
I’ve been trying swat, various flysprays, various creams. I have at this point a secondary concern, the various creams/ointments are ending up on his hind legs. He is a Shire, so Feathers!!, the last thing I want is to trigger skin issues on his hind legs.
Any ideas? I need something that keeps the bugs away, reduces the itch, and doesn’t attract dirt to the legs. Swat, the various lanolin’petroleum based creams aren’t cutting it/ nor are the run of the mill fly sprays.
How often is it being applied? My gelding gets big oozing places on his belly button too.
I clean it off and apply Corona ointment twice a day until it’s healed and then do swat twice a day.
Would a fly sheet with belly strap help?
Belly band I mean. It’s been a long week. 
I have a gelding who the gnats were eating up this way, as well as chewing up his chest. I started adding garlic and apple cider vinegar to his feed and it made the difference between bloody and not.
Twice a day has only resulted in more of it being on his legs. Corona has been my go to. But he is So itchy. If I could just stop the itch for 48-72 hours, I would be fine, but if he itches he drops to the ground and rubs his midline, Hard. (which makes it raw, which means insects, which…you get it!)
Is there a fly sheet out there that would cover his belly button and then right up to his sheath? Note, this is a draft horse, he already is wearing a 90" inch sheet and it is looking small…
What sort of garlic?
Schneider’s has draft sizes but I don’t know about a belly band. That size and combo may be hard to find.
What about Zyrtec or other antihistamine?
I’m sorry he has such a bad time with bugs. I hope you’re able to find something that helps him.
I wonder if you could spray him w Off.
Look at Coat Defense, either the powder or the paste. It should stick pretty well and be very kind to the raw itching
Give him cetirizine (generic Zyrtec) 0.2-0.4 mg/kg bw administered at 12 h intervals to stop the itching. Put a belly covering fly sheet on and spray with lemon eucalyptus Repel or Cutter brand repellents which works as well as deet on culicoides midges that cause sweet itch. This combo works.
Amazon Basic Care All Day Allergy, Cetirizine Hydrochloride Tablets, 10 mg, Antihistamine, 300 Count https://a.co/d/79FBhCG
Cutter Lemon Eucalyptus Insect Repellent, No DEET Mosquito Repellent, 4 fl Ounce (Pump Spray) https://a.co/d/f3W72gn
I use kinetic vet’s ointment, but they also have a spray, which may go on easier and not get gooey on the legs: Equishield CK
I use the ointment on tick bites around my mares’ teats - they both have very itchy swellings from them. I find it helps, but yes, is gooey.
just generic granulated garlic (would get it at Sam’s club when we could, otherwise ordered giant containers from amazon). much cheaper than the pelleted bug off supps and even my picky guy got used to eating it (started small and worked up until I saw a change).
I’ve had good results spreading Desitin diaper rash paste on the hot spots. If the area seems to be infected I also apply betadine spray or Biozide gel or MTG.
My gelding use to suffer sores and swelling around his belly button and sheath caused by gnats. Since using equiderma’s horse spray with neem and a flysheet with belly band, he is itch and sore free. https://equiderma.com/
Here is my plan of attack for this problem in a very itchy ISH who appears to be a bug magnet:
Fly sheet
Fly spray, or when ticks are bad Deep Woods Off in a stripe up the gaskin (check with your vet first if he has a history of skin stuff)
Any of these three products on the bites themselves, used according to the severity of the problem:
- Equishield CK
- Hydrocortisone
- Triamcinolone- I am sure this is not USEF legal without a TUE, call your vet first
Zyrtec daily, and I mix my Swat 50-50 with neem oil and apply on top of the anti-itch layer. If you need to stop the Swat, try straight neem oil. It is a natural insect repellant that is very good for the skin and hair coat so less of a worry on those feathers.
He still gets bitten because bugs are awful, and he still appreciates a good curry down the underline and around the sheath, but he is in control of himself.
I recommend Benadryl to reduce the itchiness. Then maybe put some fly boots or other boots on the prevent the ointment from getting on his feathers while you work through this? Something like swat, or even udder cream, should do the trick but you might need to apply it twice a day until it heals up. Then once a day as a preventative should be fine if he stops scratching it off.
Weatherbeeta has a sweet itch sheet that goes up to 87":
https://www.horse.com/item/wb-sweet-itch-shield-combo-neck-fly-sheet/E033562/
Thank you for all of the replies. It looks like Zyrtec to get the allergic reaction under control, and then figuring out what works best for him and is least ‘goopy’.
In a vent, washing him off this evening, trying to get his feathers and sheath really clean since I finally had two people to hand…And my neighbors decided that now is the time to shoot all of their heavy artillery. Random gunshots don’t bother my horses, but rapid fire right next door makes the little old pony loose her mind…and from there everybody. And Sunny is not really all that cool on baths even if his sheath is itchy, he gets nervous about his hind feet, which is what I really, really wanted to wash… So not appreciated. Argh.
I’m to the point I’m going to do allergy shots for mine. Supposedly hit or miss b cause there are 2 types of reactions happening for sweet itch and the shots can only target one of them. But my horse just lost a chunk of eyelid being so desperate to rub his mane. He’s already on Zyrtec. I haven’t had much success with neem in the past, or Coat Defense, but maybe I should try again. He’s so sensitive to most sprays, oils, etc.
In addition to all things mentioned…a couple of scratching hands are appreciated by my guy 
. Cold hosing gets the nose wiggling sometimes too.
IMG_3963
My horse had itchy raw spots in the same areas. I bought SmartPak’s “lavender utility balm” mostly just to meet the free shipping minimum but I’ve been really impressed so far. IDK if it’s because it’s soothes the skin or the scent keeps bugs off or what but his skin is already almost healed after a week of applying it once a day. It’s won a spot in my grooming kit from now on!
