This message is from: Barbara Sollner-Webb <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Hi! Karen wrote that she has "the sweet itch Fjord poster child" and asked for suggestions. Well, my first Icelandic horse has to be the "the sweet itch Icey poster child"! As you probably know, there is considerable competition for this title, since so many imported Iceys get sweet itch (SE), generally in their second or third summer in the US. But my guy came down with a massive case of sweet itch (SE) already early in his first US summer, and he continues to be super-allergic if not treated. But fortunately we figured out a treatment where he has virtually no symptoms. Since this icey came down with his monster SE case (despite my having sprayed diligently with Repel-X) I have devoted considerable effort to identifying products that repel culicoides (gnats/midges/no-see-ums, the bug whose saliva causes the SE allergy) and that minimize itching from their bites. [After briefly researching SE, it became clear that there was little effective known, besides: (1) keeping the horse inside under a good belly-height fan every dusk and dawn, (2) treating with a steroid to repress the itching (actually, to generally repress the immune system), or (3) having the horse wear a Boett blanket (horse pajamas) 24/7 all spring/summer/fall.] I first tested various bugsprays, and most did nothing for culicoides. So forget permethrins and pyrethrins. Swat only helps if you totally coat the affected area. And Skin-So-Soft actually attracts culicoides! But "FlyGone 7000" by Horseman's Dream ($34/gal from Jeffers, <http://www.jeffers.com>) works very well to repel these bugs! At least part of its effect is from citronella, but FlyGone 7000 remains effective much longer than using only citronella. Nonetheless, the FlyGone 7000 lasts less than 24 hours, so you do need to spray 2x/day. Religiously! [Of course spray most on the parts of the horse that get the most bites, which varies depending on the culicoides in your area.] Once the SE is under control, that spraying keeps the number of bites down to a level that generally the horse stays comfortable with just the FlyGone 7000. But to get the SE under control (or if you end up missing a day of spraying and the horse itches enough to scratch open SE sores), you also want something to reduce the itching. Again, I tried lots of products, and most do minimal. Forget calamine lotion and antihistamine cream. But a product developed by a lady in Iceland (originally for her daughter's excema and then modified for Iceys in Germany) called "SDS lotion" works wonderfully. You just dab it on a starting sore, and it no longer itches. For a badly broken out area, apply the SDS lotion twice a day for a couple of weeks, along with the FlyGone spraying, and it will be healed. Fortunately, SDS lotion will now be easy to get in the states, as Gudamr Petursson, a nice Icelandic trainer in Kentucky, has just started marketing it here. Go to <http://www.vikinghorses.com> or call 502-228 6160. I wrote two articles on this treatment in the Icelandic Horse Journal called Eidfaxi, and they are easy to get on the <http://www.maineicelandics.com> web site. Good luck! Let me know how this regime works for you, if you try it. yours, Barbara Sollner-Webb (in Maryland) p.s. I tried feeding my horse 1T of garlic a day, as garlic seems to repel culicoides, but he hated garlic and refused to eat it, even disguised in feed and applesauce. Right now I am trying attaching small pouches of garlic around his neck and under his belly, which seems to help, but he keeps taking them off in the trees, so this still needs work, but is promising.
