Sweet Itch Survey Results

As part of our survey, we asked what you used to manage the condition. Below you can read some of few the responses received.

"A good rug a steroid injection at start of spring and summer freedom cream.

Benzo benzoate, equimins midge cream, and a permethrin based fly spray, fly rug"

"good fly rug and a good covering of fly spray morning and night, i also wash my boy off in an antibacterial shampoo after exercise if he gets sweaty"

"rug early and find what works for your horse and then follow the routine always"

" have tried everything and i mean everything! am using a sheep product called crovect and its actually working!!"

"Benzyl benzoate it is really good my shetland looked just like any other horse after a few months of treatment day and night. (twice daily)"

"Rugs, good fly repellent, stabling at dawn and dusk, sudocrem, avon skin so soft."

"boett rugs and stop it before it starts, I think if i had have rugged my new forest as a foal it wouldnt have been as bad"

"Good rug apple cider vinegar and garlic"

"Rugs have been the best option for me. Get the fly rug on early in the year before the horse gets itchy"

"tea tree shampoo"

"Cavellese"

"kept clean and washed in eczema bath oils or hibiscrub and covered in anti itch creams with fly rug on when migies are about"

"Snuggy hoods rugs, stabling, fly sprays"

"rug,coopers fly spray and soothing cream"

"Sudocreme"

"Constant all over rugging and repellent"

"A good quality sweet itch rug and aloe vera gel"

"A combination of natural Herbs including garlic and mint as well as topical natural lavender/tea tree based cream."

"The mtg (mane & tail grow) worked, it worked like an antibacterial antifungal on the skin and prevented the bugs biting and it grew up to 2 inches of mane in a month..the top of the tail was raw so i used the botanica range to heal the skin then used the mtg to grow the hair back fast"

"neem oil based products"

"Fly rug and skill sootheing spray"

"Avon Skin so Soft, bute and Horse Care cosmetics S.I application which includes garlic, lavender and zinc oxide."

"Rugs and spot on"

"keep them fly rugged...boett rugs were rubbish and never lasted more than a few weeks considering the cost! Found the rambo hoodie fly rug was best - lasted 2yrs at a fraction of the price. used avon skin so soft, homemade fly repellant and benzyl bonoate, kept mane hogged"

"Kill itch lotion and stabled in day time"

"Years ago the use of Globar salts was recomended to me. I mixed a small amount with the pony's drinking water and that seemed to prove very successful."

"What works best for us is weekly shampooing with a coal tar based pet shampoo plus weekly applications of Killitch lotion. Also wears a flyrug with neck 24/7 and gets herbal powder called Teeburb in his feed from February to September. If he does rub we use Megatek on the affected area to promote quick regrowth, but with the above regime, I find he doesn't rub at all. He is an M&M pony therefore is shown with a full mane and tail"

"fly mask, sudocreme, fly rug, sweet itch rug, garlic supplement, fly spray, sweet itch creme"

"A Boett rug"

"homeopathic oils, benzyl benzoate, rugs, feeding garlic"

"Using the vets my horse has been desensotised and had monthly injections. I believe there are also tablets on the market but why change if it works for you Thanks"

"Boet rug Equine America lotion"

"Clean horse, equispot from USA. aloe vera and lots of your own time. It is possible with effort to have a sweet itch free pony. I have done it twice."

"Rugs and switch"

"boett rug is the only thing that works or mine (couldnt use steroids as he is laminnitic prone although would try this had he not been)"

"A mix of many treatments. From food additives, to fly repelents mixed with vaseline, to keep affected areas greasy."

"Close management boett fly rug"

"Brewers Yeast and Deosect Fly repellent as well as rugs and hoods just in case"

"Rugging all the time and Killitch lotion"

"After 8 years of various sweet itch treatments/preventative measures- have changed his diet, put him on linseed oil and Feedmarks Equidermis plus, and the sweet itch finally seems to be under control- at least for this year."

"A good sweet itch rug and keeping covered nose to tail. Only thing i've found to work."

"Keep the pony covered as much as possible early morning & late evening."

"Benzyl Benzoate with almond oil"

"Neem oil and balm seems to sooth the itch and midges aren't supposed to like it + a good midge rug and mask and access to the stable if possible."

"A good fly rug. Cavelesse."

"Cold Tar Shampoo - Neem Oil - Neem Tea & a Boet Type Rug"

"Boett"